Page 100 of A Reckless Memory

I walked on the balls of my feet to keep from thunking down the hall. As I approached my office, I heard men’s voices.

Cody’s drifted out. “What you did with the money...”

An old chill rushed down my spine, but I slapped it away. No one who wasn’t the official presiding over the wedding was getting paid to marry anyone today. We were finally getting the day we should’ve had back then.

“It’s nothing,” Ansen said gruffly. “Like you, I didn’t want Barns bossing me around after he was gone.”

Cody made an agreeing grunt. “Still, donating it to the rescue was something none of us saw coming.”

“Because you thought I’d be gone.” There was no animosity in Ansen’s tone. We’d talked it out, and he’d done the same with my brothers when they learned he planned to donate the entire sum to AKA Rescue.

He’d suggested turning it over to me, insisting what was his was ours, but it didn’t feel right when my brothers had to each prance like a show horse for their inheritance. The money was his. Daddy had wanted him to have it. What everyone else thought didn’t matter. I had insisted Ansen keep the money. I encouraged him to buy his former home in Texas and hire a manager or even purchase the property across from this place. He’d have land and could start his training business.

He didn’t take any of my suggestions. AKA got a giant donation.

I’d been able to quit my job and become the full-time rescue manager. The rescue had millions invested, save for what Ansen kept out to start training horses. This summer and fall, we would fix up the barns and riding rings, and he could take clients. We would delay the honeymoon, but not for the work. Ansen wanted to take me to a beach in the middle of the North Dakota winter.

I turned into the doorway of the office. My brother and Ansen were standing by the desk. A bookshelf with all the books Ansen had repaired was behind them. He’d pieced me back together just like those books.

Cody lifted a brow. “Thought you weren’t supposed to see the groom before the wedding.”

“We’ve been through enough bad luck,” I said.

Ansen’s hot gaze swept down my body, taking in my dress, until he landed on my boots and promise filled his eyes. He’d told me that he’d entertained several fantasies about these boots wrapped around his hips. Naked chores were still a thing.

I was going to make his dreams of the boots a reality tonight. Maybe sooner, in the barn, when we could sneak away.

Instead of the tux he’d worn last time, he was in a crisp white shirt and new black jeans. He was holding his freshly cleaned cowboy hat at his side. The man I was marrying was the Ansen I had first fallen in love with—and the Ansen I’d fallen even harder for.

My brothers weren’t dressed much differently, except for Cody in black slacks instead of black denim. Even Wilder looked like the brother I’d grown up with. He was outside with Austen and Eliot, meeting all of Ansen’s family.

“I wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings with your future husband,” Cody said, smoothing his hand down his shirt. “Since the kids and I are going to be around all summer.”

He was convinced the kids would be better off with his in-laws, but I had the idea he could stay in Crocus Valley for the summer to get away from it all for a while. Even if his mind was made up, perhaps they all could use time away while being together. He could work from anywhere, and Buffalo Gully was a short trip away when he needed to return. He was renting a house in town, but the tension across his shoulders was hard enough to stack bricks on. I hoped the experience was a good one and he’d change his mind.

“Naw, man,” Ansen said. “We’re fine as long as Aggie’s good.”

Cody lifted his chin toward the door. “You’d better get out there, Barron. I have a bride to escort your way.”

Ansen walked out, stopping to drop a quick kiss and a lingering touch on my arm that convinced me I’d find myself wrapped around him in the barn not long after we said our vows. “See you in a few, Aggie baby.”

The nerves were gone, replaced only by excitement. I grinned at Cody. He chuckled and shook his head. “I’m proud of you, Aggie. Not because you’re marrying some guy.” He flashed another quick smile. “I thought Austen was brave when he joined the army, but then you left.”

I basked in his pride, but confusion set in. “Mama’s money made that possible.”

“You would’ve figured it out. Worked three jobs, financed college, something. You would’ve left and not come back no matter what.”

“I probably would’ve.” Knowing the only option had been to go back to Daddy and get treated like nothing would’ve kept me away.

“I should’ve moved somewhere else with Meg, but I wanted to keep the legacy going. For all of us.”

Sympathy streamed through me. “Daddy tied your hands with that.”

“He did what he did best.” The corner of his mouth tipped up. “Anyway, not to be maudlin, as Meg would say, but I wanted to say I’m proud of you. You got balls, kid.”

“I hope you and the others can figure out how to untangle yourselves from the trust without getting cut off.”

He shrugged like it wasn’t my worry, and in a way, it wasn’t.

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