Page 41 of Branded Betrayal

But my choices put me in a position where, no matter how badly I want her, deep down I can never have her. She’s too good for me anyway. Too good for Whiskey Creek. She needed to get out of this town and spread her wings. If pushing her away meant pushing her toward a new life in Denver, where she’d thrive away from danger and threats, then I did the right thing by her. Even if she’ll never know it.

I walk out of my bedroom and down the stairs, my boots thumping hard on the wood. Wyatt turns away from the door, eyes narrowed, his hand on the handle.

“What the hell happened?” he says. “Savannah just ran outta here like her ass was on fire. What’d you say to her to make her cry like that?” His gaze darkens, and he lets go of the door. He takes a few steps toward me. “She actually had fun today. Smiled. Laughed. And after a few minutes with you, she’s a mess. Do you have to drag everyone into your fucking black hole?”

My jaw tenses. “I didn’t make her cry. I barely spoke to her.”

“Well, maybe that’s the problem. You’re so wrapped up in your own misery that you don’t even realize it’s poisoning everyone around you.” Wyatt shakes his head. “You know, you and Nash may not be friends anymore, but Savvie never did shit to you. We’ve known her our whole lives, and now of all times, when she needs support, you just fucking stomp all over her.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Stay out of my business, Wyatt.”

His humorless laugh grates against my ears. “Nosing into your business would imply I give a shit about it. And I stopped caring a long time ago.”

I stare at my brother for a long minute. His face is twisted with anger, but shards of pain in the depths of his glare lance my heart like tiny daggers. “I told you I was sorry, that I wanted to make up for it. Give me a chance, Wy.”

He slowly shakes his head, his spine stiffening. “I had nobody when you left. And you didn’t care. I cried myself to sleep at night for a month.” His voice loses a bit of its edge. “You can’t just come back here and pick up where we left off. Too much has changed.”

He pulls open the door and stalks out of the house. The framed pictures on the walls shudder at the force of the door slamming shut.

Bryant is in the kitchen, stretched out on the floor, sunning himself by the window. I bend down and ruffle his ears. He doesn’t move, just cracks open one eye to look up at me.

“Do you hate me, too, boy? I left you along with the rest of them. Wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

He moves one paw so that it grazes the top of my boot. At least the dog still cares about me. I swallow hard past the growing lump in my throat, giving him belly rubs.

“Sorry,” I manage to croak out before rising to my feet. I pace the length of the kitchen when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I grab it and glare at the screen before letting the call go to voicemail.

I need air. I need space. I need something that doesn’t involve lies and manipulation and plans to destroy the only woman I’ve ever loved.

Familiar barn smells greet me, ones that dredge up memories I’ve tried so hard to bury. But right now, I want to remember. I need to remember.

I head toward the back stall, and her head lifts at the sound of my boots on the dirt floor.

“Hey, girl,” I whisper. Starlight’s ears perk up. I run a hand down her back, the silver threading through her chestnut coat catching the soft light. Twenty-four years old but her eyes are still bright and alert. She was Mom’s horse before she was mine.

Before everything went to hell.

My fingers gently graze the scar where she’d been bitten by a rattler years ago. Mom and I spent three days nursing her back to health, taking shifts, staying with her in the barn. Mom always had her nose in some romance novel. She used to love to read out loud to Starlight.

“You remember Mom, don’t you?” Starlight presses her muzzle against my chest. “She used to sneak you sugar cubes. She loved you so much.”

My throat tightens. Mom would’ve hated what I’ve become. She’d have been so disappointed in me. My choices. Doesn’t matter that there were good intentions behind all of it.

“Protect your brothers and keep them safe. And watch over your father. He’s not as strong as you. I love you, my sweet boy. Always and forever.”

Those were her last words to me.

“I tried, Mom. I swear I did,” I murmur. “But I couldn’t fix things.”

I saddle Starlight slowly, my hands moving through motions I could do blindfolded. I’ve been gone for so long, and yet she’s patient and trusting. Maybe she can feel my pain. Maybe she still believes I can be a better man.

The prairie stretches endless under the afternoon sky as we head down one of the trails. Starlight settles into an easy walk, slowly and carefully.

“I’m poisoning her,” I tell the horse. “Every day I stay here, every lie I tell her.”

I think about Savannah’s face when I found her holding Liam’s dog tags. I was a total asshole to her, shutting her down when she tried to get me to open up to her. But I couldn’t tell her the truth about him. The truth is, I’m too ashamed to admit any of it. Another example of how I’ve become the antithesis of the son my mom raised.

Liam died because I was reckless. Because I thought I could control everything and everyone, just like I’m trying to control Savannah now. I know the pattern. I’m just too damn stubborn to change it.