Page 78 of Roaring Fork Wrangler

Her phone vibrated again. “Beau and your brother are back.”

“Good. If you don’t mind, I’m going to ask Gray to take me home.”

“I understand. I just wish I knew how to knock some sense into him.”

“Who? Cord?” Gray asked, coming in through the mudroom with Beau behind him.

I stood. “Can you take me home?”

“Here,” he said, tossing me his key fob as he rushed by me, stalking out of the house like I had the cottage.

24

CORD

“Where’s Juni?” Pete asked when I opened the door and invited him inside.

“She went up to the house for something.”

His eyes scrunched, and he shook his head. “She knew I was on my way.”

“She mentioned you wanted to be the one to tell me something, but she didn’t say what.”

“Yeah, okay. I guess?—”

The door flew open, and Grayson came in, slamming it behind him and stalking in my direction.

“What the fuck?” I muttered when he got close enough to jam his index finger into my chest.

“My sister won’t say it, so I will. Do you even realize that, if it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t be alive, asshole?”

Pete stepped forward. “Gray, that’s enough.”

He shoved his uncle away. “No. I came here with things to say, and I’m not leaving until I do.” He took a deep breath. “My sister sat by your fucking bedsidefor over a month.A month!She doesn’t evenknowyou, but she did it because if she wasn’t there, you gotagitated.”

There wasn’t a single thing he’d said that I could dispute.

“Do you have any idea how hard it was for her to be back in that hospital? Back on that floor? But she did it. I’m sure it got easier as time went on, but I can guarantee you two things. One, she had a panic attack when she walked in for the first time. Two, she’d never admit it to anyone.”

“Grayson,” Pete warned again.

He spun around. “Do you think she’d tell him? Of course not.” He looked back at me. “But then, I’m sure you haven’t asked a single question about Juni or how she was doing. All you cared about was that she was there for you.”

I raised both hands. “I understand why you’re angry?—”

“You’re a?—”

“Hang on, and let me finish. I get it, okay, and I agree with you. I’m an asshole. But, Gray, the things you’re saying make no sense to me. I have no idea what you’re talking about, and you’re right; I haven’t asked.”

Pete put his hand on Grayson’s shoulder. “Have a seat, son. You’ve gotten this far. You might as well finish it.”

He put his head in his hands. “She’s gonna be so mad at me.”

Pete ushered him to the sofa. At the same time, Buck came out of the kitchen, carrying a six-pack of beer. I reached for one, cracked it open, and handed it to Juni’s brother before taking another for myself.

I sat in the chair facing him. “I’m not going to force you to tell me anything if you’re betraying Juni’s confidence.”

He shook his head. “You need to know. You aren’t the only one who almost died on this property.”

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