Lovers at Heart (33 page)

Treat took a breath and tried to bring his anger down a notch. “I thought it was fine after that.”

Rex huffed, his rage bubbling beneath his skin. “Nothing was fine. You should have come home.”

“How could I have possibly known? I was a kid, too, Rex. I was eighteen. What the fuck would you have had me do? Fly home and quit college? Give up everything Dad said I had to accomplish?”

They stared at each other, posturing, silently banging chests and measuring feathers.

“Boys!” Hal’s stern voice broke their match. “You wanna blame someone? Blame me. I wanted Treat to excel. He was too academic and had too much to accomplish in life to run the ranch. He’d have had me buying up more ranches by the time he was fourteen if I’d let him, and maybe if I had listened to him, we’d all be even richer. And, Rex, you were born to ranch and you know it. The day you started walking, you wanted to follow my ass all over this place. You’d sit with me while I ran the finances and rode with me on every ride. You wanted this ranch, and you know you did. But it’s a lot of responsibility, and I don’t blame you for resenting your brothers—all of them—for taking off. But, Rex, I gave you the same choice I gave them. How many times did I say, ‘Go out there and get your own ranch, or find something else that you want to call your own?’”

Rex looked away.

“When I’m talking to you, son, you keep your eyes on mine.”

Rex met his gaze. “I didn’t want my own ranch. This is family. This is where Mom is.” He slid his dark eyes to Treat. “This is where Mom is,” he repeated.

Treat knew what he was insinuating. “I didn’t abandon you, and I sure as hell didn’t abandon Mom.”

“No, you didn’t,” his father said as he approached the two men.

To a stranger, seeing the two angry, muscular, confident men staring each other down would mean fists were gonna fly. To his family, Treat knew what they looked like. Two brothers at odds and finding their way back to each other.

His father stood between them.

Treat felt his father’s hand on his back and knew his other hand was on Rex’s.

Hal lowered his voice and spoke in a serious, even tone. “You wanna blame someone for all of this? Blame me. I’m the one who led you all those years.”

Rex’s eyes shifted to his father, softened, then dropped to the ground.

“Rex, I’m sorry,” Treat said. “I just didn’t know. I was a kid trying to keep my own head above water. It’s true; I did abandon everyone because I felt guilty, but you gotta know, if I had known you felt that lost, I’d have come running back. After Savannah came home, I figured it was just more of the same. The same grieving kids that I’d left when I went away to school.”

Rex didn’t look up for the longest time, and when he finally did, it was his father’s eyes he met, not Treat’s. “Sorry I ruined the afternoon, Dad. I’ve gotta go check on Hope.” He headed for the barn.

Treat took a step toward him and his father held him back. “Leave him. This is how Rex operates. You remember this pattern, don’t you? He’ll work out his frustration. It’ll take time, but now you know what’s what. It may not be today, and it may not be next week, but at some point, this’ll come out in the wash.”

It wasn’t the fight that had Treat so upset that every nerve was aflame. It was the truth of his brother’s words wrestling with the truth of his own. Rex had said exactly what Treat had confessed to the other night, and now Treat realized that when he’d left, he’d been living up to his father’s expectations in equal measure to escaping his own guilt.

Rex would eventually come around. Treat was home now. He might buy a place nearby, and he might have to travel and set up an office, but he wasn’t going to abandon anyone ever again—including Max.

He couldn’t eat. Rex was right. He’d been dicking around far too much where Max was concerned. He couldn’t deal with Rex until Rex was ready, but he could damn well deal with his feelings for Max.

Treat stood from the table and threw down his napkin. “I’ve gotta go take care of something.” Without another word from his family, he headed into the house.

A few minutes later, he was in the car, pulling down the driveway when Rex rode up on Hope and stopped in his path. Treat slammed on the brakes and jumped from the car. “What the hell are you doing? Trying to get Hope killed?” Treat yelled.

Rex settled Hope from her startled shuffle. “I know all that shit you said back there. I’m not an idiot.”

“No. You’re not,” Treat said.

They stared each other down again.

“Just like you’ve been carrying that shit around with you all these years, so have I.”

Treat nodded. Honesty was a bitch, and he wasn’t about to get in Rex’s way with some stupid comment.

“I know you didn’t abandon me. Or Mom or Dad. I get that, and the truth is, I wouldn’t have wanted you to give up what you were destined to do.”

“Okay?”

Rex held on to Hope’s reins. His bulging muscles contradicted the gentle apology he was handing Treat. Treat had the overwhelming urge to hug his younger brother, but he was afraid to even move. Rex had a shell that was thick as a brick, and Treat knew just how much this breakthrough meant to their relationship, which might not be anywhere near normal for years to come, but this was a start.

Rex nodded. “I’m glad you’re home, but I’m still running the ranch.”

“Okay.”

“You’re far from in shape for this kind of grueling work. It’ll take you months to get back up to speed—physically anyway.”

“Agreed.” Every muscle in Treat’s aching body could attest to that, though it was his pride that was taking a beating at the hand of his kid brother.

“All right then.”

“All right.”

“Where are you going?” Rex backed the horse from the driveway.

“I gotta take care of some business. I’ll be back to help with the evening chores.”

Rex nodded. “Take your time, bro. Believe it or not, I’m glad you’re back.”

Treat ran one hand down the side of Hope’s face, and swore he saw his mother’s beautiful reflection in the horse’s eyes, a smile of approval on her lips as she looked back at him.

MAX SURVEYED HERSELF in the mirror one last time. Her hair was shiny and full. The skinny leather pants she wore might not be perfect for showing up at a ranch, but they were close.
Aren’t chaps leather?
Although the knee-high, leather stiletto boots were definitely
not
appropriate.
Perfect
. She wanted Treat to stand up and take notice. She’d asked him to do one thing—one thing—and he didn’t do it, and she’d be damned if she’d let that go. Even if she
was
the one who’d walked away.

She turned to the side to inspect her silhouette. Kaylie was right about the push-up bra. Who knew her boobs could look so perky? Or that a bra could make her torso look longer, slimmer? Wow, she could actually pull off
hot
.

Max tried her best to remain upright on the heels, and as she reached for the doorknob, her confidence began to fade.
I look ridiculous. He loves how I look no matter what I wear. What am I doing?
What was her goal? Treat. Treat was her goal, and she’d leave nothing to chance this time.

She opened the bedroom door and a bright flash sent her reeling backward as Kaylie snapped a picture. “What the hell?” She’d been so wrapped up in getting ready that she’d forgotten Kaylie was waiting for her.

“I couldn’t help it!” Kaylie squealed. “I wanted to come in so badly, but I knew you would never let me dress you after letting me pick out all your clothes.” Kaylie’s eyes grew wide. “Oh my God, Max, you are sinful! Look at you. Not that you need to look like this, but wow. No man could ever turn you away looking like that.”

She had to smile at Kaylie’s supportive, overly enthusiastic comment. “Can I please just carry you on my shoulder? I’m so nervous. What if he’s decided that I’m not worth it. I mean, I did just break up with him in not the nicest of ways.”

“Max, one question. Take a deep breath, because this is really, really important.”

Max did as she was asked and blew her breath out slowly. “Okay, what?”

“Are you one hundred percent sure that you want a guy who didn’t come begging you to come back to him?”

“Why are you doing this to me?” Max asked, lowering herself to the couch. “Am I making a mistake?”

“I just gotta ask. I love you so much, and I can’t see you get your heart broken again.”

“I did tell him to love me through my insecurities. Why didn’t he?”
It’s the only thing I ever asked of him.

Kaylie sat next to her and took her hand. “I’m not saying he didn’t. He’s respecting what you asked him to do. I just want you to think about him. All of him. What you like, what you don’t like, what might be real and what might be fantasy.”

Max chewed on her worries. Was she making a mistake? “I left him no choice, Kaylie. I told him I was done. I didn’t really expect him to chase after me.” She tried to remember what she’d written in her rushed note. “When I left, I didn’t want him to, or at least that’s what I thought. My whole life I believed that compromising to make a relationship work would lead to resentment.”

“Are you insane? All of marriage is compromise. Who’s living where? Who’s watching the kids so one of us can do something else? Who’s on top? Who gets to come fir—”

“Kaylie! I’m trying to be serious,” Max huffed.

“I know. If that’s really what was driving you to tell that gorgeous man not to follow you, then yeah, you really messed up. Just as long as you don’t have any reservations about his love for you.”

Max’s cheeks warmed. She put her hand over her heart and said, “He’d give up anything for me, and I’ll be lucky if he takes me back so that I can show him I’d do the same for him.”

“Jesus. I hope I was never that swoony-eyed over Chaz. Okay, go. I’ll lock up for you, but I want to use your bathroom first.” She looked into Max’s room. “I’ll even unexplode your closet for you.”

Max kissed her on the cheek. “You’re the best.” On her way out the door, she stopped and turned back. “Thanks for asking me if I was sure. I’ve never really had a friend like you before.”

“Yeah, I’m the best,” Kaylie said with a toss of her hair. “Now get out of here.”

Max ran down the stairs in her stiletto heels like she’d been running in them all her life. Her mind wrapped itself around one singular thought—reaching Treat.

TREAT SPED THE whole way to Max’s apartment. Traffic was light and he made it there in record time. He flew into the parking lot and took a cursory glance for Max’s car as he ran for the steps, which he took two by two, feeling lighter on his feet than he had in years.

He knocked on her door twice, then twice more without waiting for her to answer. His heart thundered against his ribs. He had no idea what he’d say to her. He’d figure it out when he saw her beautiful eyes.

The knob turned. Treat held his breath as the door swung open.

“What did you forget?”

“Kaylie?”

“Treat?”

He looked over her shoulder. “Where’s Max?”

A smile grew across Kaylie’s lips. “She’s heading toward your father’s ranch.”

“My father’s—”

“Yes! Go! She just left ten minutes ago. Go!”

He bolted down the stairs and headed back toward the highway, spurred on by the knowledge that Max was coming for him.

BY THE TIME she pulled up in front of the ranch, Max had had plenty of time to mull over Kaylie’s questions, and she’d driven herself into a relative frenzy. She had asked him to love her through her insecurities, and he’d promised he would. Maybe she was making a mistake after all. Maybe since he hadn’t come for her, he didn’t really love her like he claimed.

She parked the car and felt the anger building in her chest, battling with the love that was tugging at her heart. She hadn’t given him a choice. She hadn’t said,
Follow me. Love me.
No. Instead she’d been an idiot and written,
Please don’t follow me
. Still, he should have known better. He should have figured it out, like she had when she’d gone to Wellfleet.

She watched one of Treat’s brothers riding a horse across the field, toward her car. As he approached, she saw it was the one with the huge muscles. Not that any of them weren’t cut from some incredibly sexy fabric that she’d never known existed, but this brother’s biceps were the size of footballs.

He pulled up on the reins of the beautiful red and gray horse as Max stepped from the car.

“Max?” He ran his eyes slowly down her body with an appreciative nod.

Ugh!
She had forgotten what she was wearing, and now, with the crests of her breasts saying hello to the world and her leather pants leaving nothing to the imagination, she felt like a fool, which only spurred on her anger even more.

“Rex, right?” she asked.

“Yeah, that’s right. You just missed Treat. He took off to take care of some business.”

Damn it
. “Business?”
Why the hell isn’t he taking care of fixing our relationship?

Rex shrugged. “That’s what he said.”

His eyes roved to her breasts and remained there. Max cleared her throat, and he met her eyes with a nod of his head.