*Jethro opened the door early the next morning to Tyson. “What do you want?”
“I thought I told you not to go upsetting Sadie.” He pulled his hand back and let go a punch that caught Jethro on the side of the jaw. “Now I have Layla at home crying because you’ve gone and hurt the girl.”
Jethro fell back onto the floor and lay there, staring up at his cousin. “Mind your own fucking business. This has nothing to do with you.” He touched the side of his face and spat out a glob of blood.
“Anything that upsets my wife is my business. What the hell were you thinking getting your ass busted for drugs? When did that happen anyway? Damned fool thing to do, if you ask me.”
“Wasn’t asking, so mind your own business.” Jethro pulled himself to his feet and glared at Tyson. “If that’s all you came for, feel free to leave now.” Jethro turned and walked back into the kitchen, leaned over the sink, and ran the cold tap. Blood dripped from his nose, and he cupped the water in his hands and splashed his face with it, trying to clear away the mess.
Footsteps sounded as Tyson walked inside, and Jethro cringed, waiting for another blow. “Did you really get charged for drugs?”
Jethro leaned his hands on the sink but didn’t turn around. “Yeah.”
“I didn’t think you were that stupid. What the hell possessed you?”
“It wasn’t him.” Crease came in from the living room, a haunted look on his face.
Tyson stood with his arms folded. “Explain it, then.”
“Nothing to do with you, Tyson. Stay out of my family’s business.” Jethro grabbed a tea towel and held it against his face.
“No. It’s okay. You’ve carried the blame for long enough, and I should’ve stood up before now.” Crease came in closer and glanced between his brother and cousin. “They were my drugs, like more mine than his, if you know what I mean. Got in with the wrong crowd. Not that I ever did drugs. Well, not much anyway,” he quickly added. “It was just bad luck that the cops were going past when Jethro here was coming to drag me home and everyone freaked out, stashed a couple of joints in my jacket pocket as they ran away.”
Tyson looked over, shaking his head. “Don’t tell me. You took the fall for the kid?”
He dabbed at his nose with the cloth and frowned when it finally stopped bleeding.
Crease wasn’t finished. “Yeah, he did. Said it was because if I got arrested, I’d end up in juvie and Grandpa might not be allowed to keep me. They might say he was too old or couldn’t control me, so Jethro took it. Wouldn’t listen to reason or nothing.”
“I should hit you again for being so damned stupid. Why didn’t you tell Sadie this? Poor girl is heartbroken over it.” Tyson pulled out a chair and sat down while Jethro prodded his jaw.
“May as well go for it and smash me again if you’re going to. Not like you’re ever going to stop from the look of things. There’ll always be another excuse to hit me, won’t there, Tyson?”
All he got was a growl.
“Tell him the rest, then.” Crease nudged him in the ribs. “Or I will.”
“You are such a pain in the ass—you know that, right, Lord Crease of Camberwell?”
Crease socked him hard on the other side of his jaw and then it was on. When anyone teased him about how he got his unusual name, Crease lost it. It wasn’t his fault Lord Crease was his mother’s favorite hero of all time.
By the time they’d wrestled across the chipped tile floor and drew enough blood, Tyson called a halt to their antics. He hauled Jethro to his feet and dusted him off. “Look, this is stupid. Tell me what the heck’s going on.”
“Sadie’s father threatened to have our mortgage called in if, and I quote, ‘I didn’t let her reach her full potential and marry someone of her own class.’” He wiped his hand over his mouth. “As much as he’s an annoying little shit, this kid here is my brother, and family comes first. No way was I going to throw him under the bus to save my own ass. We can’t afford to have the bank take away what Grandpa worked so hard for either. Not even for Sadie.”
“Don’t you think she should be the one to decide that?”
“No, I don’t. I’m pretty sure she’d understand because she’s sensible, but I don’t want to lay that kind of guilt trip on her. It’s not fair.”
Tyson shook his head. “Boy, you sure do have a lot to learn about women. Better start learning fast, Jethro, or your life will be a constant battle.”
*
“Why didn’t Jethro tell me this?” Sadie glared at the youngest brother standing in front of her desk, wringing his hands as if he was in front of the school principle. She didn’t even dare to ask how he got the fat lip and swollen eye.
“He doesn’t want to lose the ranch. Not after Grandpa worked so hard to make it a home for us boys.” He chewed on his fingernail. “Besides, we kinda gave him enough worry when he was alive. Don’t want to go messing with his memory.”
“Sit down, Crease, please.” She sighed, tapped her finger on her desk while she thought. “I won’t let that happen, I promise you.” Sadie wanted to cry and laugh all at the same time.
Jethro was such an idiot. Pride would be his downfall, and it wasn’t the worst trait a man could have either. Her heart even swelled a little for his stubborn stance. If anything, he went up a little in her estimation while her father dropped way down the scales of acceptability. She would deal with him later, but first she had to sort out what she was going to do with Jethro.
“And the drug charge, that was your fault? You’re not telling me lies?”
“No, ma’am. It was my fault.”
“He is such a fool.” She gave a small smile. “I want to thank you for coming and telling me, Crease. It’s very noble of you.”
He shook his head. “Ain’t nothing noble about letting someone else take the blame for you for all these years. I was the one who messed up, should be the one to take the consequences.”
“I agree. But like it or not, your brother feels he has a huge dose of responsibility on his shoulders, and it’s his choice to let it sit there. You should be proud of him. Maybe one day you can stand up for someone and help them when they need it. Pay it forward, if you will. I’m a firm believer in doing that.”
He ran his fingers around the brim of his hat, soaking up her words. “Yeah. I guess you’re right. Maybe I can help someone else one day.” He put his hat on. “You gonna go and see Jethro, make things right with him?”
“Maybe. I have to work out what I’m going to say to him first. Just because he did the right thing by you doesn’t mean he did the right thing by me. When you claim to want a relationship with someone like he supposedly does with me, you don’t let them go quite as easily as he did.”
“Make him pay? I like how you think.” He stood up and ambled over to the door. “If you ever need any help with that, let me know.”
“No, not make him pay. I’m not vindictive, Crease. Maybe knock some sense into him though.” Sadie laughed. She was speaking to herself because Crease had left.
Later that day she picked up the phone. “Layla, I need some advice. You got a minute?”
“Sure. Let me hand the baby over to his daddy and then you’ll have my undivided attention.” She was back within minutes. “Right, shoot.”
Sadie told her what happened with Crease that day.
“You’re kidding? Well, that’s one for the books. Good for Jethro. Knew I liked that man.”
A warm tingle spread through her chest. “I do too. Maybe too much, but here’s the thing. He should’ve told me. I mean, what kind of message does that send about how much he cares when he puts me last?”
“Oh, Sadie. You have so much to learn about cowboys.” She laughed. There were muffled words in the background that Sadie couldn’t decipher.
“That’s Tyson telling you he said the same thing to Jethro. You both have a lot to learn about each other. But here’s what I know about cowboys, for what it’s worth. They’re stubborn, loyal to a fault, and if you’re lucky enough to have one for your lover, you’ll never want anyone else. They make you feel like a queen, even if they don’t have a palace or a crown. They’ll treat you right, work harder than anyone else I know, and remain loyal through the hard parts.”
Tears filled Sadie’s eyes.
“Then there’s the pride thing.” There was another muffled noise and Layla laughed. “Tyson disagrees, but I’m going to tell you anyway. If you’re expecting Jethro to come back to you on bended knee, forget it. Cowboys have too much pride, especially the ones in this family. He’s already offered you commitment in a roundabout way, and now it’s up to you to go back and tell him whether or not you want it. He won’t come crawling to you. And I’m not saying any of this to keep you here either. It’s because I believe it.”
“Thank you.”
“But let me put my lawyer hat on here. Your father needs to be taken down a peg or two. Threatening to pull someone’s mortgage to get his own way is despicable. Especially for a senator. He should know better. I think you should let me send him a letter advising him to cease and desist with said threats.”
It would be so tempting to let her do that, but Sadie wanted the opportunity to speak to her parents about her future. “Thanks, and as much as I think it’s a good idea, I feel I should deal with this one. I don’t want to lose my parents’ love, but I have to make them understand that what I want has changed. If they don’t want to support me once they know, well, so be it.”
“Fair enough. But I’d suggest you talk to them before you talk to Jethro. That way you know that nothing is going to creep in behind you and undercut your future. I think he’d need that to convince him that the bank won’t take the ranch.”
“Yes, I agree. I need to be able to offer him certainty. After all those boys have been through, I totally understand that advice.”
“And, Sadie, if all goes pear-shaped, just remember that we’re your family too.”
She flicked her finger under her eye, wiping away the tears that sprang up.