“My brother’s still dead. He’s always going to be dead.”
“I know. But that was the road he was on long before I showed up on the scene.”
Her eyes flashed with anger. “He was trying to get help. People do try to get help and they recover from addiction.”
“Tara, I don’t want to re-litigate the fact that your brother wasn’t just using, he was dealing. And worse than that he was pushing that poison on my sister.”
She took a step back as if he’d slapped her, and maybe it felt that way to her.
“Doug never would’ve pushed anything on anyone.”
“You may not believe it. But it’s true.”
Brody recalled what he’d seen that awful day. He had many chances to relive it in his mind. The incident that had made him snap and go after Tara’s brother in anger. Doug Mitchell wasn’t a well-known drug dealer on the reservation. There were plenty for any addict to choose from. Hunter had told him that many times over the years when guilt would settle itself on Brody’s shoulders. But they didn’t used to do what he’d seen Doug do with Marie.
“I saw it with my own eyes, Tara. I saw him putting the drugs into Marie’s body. I’ve relived that moment every day for the last ten years. And I’m sick of seeing it. I don’t want to see it. He could’ve killed her. Enough people considered what I did self-defense except for the fact that I kept fighting him after I pushed him off her. Him falling and striking his head on the brick, well, that was an accident. Manslaughter. I paid for it. I don’t expect that you’re ever going to understand it, much less forgive me for it.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Forgive you for it?”
He talked over her. “But at least see your brother for what he was. He wasn’t an angel. None of us were back then. He paid his price and I paid mine.”
She took a step toward him and glared. If not for the fact that she was slight and at least a foot shorter than he was, it would’ve intimidated him. But he held his ground.
“Doug is still dead and you’re working here on this ranch. It seems to me you got the better end of the bargain.”
Even in her anger, she was a beautiful woman. Her long brown hair swung around and landed like silk on her shoulders as she turned and stalked down the center aisle of the barn, the same as when she’d arrived. She whipped open the outer door and then slammed the barn door shut.
Brody was sure Trip was going to hear that, even out on the ranch property. A few minutes later, he watched Dusty come through the door and let out a whistle.
“Damn, Brody. Did you cause that storm that just blew through here?”
Brody looked down at the floor, and then back up at Buck. “Afraid so.”
“Lightning Strikes and I nearly had a heart attack walking out of the arena when she blew through.”
Lightning Strikes was one of Trip’s prize horses, ready for breeding. If he’d been spooked and then injured, it would be game over for Brody. His job, his reputation, such as it was, and any chance of getting employment on another ranch within a two-hundred-mile radius from here would be gone.
“Is Lightning Strikes okay?”
“He’s in the paddock running circles. He’ll be fine in a few minutes as soon as the dust she created down the driveway clears out. Next time give us a little heads up so we can get out of the way.”
“If I had any warning, I would have let you know. But I somehow missed that storm warning myself.”
Sweet Montana Outlaw: Chapter Three
It had been five days since she’d confronted Brody at the Lone Creek Ranch. She’d been in a miserable mood. By yesterday morning, Norma, her baker extraordinaire, dropped off the baked goods bright and early and then hightailed out of the store to her next stop without any of the normal chitchat they normally shared. Even someone as bubbly as Dixie was starting to avoid her by finding reasons to run into the back storeroom when Tara started muttering obscenities about Brody Whitebear.
Only the customers who came into the store got a smile and some sunshine from her. Tara played the part well. She was sure her customers didn’t notice her underlying mood. But as soon as the bell rang and the door closed, her smile faded.
Well, no more. After going over the books last night and seeing a nice increase in sales that she had hoped Dixie’s little experiment would provide, she’d decided she’d had enough mopping and misery and gotten it out of her system. She was determined to enjoy her new good fortune despite seeing Brody again.
As she drove to work that morning, the sun was just peeking up over the mountains. Some people didn’t like this hour of the morning, especially on a cold snowy Montana morning. But Tara had never minded getting up early. She knew how to dress warm. She’d learned how to travel on snowy and icy roads throughout the years she’d lived in Montana. Her apartment was close enough to town where Sweet Sensations was located so she didn’t have to worry about driving too far.
Norma Calhoun was always awake and baking her goodies way before Tara was out of bed. Then she packed up her truck with the pies, muffins and pastries, still warm and smelling sweet, and delivered the baked goods to Tara’s shop at six o’clock sharp. Tara had learned early on that there was a lot of foot traffic on the main drag in town that early in the morning no matter what the weather. Cowboys were up getting supplies or eating breakfast at the diner across the street.
Sweet Sensations had experienced many starts and stops over the years since Tara had started it. But changing her hours
