Page 88 of Harper

“It’s time for you to go,” she says, lifting her chin.

“Didn’t you, Harp? Didn’t you go travel the world? Footloose and fancy free?”

“Now, Joe.” She stands up and walks to the door, opening it for me, even though I’m still sitting on her couch. “Please go.”

“Antarctica, right?” I ask. “Cold places. Really, really cold fucking places, right, Harp? Icy cold…just like your fucking heart.”

“That’s enough, Joe!”

A male voice startles me, and whip my head around to see Hunter standing beside his sister. Harper looks at her brother, then at me, then runs back to her bedroom with a sob and slams the door shut.

I stand up, walk around the loveseat, and head out the door, knocking my shoulder into Hunter as I pass him.

“Joe,” says Hunter, his voice barely restrained.

I look up from the bottom step of Harper’s cabin.

Talk about icy. Hunter’s face is furious. “You come here again and upset her, you’ll deal with me.”

“Hunter, stay out of—”

“Shut up, Joe,” says Hunter, holding up his hand. “I mean it. I know what she did. I know she had your baby in secret all those years ago and never told you. And I get how that could make you angry and fuck with your head. It’d fuck with mine, too.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “But if you ever come over here again and make my pregnant sister cry, it’ll take two men to dragme off you. And if those two men are Tanner and Sawyer, the odds won’t be with you.”

“You threatening me?”

“I’m warning you,” says Hunter. “Again, I understand your anger. I sympathize. But she’s in a delicate place until she has that baby. Upsetting her won’t be tolerated.” He shakes his head like he’s disappointed in me. “You should know better.”

Then he turns around and goes back into Harper’s cabin, pulling the door shut behind him.

I get in my car, my cheeks hot with shame.

He’s right.

I should know better.

I deserved to be called out by Hunter.

Making a pregnant woman cry? It’s beyond the pale. I picture my mother’s face and feel so ashamed of myself, my skin crawls.

I put the car in reverse to head back to Skagway.

No matter how angry I am, no matter how betrayed I feel, I need to start getting control over my emotions. And if that means staying away from Harper Stewart for the foreseeable future—until such time that I can be civil to her—so be it.

I promise myself that’s what I’ll do.

I will stay away.

Chapter 10

Harper

“Harper!” cries Parker, who slides from her seat into the one our youngest brother has just vacated. “Sawyer’s drunk as a skunk! We should have stopped him.”

I look up at the podium to see Sawyer clutching the mic like he’ll fall over if he lets go. Sliding my eyes to Tanner and McKenna, I find them looking red-faced and cheerful. As long as the guests of honor are happy, that’s all that matters.

“Tammer ’n Muh-kenn-ya…you guys are…so great,” starts Sawyer.

After a couple of minutes of incoherent rambling, Hunter jumps up on the little stage beside Sawyer, wrestling the mic away.

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