Page 86 of Conveniently Wed
“Because that’s the way it is!”
Ricky threw a punch.
Edgar caught it in his palm, Ricky’s fist smacking against his flesh. His brother’s eyes were a little wild, about like Edgar felt right now.
“Right ain’t always right,” Ricky muttered after a long, hard stare passed between them.
“This ain’t solving anything!” Matty exclaimed from behind them.
“What’s to solve?” Edgar asked. He turned away, kept his head low, so his brothers wouldn’t see the emotion welling up in him. “She lied to me.”
“You sure about that? Underhill could be the one lying.”
“With a federal marshal along for the ride?”
It seemed preposterous. And if it was an unfounded accusation, why wouldn’t she have told him sooner?
Even if she hadn’t outright lied, at the very least, she’d omitted some very important information.
He couldn’t trust her.
And he obviously couldn’t trust himself. She’d grown on him with her non-complaining attitude, her protectiveness of her sister…but maybe it was all an act. Or maybe she really was willing to do anything to save Emma.
“You talk some sense into him yet?”
The third voice—Seb’s—had him on his feet almost instantly.
“What’re you doing out here? You’re supposed to be with the wagon,” Edgar barked.
Both Seb and Ricky looked at him, faces serious, and he turned away, taking off his hat with one hand and shoving his other hand into his hair.
It just reminded him of Fran, how she’d washed and cut it.
“We know you care about her,” Seb said. Low and soft, like Edgar was some flighty filly to be brought around by gentle speech. “Kinda hard not to notice.”
“I don’t want to,” he growled.
“You can’t just let them take her away,” his youngest brother pushed.
“She says Underhill wants Emma. If that’s true, then he doesn’t have any reason to push for her to be incarcerated.” Unless she really had stolen from him.
“You’re gonna make that gamble? What if he gets so mad about being thwarted that he tries to punish her?”
“I don’t know!” he thundered, spinning to face his brothers. “I don’t know anything anymore. She’s got me all mixed up and turned around!”
He threw up his hands, and his Stetson went flying into the night.
“We started out four days ago with a job to do. We’ve still got to get the cattle to Pa’s buyer.That’swhat I want to focus on.”
Cattle were easy, even if it was going to be a challenge to get them to the buyer on time.
Cattle didn’t tie him up in knots, didn’t turn everything from black and white to gray.
Or rainbow-colored, like looking at the sun behind closed eyes.
“Will you please go back to the wagon?”
Seb considered him for a long moment. Finally, the younger man crossed his arms across his chest. “No.”
