Page 36 of Between a Rock and a Hard Cowboy

Surprised, she said, “I thought you’d be all for destroying that damn thing.”

He shook his head. “I’m not sure how I feel.”

Wow. So Linc had that foolishdo good at the expense of yourself and your familystreak too.

She should respect that. But in her three and a half decades of life she’d seen too many bad people get what they wanted and too many good people get screwed out of what they needed and deserved to believe that honor was always right. Or that good and bad were black and white.

Every fiber of her being believed that everything could be argued to fall somewhere in the gray area within the spectrum between right and wrong.

“You’re quiet,” he commented.

“I’m often quiet,” she countered.

“Yeah, when you’ve fallen into that rabbit hole of a computer screen. But that’s not what’s happening now.”

She glanced down and saw the screen saver had replaced her browser window view. He was right. It wasn’t the computer distracting her now. It was her plans regarding Emmett that occupied her thoughts.

After Linc’s confession that he wasn’t sure how he felt about destroying the second will, she was more convinced than ever. It was up to her and her alone to save the Wilders from themselves.

ChapterEighteen

The message came through to Linc’s cell later that day on the Wilder group text that only Wyatt, Ethan, Linc and their father received. Not the big and much too active group message that included the three women as well.

Wyatt had called a meeting and since Olivia and Poppy were both in the house, he suggested they meet at Linc’s cabin as soon as he was done with afternoon chores.

Linc could guess the reason for the sudden gathering. They needed to talk about this will and Emmett. And they needed to do it without Emmett’s three biggest haters present to sway them.

Luckily, Eva had left around lunch time, refusing his offer of canned soup and saying she needed to get back to her apartment. Not that he’d minded her being there. As far as houseguests went, she was surprisingly easy. As long as she had electricity to charge her laptop and an internet connection, it was like she wasn’t there at all.

Showered and changed into clean clothes after chores, Linc had just checked his stock of beer in the fridge, since this discussion was for sure going to require alcohol, when he heard the front door open and then close again.

Only his family would let themselves into his home without even knocking first. And he guessed he couldn’t blame them. This cabin had been fair game for anyone in the family who wanted to use it at any time for all of their lives.

He was pretty sure they’d all snuck girls in here at one time or another. Although maybe he should start using the dead bolt on the front door since everyone on the property seemed to have a key to what was now his home.

“We’re here!” Ethan called. “And I really hope you’ve got something alcoholic to drink.”

Snorting out a laugh at his oh so predictable brother, Linc grabbed the entire six-pack from the shelf in the fridge and carried it out to the great room. “Way ahead of you, bro.”

He planted the beer on the low table in front of the sofa, grabbed himself one, twisted off the cap and raised the bottle to his lips.

“Nice decorations,” Ethan observed, grabbing his own bottle.

“I know you’re all not here about the Christmas challenge.” Linc shifted his focus to Wyatt, who’d called them together and was currently standing next to the mantle looking at Eva’s Santa-fied taxidermy montage.

Meanwhile their father sat heavily in one of the chairs. Linc could see the weight of this situation pressing on the old man. He’d retired from the daily work around the ranch. He’d no doubt thought his golden years were going to be all smooth sailing. Now, everything seemed up in the air for all of them.

Finally, Wyatt turned to face them, standing while the rest of them sat, leaving no doubt who the self-elected leader of this gathering was.

“We need to talk about Emmett,” he began.

No shit. His brother had done nothing but state the obvious.

“Well, I say don’t worry until there’s something to worry about. He’s been gone for how long now? A year since he got Wyatt’s nanny—the nanny before Olivia, that is—pregnant and then ran off? I doubt he’ll show his face around here anytime soon,” Ethan guessed. “But if he does, we’ll worry about this will thing then.”

Linc had to agree. Emmett had burned his bridges here. They’d given him a chance, and a job, and it took him only a few months to fuck up and then disappear.

He’d left Ethan and Linc shorthanded during calving season and Wyatt without a babysitter to look after Darcy. Emmett had to realize he’d have a less than warm welcome waiting for him when he came back.

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