The next morning found Wyatt in the shop, working on random shit. He was mostly cleaning up. Months of neglect meant a whole lot of spider webs, and he didn’t really have the concentration to do anything too strenuous, anyway.
The only thing his brain wanted to focus on was that kiss.
Well, and her reaction afterward. Why did she take off like that? Was he scaring her by wanting too much too quickly?
He mindlessly shoved wrenches and screwdrivers into the drawers of his toolbox as he replayed the conversation in his head. He had no idea what caused her to bolt like that. She knew he had a daughter. She knew Sierra had died in that car wreck at the hands of that bastard who couldn’t figure out when enough was enough.
So why that reaction?
He broke from his memories long enough to notice that he’d cleared the entire workbench. It looked…nice. It wouldn’t stay looking like this come spring, but for the moment, he took pride in how uncluttered it was.
Huh. Uncluttered, but damn dusty. He looked around for the broom and finally spotted it in the corner.
“Some cleaning tool you are,” he said out loud to himself as he crossed the shop. “You have more dust on you than the damn floor.” Oh well. It wasn’t like he was going to be able to make his shop spic-and-span. Less dirt on the floor overall was a win.
He’d just made the first couple of pushes of the broom when he heard the crunching of tires on the snow-covered gravel drive outside.
His head spun and his heart jumped a little. He had very few visitors out to his place, and even less after he’d been locked up for so long, which meant that the chances were real high that it was Abby out there. His heart went into double-time.
He had to play it cool. Damn, was he sixteen again?
The gravel gave a tortured crunch as the vehicle came to a stop by the house. He debated going out and flagging her down.
No, no. He kept sweeping the floor. A guy didn’t want to seem too eager.
He pushed the broom a couple more times mindlessly and then began to wonder if she’d think to come over to the shop to look for him. Maybe he should go out and flag her down after all.
He leaned the broom back in the corner where he’d found it and was just about to head outside when he heard the vehicle restart and crunch its way over to the shop.
The car door opened and closed, and then the shop door swung open. He opened his mouth to say hi when he heard, “What’re you doing hiding in here?”
The person was framed by the light coming in from outside, and it didn’t look a damn thing like Abby’s curves. And then there was also the fact that he’d recognize Stetson’s voice anywhere.
Dammit.
“I hadn’t had a chance to clean since I got out, so I thought I’d give it a little attention.” There was an edge to Wyatt’s tone that he really didn’t like, but couldn’t seem to stop from appearing. Even when he was trying to be nice to Stetson, his body just seemed to be allergic to the idea.
“Not much going on around the farm?” Stetson asked.
“Not during the winter,” he got out. Yup, that was definitely snappier than he’d meant for it to be. But truly, Stetson should know that not much farming was done during the winter. It was kinda a dumbass comment to make.
Tension filled the shop as they just stared at each other. Finally, Stetson lifted his hat and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
“So I don’t know if you can or if you want to, but Jennifer and I are hosting a gender announcement party for the baby in a couple of weeks. Jennifer wanted me to ask you to come. If you can.”
The last line came out harder than Wyatt thought it needed to, but he took a deep breath. I guess I deserve a little backlash. Even if I don’t like it.
“That’d be nice. My probation allows me to leave the farm, so I can’t imagine why I couldn’t make it over,” he said slowly. “How’s Jennifer doing?”
“She’s doing pretty good,” Stetson said, a smile starting to form. Finally, a topic he was happy to discuss. “She knows what we’re having and has been a pest with all of her teasing.”
“You didn’t ask her what it was?” Wyatt was confused.
“Nope. I wanted to be surprised along with everyone else.” Stetson grinned, the first genuine smile he’d sent Wyatt’s way in…well, way too long.
“That’s good to hear,” Wyatt said. And it was. He wasn’t sure what else to say, though. Conversations had never flowed easily between them. Punches? Yes. Honest-to-God conversations? Not so much. “Uhhh…thanks for the invitation.”
“Sure,” Stetson said as he turned back toward the door.
Wyatt watched his retreating back for a few steps.
“Hey,” he called out, stopping Stetson in his tracks. “Declan said you helped keep things going around here during harvest time. I’m sure that wasn’t easy, especially while getting married, too, and dealing with your own harvest.”
Stetson turned and stared at him. The muscle in his jaw jumped as he prepared himself for whatever he expected Wyatt to say or do next.
“I just wanted to say thank you,” Wyatt finished.
Stetson’s eyebrows practically hit his hairline and he continued to stare at Wyatt, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. When Wyatt didn’t say anything else, he finally just nodded, mumbled something about it being no problem, and headed out the door.
Wyatt heaved a sigh when the door closed behind his youngest brother. Every conversation with him was a field of landmines. He never knew if he was going to step in it and blow things to kingdom come again or not.
On the other hand, they’d just managed to have a whole conversation without any punching or yelling, and that had to be some sort of record. Oh, and a genuine smile from Stetson. That was a record.
Wyatt’s happiness was short-lived, though, as he began to ruminate over the choices Stetson had made in his life.
As usual, when Stetson had screwed up, he’d been saved by someone else – this time, the saving came in the form of a gorgeous banker. Only Stetson would be lucky enough to be sent a beautiful, young, single banker who was smart enough to push him to sell off his wheat and save his farm. The Miller Family Farm that had been in the Miller family for five generations.
It only took Stetson one damn year to put it at risk of ending up on the auction block.
Wyatt began coughing up a storm and realized that he’d begun swinging the broom recklessly, throwing more dirt into the air than into the dirt pile.
Being upset about everything that Stetson gets handed to him doesn’t help you or hurt him. He doesn’t know you feel that way, so it really doesn’t matter to him. All it does is hurt you and keep you from focusing on what you can change.
The discussion he and Rhonda had had at his last appointment rang in his ears. He hated to admit that she was right, because it all just sounded so mumbo-jumbo to him – forgive Stetson and move on. Shouldn’t Stetson have to pay for being a little shithead his entire life?
But as he coughed and sneezed, leaning on the broom handle to keep himself upright, he knew the counselor was right. Stetson didn’t know and probably didn’t care that Wyatt was angry that he got everything in life that he wanted, including a little baby to call his own. He didn’t have everything taken away from him in an instant like Wyatt had.
And sure, maybe it’d be better for all involved if Wyatt just let it go. But as he began sweeping, a little less emphatically this time, he couldn’t help thinking that that was easier said than done.