Page 35 of Mine to Protect

It would be nice if they could get all their real emotions on the table.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I was hyper-focused on my brother. Maybe too much. And if you’re asking me to be honest, I might have been using that to get over you not calling, which probably wasn’t all that healthy.”

Rhett pounded his chest. “That hurt.”

“You asked me to tell you the truth.”

He nodded.

“Back then, I wished I had you to lean on. But then again, I never told you about Chris or the situation, so I think every time my phone rang, I was afraid that itwasyou and wondered what I should tell you.”

“Did you think I might feel differently about you because of your brother?”

“I questioned whether you felt anything for me at all since you never bothered to pick up the phone.”

“I guess I deserve that.” He cupped her chin. “I felt—Ifeel—a lot for you. Five years ago, I didn’t think I could give you the whole me or enough of me to even try at any kind of relationship. And, as it turned out, you weren’t capable either, considering you couldn’t even tell me you had a brother.”

“It wasn’t like that,” she said. “It wasn’t for me to tell anyone his problems.”

“I’m not talking about his struggles. I’m talking about his existence. I told you about all my brothers, but I didn’t mention anything about what any of them might be going through. Just that I had them.” He dropped his hand to his lap. He didn’t mean to sound angry or resentful, though his tone certainly rang harshly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to turn into anything but wondering what might have been if I’d been a stronger man at the time. I’m not upset that you were protecting your brother. However, I’d be lying if I said that I’m not a little hurt that you didn’t trust me with the knowledge that you had one.”

“Now you know.”

“I do,” Rhett said. “I’m looking forward to meeting him and his girlfriend. More importantly, I want to help them put whatever this bullshit is behind them. And us, too.” He rested his hand on her shoulder. “Since having sex a second time as a distraction is off the table, want to play a game of backgammon? I bet I can still kick your ass.”

She tossed her head back and laughed. “Bring it.”

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. He wanted more, but this would be good enough for now. After her brother got here and they straightened everything out, he’d pursue her the right way.

CHAPTEREIGHT

Shelby glanced at her watch while she waited for Rhett to make his move. Why he contemplated it for so long was beyond her. The game wasn’t that hard, and no matter his choice—thanks to the roll of the dice—he would leave himself wide-open for her to push one of his pieces off the board.

“What time did Chris say he was going to be here?” Her heart had been pounding in her throat for the last twenty minutes. The anticipation of seeing her brother was unbearable. She didn’t know if she would hug him. Or slap him.

Or both.

Rhett ran a hand across his cheeks and down his chin. That wasn’t a good sign. The few times he’d done that before, it was because he wasn’t thrilled about the situation. “He should have been here by now.”

“Then why are we sitting here playing a stupid game?”

He reached out and took her hand. “A friend of mine is checking the area where I pinged your brother’s phone. There are only two hotels, and I should be hearing any minute.” He picked up his cell from the coffee table and waved it. “My brother Miles sometimes does work for me on the side—”

“The mechanic?”

“Yeah. But he’s also a licensed private investigator. Pisses off my mother that he’d do that for me and not become a cop. Anyway, he’s been checking things out at the front gate and around the neighborhood. He hasn’t seen anything or your brother. Yet.”

“You really think Chris would sneak around before driving down the street?” Shelby had spent the last six weeks of her life preoccupied with the thought that her brother had been using drugs again. It was so bad that she’d started driving by Chris’s old stomping grounds. Not once did she ever see her brother there, even when she thought for sure that was where he would be, especially when he lied about his location. The realization that she knew very little about her brother hit her gut like a sledgehammer.

“I would if I were him. He has no idea what he’s walking into. Or if he can trust me.”

She jumped to her feet. “I’m his sister. I’m the most trustworthy person in his life.”

“I’m sure you are.” He stood slowly and took her by the forearms, lowering his chin. “I don’t pretend to know what’s going on with Chris and Jackie. But I suspect all he’s been trying to do is protect you from whatever he’s running from. If I had a sister, I wouldn’t want her involved in anything like this, and I can tell you that all my brothers would want to keep their wives from any kind of harm, too. You must believe that he’s had your best interests in mind from the very beginning.”

She wished she could honestly believe that, but there were so many things she didn’t know and didn’t understand. It was hard to wrap her brain around any of it. Her eyes felt like sandpaper. She had no tears left for her brother. Only anger and frustration filled her gut. “I feel like he’s manipulating all of us.”

“He kind of is,” Rhett said. “But don’t be mad at him for that. Not until we know all the facts.”

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