Page 69 of Loving a Cowgirl

He snorted. “Didn’t feel that way when everyone started playing favorites with Tad.” Saying his name out loud left a foul taste in his mouth. “I heard some of the waitresses talking when I got here. They’re going to get married. Do you believe that? They’re already legally married, and he’s got her believing that they should do it again. What a load of—”

“Wade,” she warned.

His mouth snapped shut and he settled against his seat a little deeper. “Whatever Elijah said, it doesn’t matter. I’m not going to play this game anymore. I’ve done more for each and every one of them than they’ve done for me, and what do I have to show for it? Nothing.”

“What Brielle did isn’t their fault.”

“No, but they didn’t have to pick sides.”

She was quiet for a moment, then she murmured, “Yeah, that wasn’t their finest moment.”

The silence filled the air between them, weighing on him until he couldn’t breathe. Why was this so hard? Before Brielle, he would have been able to brush off another defeat and keep rolling. What was it about her that had him so… stuck?

“I can’t say that I know exactly what you’re going through, but I can say I’ve dealt with heartache. You’re going to get through this. She’s not the only woman out there.”

“But she’s the only one I’ll ever love like this,” he whispered. He lifted his sad eyes to his sister. “I can’t explain how I know, but I just do. It’s like her soul speaks to me in a way that no one else ever could. It’s like when God made her, he made her for me.”

Annabel let out a soft breath and looked away. “I’m so sorry.”

“Me too.”

They didn’t speak for a few more minutes. Their water was delivered and the restaurant around them buzzed with more activity as the lunch rush arrived. It was nice to be able to sit with his sister and not have to explain himself further. Right now, he just needed to let his heart bleed a little.

Elijah was right when he said Wade would snap out of this eventually. That was a given, mostly because Wade knew deep down he would never quit taking care of his family. But for now, he just needed to hurt.

“You know…” Annabel started.

He lifted his gaze and found her staring hard at her glass of water. “I think we’re the only ones who think there’s something wrong with Tad.”

“There’s nothing wrong with him,” Wade said bitterly. “We just don’t like him because he intruded into our lives.”

“He didn’t intrude in mine. I don’t have any skin in this game like you have with him and Brielle. And I still don’t like him.”

“Yeah, well, maybe you’re just loyal.” That statement drew a small smile from her lips. “The fact is, Shane had his guys look into him. There’s not much to go on, but it appears his story is correct. He’s just some dude from Australia who moved to the States to become a dancer in Vegas. He was in the right place at the right time and managed to win over the woman of my dreams. I can’t fault him for that.” His jaw tightened as he thought back to the way Tad had poked him like he was a bull in a pen at the rodeo. “He’s a jerk, but he’s not a criminal.”

“Actually, he is.”

Wade’s head snapped up, finding Shane standing beside their table.

The man slapped a cream-colored folder on the table, his face tight and his eyes blazing with a controlled burn. “The man who has been here for the last few weeks isn’t Tad. He looks a lot like him, but he’s an imposter.” He gestured toward the folder. “It’s all there. The real Tad died when he took a trip home to visit family in Australia eight years ago.”

Wade snatched the folder and flipped it open. The likeness between the two men was uncanny. “Clark?That’shis name? How long have you known this?”

“Those documents came across my desk about thirty minutes ago. I’ve been on the phone since I got them.” Shane settled onto the chair beside Annabel. “I don’t know all the details, but I’ve got a pretty good idea of what happened.” He gave Wade a pointed look.

“Madeline,” Wade growled.

“Yeah.”

“It took my guys a little longer to figure it all out. But Clark was an out-of-work actor. The few friends we tracked down said he got some gig out of state, but that’s all they knew.” Shane crossed his arms and offered a small smile. “The good thing is that we figured out before Brielle did anything she’d regret.” He leaned forward and tapped the file. “He’s got a record, too. I guess it makes a lot more sense why he never pressed charges when you two got in that fight.”

Annabel stiffened. “Didn’t you say that he was going to marry Brielle?”

All the blood drained from Wade’s face and he shot up out of his seat only to be yanked back down by Shane. “What are you doing? We have to stop them,” Wade all but growled.

Shane held a finger to his lips, his eyes darting around. “You don’t want to draw more attention to this than has already been done. You saw how the scandal with my cousin went down. There’s an easier way to go about this. Let’s make sure we have all the information so we don’t get it wrong.”

“But she’s going to marry him.”

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