“End this now before you get yourself killed. Turn yourself in and beg for leniency. Pray the Kendricks don’t get their hands on you first.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“You won’t do it. Instead you come here and risk me and Dad getting arrested for aiding and abetting? Get out now, or I will call the cops and tell them you’re here.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Don’t make me.”
Connor picked up the gun, stood, and pushed the chair back with his legs. He tucked the gun in his jeans waistband.
“Do you really think that gun will solve anything? If you can’t see that even having that in your possession is another nail in your coffin, then you are stupid and have a death wish.”
“I need it.”
“You need your head examined.”
Maybe she did, too, because wasn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result? Well, she wanted off the Connor crazy train.
He left his dishes for her to clean up. Like always. He moved around the table and stared into the other room at their father glued to some old Western on TV. He’d become partial to the shows these last months. She wondered if he watched them to relive his days here on the ranch the only way he could now. He barely left the house anymore.
“I wonder if he’ll still be here when I come back.”
“Don’t come back, Connor.” The words stuck in her throat, but she pushed them out anyway. Watching Rory and his brothers with their grandfather this past week showed her what a real family should be like. They worked together, joked and teased one another, helped one another without complaint or even so much as having to ask in most cases. They shared their lives and did so with respect.
“You don’t mean that.”
“You’ve gone too far. I can’t get you out of this. I can’t help you anymore.”
Connor’s eyes narrowed with anger. He lashed out at her, yanking her purse off her shoulder and down her arm. He turned his back and dug through it.
She smacked him between the shoulder blades and on the back of his head. He shoved her back, found the cash in her purse, all her tips from work the last two days, and stuffed it in his front pocket.
“Give it back.” She felt like they were ten and five and he’d stolen her favorite toy just to be a brat. This time, she couldn’t let it go. She needed that money. She refused to let him take anything more from her.
Connor turned on her, grabbed her arm, twisting and yanking it up her back. He slammed her into the wall and held her there. “You want me out. You don’t get to fucking tell me what to do anymore.”
“Lot of good it did, you always do what you want to do anyway and blame others when it all goes to shit.”
“You think you know everything. Well, smarty, if Derek finds out you ratted him out to the cops about the cattle and messing you up, then you better watch your back. He’ll come after you and shut you up for good.”
The threat sent a wave of panic through Sadie that made her gasp and stop breathing. She couldn’t believe her brother would threaten her like this, but it didn’t really surprise her. Still, the memory of what Derek did to her made her whole body tremble.
“Watch your back, sis. I’d hate for something to happen to you.”
Connor shoved her hard into the wall, hurting her still healing shoulder, let her loose, and stormed out the door. She held her bruised arm to her chest and stared out the open door until he drove past in a cloud of dust. It made her feel guilty as hell, but she hoped the cops patrolling past the house every hour or so caught him.
CHAPTER 9
Rory stepped into the corral and latched the gate behind him. He’d kept Sadie’s horses here the past week because, well, they refused to go anywhere else. Every time he tried to lead the stallion out so that his harem of fillies would follow, they all cowered in the back of the corral. Today he meant to get them moved out into one of the bigger pastures. Maybe he’d take a couple into the stables and get them settled with the other horses.
Ford let out a catcall whistle, which meant Sadie finally showed up to work. Both his brothers whistled at her like that to say hello and piss Rory off. He hated that they found it so easy to talk and joke with her. He wished she didn’t tie his insides in knots and fry his brain every time she was in the same room.
Over an hour late, he wondered what kept her. He looked up and caught her staring at him. She raised her arm and waved. He waved back, feeling like a damn fool. He didn’t want to wave at her. He wanted to go to her, take her in his arms, and kiss her. Maybe then the knot in his gut he carried around with him the last week like a lead weight would unwind and he’d be at ease. He rolled his eyes. Not likely. She avoided him.