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A groan burst from his lips. “I didn’t ask now.”
“No, but you were watching the house like a puppy that got kicked out for chewing on his owner’s shoe. We all know what you’re doing. You can’t tell me that you didn’t at least suspect this was coming.” Hudson stopped and stared at Henry expectantly. “Come on, you didn’t think she was gonna stay forever, did you? I thought you were smarter than that.”
Henry’s jaw tightened like a vise. He couldn’t afford to get Hudson worked up again. Not when they’d fought so much about Athena staying. Now that she was gone, it would look like he was just trying to get into a fight with him.
His hands clenched into fists, something Hudson didn’t miss. His eyes dipped to Henry’s sides and lifted again. Henry expected his brother to smirk, to rub it in, to do anything that would make it perfectly clear that he could say “I told you so.” But he did none of that.
Hudson’s shoulders dropped and he sighed. “I know it’s not what you wanted. I almost thought that she’d stay too. But sometimes, we have to accept that people leave. It’s what they do.”
“This isn’t the same thing that happened with Mom and Dad,” Henry ground out. “This is completely different.”
“I know. But that doesn’t mean it hurts any less. You tried. That’s all you could do.”
Henry’s heart trembled. No, it was his whole body. It was as if his very soul was being shaken by an earthquake, except everything around him was remaining the same. He shut his eyes to push the sensation out. “Why didn’t you stop her?”
Hudson snorted. “That’s not my job.”
“Then why couldn’t you bother to come get me?” Henry opened his eyes, his words coming through gritted teeth. “You could have at least let me know so I could talk to her.”
His brother almost looked sad. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think you need to. You can’t force people to do what you want them to. It wouldn’t matter how many conversations you might have with her—if she wanted to leave, that’s what she was going to do.”
Henry shook his head. “You’re wrong. If I had told her that I loved her, she would have stayed.”
Hudson’s brows shot up. Shock flickered behind his eyes, followed by something more accusatory.
That’s right, Henry hadn’t been open about his relationship with Athena. They’d kept the whole thing quiet. No one had known for certain if they were together, even if they’d suspected it. Shoot!
Henry lifted his chin and scowled at his brother. “I don’t care what you think. Judge me all you want. I love her, and I could see myself possibly being with her forever.”
Hudson frowned. He was definitely judging Henry; it was clear in his eyes. He wouldn’t have had to say a single thing and Henry would know exactly how he felt.
“We were working things out. Was it difficult sometimes? What relationship isn’t?”
Still, his brother stared at him like he’d committed a crime. “And yet she slipped out before most of us were awake. What does that tell you about the strangers you let into our home?”
Henry took a step toward him. “She wasn’t a stranger. She was good at what she did. I’m still not convinced that Beast will be completely calm for the next person who tries to ride him. Athena belonged here just as much as any of us.”
His brother snorted. “Until she’s married to one of us, she doesn’t belong anywhere on this property. She was a thief and a trespasser. She didn’t care about you or anyone else. If she did, she would have gotten to know us better.”
“That’s hilarious coming from you,” Henry said. “You don’t let anyone in. You would rather shut out the world than let anyone see you for who you really are.”
Hudson’s scowl deepened. “More people means more problems. It all started with that country club. It’s beyond me why everyone worships the ground that Shane guy walks on, but he’s the one responsible for all the extra traffic. People come here for therapy and then end up moving here. Have you noticed how busy it’s getting? There’s talk of putting in a new subdivision over in that area.”
“Good!” Henry snapped. “This place could use more people who can appreciate what it’s like living in a small town like Copper Creek. Maybe if there were more of them, you’d finally be able to brush that chip off your shoulder and accept that Colorado doesn’t just belong to you.”
They were now within inches of each other, having gotten closer and closer with each argument they spewed. Henry had a feeling that the only reason fists hadn’t gone flying was because Hudson still held the box and the tool bag.
Hudson might have been younger than Henry, but he was the same height and that leveled the playing field far more than Henry would have preferred. But at this point, he had far too much pent-up energy with nowhere to put it. A little scuffle might be just what he needed to get these feelings under control.
“Henry! Hudson! Get back to work.”
They both jumped and glanced in the direction of the barn. Brielle stood with her arms folded, her eyes sharp. She might not have grown up here, but she was the one they couldn’t help but respect. She’d weaseled her way into the hearts of every Keagan and then won them over. No one dared cross her, especially since she married Wade.
Her eyes flashed with warning. “I’m not going to waste half my day breaking up a fight and stitching you two up. If you want to have it out, wait until Sunday.”
Henry shot Hudson one last angry look, then shoved past him and headed for the house. He didn’t care if he had chores left unfinished. He couldn’t keep his head on right, and none of it would get done well anyway.
* * *
