Page 99 of Reclaiming My Wife

“Only if you give me a second tonight, darling,” he said with a wink as he hopped down. He obviously understood the situation. Tipping his hat to me, he winked at Kim and left without pressing the issue.

“I see he hasn’t given up,” I laughed.

“It’s all for show. Found out yesterday that Mickie has been carrying a diamond ring around in his pocket for some girl he’s been keeping a secret. According to him, there’s so much drama on this ranch that he was afraid to even mention his girl’s name.” She cocked her head to the side. “You understand that kind of drama, don’t you, Jillian? Like leaving without telling your sister-in-law goodbye or accusing the man who loves you of betraying you without proof?”

Oh yeah. She was angry.

“Yes. I suppose I do understand that. Not to add to the drama, but I’m here to make that right. Since you’re here, I figured I’d start with apologizing to you. Despite what happened between Brendan and I, you and I became friends, and I owed you an explanation. It was cowardly of me to go without saying goodbye.”

“Not friends,” she corrected. “Family. You and I were family.”

“You and I are family.” I nodded, tears springing to my eyes. “And I’m sorry.”

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Does that mean you plan on dropping this ridiculous notion of a divorce?”

I chose my words carefully. “I have a lot to answer for when it comes to Brendan. I don’t know that he’s going to want to drop the divorce, but whatever happens, I hope that I can still consider you family. I don’t have much in the way of it.”

After regarding me for a few tense minutes, she finally dropped the walls and flung her arms around me. “Of course you can. Girl, I have missed you. The whole ranch has missed you. Brendan has been an absolute jackass since you’ve been gone and then Silva stopped eating, but Ben and Debra finally slept together, so at least the two of them haven’t been so grouchy.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I see that I’ve missed a lot.” Letting go of her, I reached over and stroked Silva’s muzzle. “He looks okay. Is he doing okay?”

“Brendan worked some sort of miracle one weekend. I left on Friday and the horse hadn’t eaten in two days, and when I returned on Monday, he was eating enough for two. Brendan wouldn’t tell me his secret, but I think Silva didn’t want to disappoint you.”

Leaning down, I gave the horse a kiss. “That’s because he’s a good boy.” I enjoyed rubbing on him for a minute before I stepped back. “I can’t find your brother. Do you know where I might find him?”

“He’s actually not here, but I can give you an address. It might be best if you talked to him there.” She pulled out her phone and tapped around on the screen before she jotted something down on a piece of paper.

Absently, I took it. “And where is that?”

Kim shrugged. “You drive down here?”

“I rented a car. How much longer will he be at this address?”

“Half an hour, but it should only take you about ten minutes to get there.”

There was something in her voice. She was hiding something from me, but I didn’t push. If this address led me to Brendan and some other woman, I guess it would serve me right. And maybe Kim thought so too.

The GPS led me to the edge of the county. It was the first of several small towns that separated Springs County from the city. The building housed several small suites inside, and I was alarmed to see Dr. Goodman’s name on the door.

My heart skipped a beat. Had something happened to Brendan? Some sort of accident at the ranch? Panic struck, and I rushed into the office. A young woman stood quickly. “Ma’am? You can’t go in there. Ma’am!”

Ignoring her, I ran through the waiting room and opened the door to the side. Brendan jumped up from the chair and whirled around to face me, and I took one look at the scene and felt a little dizzy.

“Jillian? What are you doing here? How did you even know that I was here?”

“I…” Reaching out, I gripped the counter next to the wall. “Your sister said that you’d be here.”

His face darkened. “Remind me to kill her. Are you okay? You’re really pale. Why is there a bruise on your jaw?”

“Ms. Quinn?” Dr. Goodman rose and gestured to the chair. “Perhaps you should sit down.”

As Brendan led me to a chair, I studied him. He looked good. Part of me didn’t want him to look good. I wanted him to look as tortured as I felt, but he was polished and put-together. His jeans and button-down shirt were clean, and after one whiff of him, I could tell that he’d even taken the time to shower before coming here.

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