“I have good reason.”
“Not from me you don’t!”
“You don’t—” He never got to finish that statement, because the next words his brother said cut him off cold.
“I never slept with Jenny, Cade.”
Silence.
Addie crossed her arms and glared at him, but he ignored her smug look. His eyes drifted to Cord, who was sitting on the edge of the couch, rubbing his jaw.
This was too much. Now, Cord had Addie believing his bullshit.
Suddenly, the air inside the house became thick and it was too hard to breathe. He had to get out before it and his emotions crushed him.
He made it to his truck before he stopped. No, he wasn’t running. He just needed to cool down before he put his fist through the wall. Footsteps followed him all the way to the side of his truck, where Cade stood with his arms folded over the bedrail. From the corner of his eye, he saw Cord’s arms mimic his own.
“I’m really glad to see you, Caden,” Cord said quietly. “I’ve been searching…for a long time.”
Cade frowned, staring at the truck bed in front of him. “Why?”
“You’re my brother. Why wouldn’t I look for you?”
“That didn’t seem to matter to you before.”
“It always mattered to me.” The forlorn note in his twin’s voice struck a chord in Cade.
“What was I supposed to do?” Cade asked, turning to glare at Cord. “Hang around and watch my fiancée with my brother?”
Cord shook his head. “I didn’t sleep with Jenny. I never touched her. I didn’t want to, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“You told me you slept with her.”
“I never said I slept with her. I thought you’d confront her and kick her out. I never expected you to leave instead.”
Cade stared at his twin. “But you…” He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
“We were never together, Cade. That’s what I’m trying to get through that thick head of yours.”
“But you said—”
“I said she came to my bed and she did, claiming all kinds of things, but I didn’t let her stay. I’d never do that to you.”
“But you’d let me think it?”
“If you hadn’t been so bullheaded, I wouldn’t have had to. I planned to let you cool off and then tell you the next day—once Jenny was gone—but you just took off…in the middle of the night. I practically had to have Jenny arrested to get her off the property…”
“I didn’t want to face either of you,” Cade muttered.
“If you had, I would’ve explained. I knew you were pissed and needed time to think. I just never considered that you’d run and leave your whole life behind—the land, your inheritance, everything.”
“You should’ve known me better than that.”
Cord nodded. “Yeah, well, after thinking on it for a bit, I guess I would’ve done the same thing. But I’d like to think I also would’ve called or at least wondered if something else was up. I mean, how many times did I ever backstab you, Cade? And how many times was I right there with you in a fight? I always had your back. Always. Why couldn’t you at least give me the benefit of the doubt and call or…something?”
Cade hung his head as a new ache crushed his heart. Heat suffused his cheeks and he couldn’t meet his brother’s gaze. He’d been so willing to believe the worst, he hadn’t even questioned Cord when he’d said Jenny came to him. He hadn’t asked for details or clarification. He’d just…left.
I am an idiot, he thought as he wracked his brain, trying to uncover the lie in Cord’s words.
The day he’d left, Jenny had smugly told him about all the other men, including his brother. She’d happily revealed the others she’d taken to her bed in college; she’d even slept with a couple of the migrant workers they’d had at the ranch. So when she’d admitted to going to Cord, he’d just assumed the same had happened with him.
Jenny had smiled at the hurt she caused and then flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. “You’re a sap, Cade. Besides, you lied to me, too. I thought you were fun, sexy, strong, and rich. Imagine my disappointment to discover you never really were any of those things? Why shouldn’t I look for something better?”
She’d messed with his head…and he’d let her. He’d allowed her to alienate him from his brother and his home by believing her lies.
Another wave of shame heated his skin and he found it hard to breathe. Cord was right. Cade should’ve trusted him, or at the very least, questioned what his brother had said. Instead, he’d run like a coward, cutting off all connection to the people and places he’d loved the most.
The fury that had consumed him dissipated, and now all he felt was self-loathing. If it hadn’t been for his pig-headedness and Cord’s courage to come after him, Cade would have gone on believing that his twin had betrayed him.
He hung his head, too ashamed to meet his brother’s eyes.
“You never slept with her?” His words were soft, but Cord heard him.
“No, never.”
Cade sighed. Jenny had made a fool of him again.
The big flakes of snow continued to fall, coming faster now and the wind had picked up a bit as they both stood in the white silence.
“I’m sorry,” Cade whispered and lifted his head to meet those eyes that were so much like his own. He’d expected anger and disappointment to be reflected there, but all he saw was sadness and love.
“Me, too,” Cord said. “I should’ve handled it better, not let you think…”
Cade shook his head. “After everything, I should’ve known better… I was stupid. It won’t happen again.”
Cord’s mouth quirked up on one side and Cade felt his do the same.
“I’ve missed you, Cade. More than I can say. I’ve missed my brother.”
Cade inhaled deeply and his eyes burned. The sudden thickness in his throat wouldn’t let him speak. Instead, he stepped forward and wrapped Cord in a bear hug that
