Page 3 of The Outlaw and the Heir

The problem was I always suspected my brother never had the same attitude toward me and what I did. Maybe it was just who he was as a person. Maybe it was because I’d killed our mother by being born, or perhaps that was just what God had determined for us both. Whatever it was, it amounted to the fact that my brother and I would never see eye to eye on anything, and as the future head of our family, he had the right to steer things in the direction he thought, no matter what I felt.

"All that work can't be good for you," Elizabeth threw in before anyone else could say anything. To her credit, she sounded genuinely concerned as she stared over her cup of coffee and watched me. "I mean, you're not getting any younger, Ambrose. What do you have right now?"

I knew what she meant, but I answered the question as it was presented. “I have my work, I have Bear, I have my family. What else could I need?"

"A family of your own," she said with a sigh that said how dense she thought I was. "How many times have I tried to getyou set up with a woman, a perfectly good woman, so that you could marry and have children of your own?"

"Counting is not really my thing," I told her dryly. She meant well, of course she did, but damned if it wasn't annoying to be reminded of her constant attempts at matchmaking, all of which failed in a fashion ranging from banal to spectacular.

"Even I have lost track," she said with a sigh. "Numerous, perfectly suitable women, and you have shown zero interest. What about your happiness, brother?"

"Or the family name," Joseph added unnecessarily.

I looked around the table, seeing four nephews and two nieces before giving a soft snort. “I think the name is just fine. Plus, shouldn't it beyourblood that matters most to you?"

"I don't know what you mean," Joseph said, lying through his teeth since we both knew he considered hiseverythinggreater and more important than me, or even Lizzie, could provide.

"And I am happy," I told Lizzie, sliding my eyes away from my brother before things turned into another subtle sparring match. "I don't need a wife or children to be happy. That's what you and Joseph wanted and have. I don't need that to be happy."

She looked troubled by the idea, as she had every time I brought it up, but that was Lizzie for you. Walter hadn't been wrong when he’d proclaimed that stubbornness was a family trait because it ran thick and true through the line. Elizabeth was a woman who was determined to know the best way to get through things, even if it was the path she had traveled. She was more understanding than our brother, but that didn't mean she wasn't determined to see things her way if she could.

"I suppose," she said uncomfortably, and I knew the argument wasn't done.

My father had been quiet throughout the whole debate, something that was unnerving and unsurprising at the same time. In truth, he’d never been one to critique me on my choicesin life, even if he constantly gave me a hard time for the quality and efficiency of the work. He’d watched us during the conversation, and I never knew what he thought or felt. Was it disappointment in me? Agreement with some of what I said? Or simple resignation that his youngest would fail where his eldest two had succeeded in ways I never would?

And when it came to that topic, my greatest dread was that deep down, he knew why I wasn't interested in a wife and children like my siblings. That he knew about the drifter who’d come to Rapture when I had been a teen, who was only a little older than me and had shown me why the women in town had been of no interest to me. Or that I had that confirmed a few years later when I’d been sent with others on a supply run further north and had met a man with gray eyes and a winning smile who had shown me what a mouth could be used for other than talking and kissing, or how good it sounded to hear another man groan beneath me.

My father saw a great many things with those sharp eyes of his, and I feared he saw to my core despite how buried and hidden it was and knew all my secrets.

After a few moments of silence, my father looked my way, wiping his mouth with the cloth beside his plate. "You and I will be running into Rapture later today."

Several things were on my list for the day, but there was no point in arguing. “Concerned about the town?"

"After the past couple of raids, there's been some damage," he explained unnecessarily. "And it's a good idea that they know we still stand with them, even if we weren't able to help them. At the very least, we can see if there is anything we can offer."

Joseph scoffed. “Rapture has done just fine. They fought the criminals off on their own without our help. They know we're still good to trade with them."

That annoyed me. “People need more than just money and goods coming through. This ranch was one of the ones that helped start Rapture. They need to know we stand with them, even if it isn't about making money."

"And what would you know about making money?" Joseph asked with a sneer.

"I know the only thing keeping you from being a bandit is that you were raised right," I shot back without thinking. "Because it sure as shit isn't about you being a better person."

Joseph's eyes flashed as he gripped the edge of the table. “Awfully rich, you talking about right and wrong when you?—"

"Enough," our father said, his voice soft but still managing to crack like a whip. "You are family, and you will act like it."

"Yes, sir," I muttered, dropping my eyes as my brother sat stiffly across from me, a sour expression on his face. None of us liked being chastised by our father, but Joseph, in particular, seemed to take great offense when it happened. That it had happened because the two of us had been arguing undoubtedly made him even angrier with me than he already was.

Not that it bothered me. I was used to my brother's dark looks and biting comments. We had never been close, and I had no hope it would change. Only our father's presence kept the peace between us most days, and sometimes, I wondered what it would look like when our father was no longer around.

I cleared my throat, looking at Lizzie. “And where is George this morning?"

The troubled expression on her face dropped at the mention of her husband. “He is heading toward town as we speak. Apparently, there's supposed to be a new shipment he wanted to look over."

"Again?" I wondered. "It's only been a couple of weeks since the last one."

She smiled at that. “George and I have been working hard to put some life into Rapture. That little town might not be so little for long."

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