“Me, too,” he croaked, blinking back tears.
A moment later, they pulled apart, grinning like the happy fools they were.
“Let’s not do anything like that again,” Cord said, humor mixed with a hint of somberness.
Cade nodded. “Yeah, let’s not.”
Cord chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest and shivered. That was when Cade realized Cord hadn’t even grabbed a jacket when he came out after him.
“We should head back in,” he said and Cord nodded as they turned as one toward the house.
Cade felt that familiar unity that had always been between them return. He felt whole again in a way he hadn’t known in years. But there was more to it now. Addie was in that mix and made it stronger, made him stronger. He wanted to be better… For her.
“So, it may be too soon to ask this,” Cord said, “but…will you come home?”
Cade stopped and Cord turned to face him.
“To Montana?”
“Yeah, back to the ranch. Half of it is yours, you know, and we’ve been doing well over the last few years.”
Cade glanced around the dooryard, taking in the barn and the roof he’d repaired, and the machine shed that held all the equipment he’d worked so hard to fix and maintain. Did he want to leave?
No, I don’t… I don’t want to leave Addie.
“Bring her with you,” Cord said, apparently reading Cade’s mind. “There’s plenty of room and she’s… She’s a nice girl, Cade.”
Cade’s surprised gaze fell on his brother, but then he realized he’d said that last part out loud. “I don’t know…”
“You’re not still worried about me, are you? I mean, ‘cause if you are, you don’t need to be.”
Cade shook his head. He’d been stupid over a woman once. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice, but he also wanted no doubt about his feelings for Addie, either. “No, I’m not worried about you, but you should know that I care about her…very much.”
Cord nodded. “I figured. She’s adorable, very sweet, and,” he tilted his head as if searching for the right word, “loyal. You’re a lucky guy, Caden. Wish I could find a girl like that.”
Pride inflated his chest. Addie must have said something to Cord before he had a chance to explain himself. She’d obviously been convinced that a major misunderstanding had happened between Cordell and himself since she’d told him to listen to his brother. “You have no idea.” He smiled. “She’s a firecracker, but I don’t know if she’ll want to leave here. It’s all she has.”
“She has you,” his brother pointed out gently. “Besides, this place needs a ton of work.”
Cade nodded. The house, barn, and machine shed still needed paint, not to mention several repairs, and that didn’t include the cattle or the spring plowing and planting that would have to be done in a few months, nor the machine maintenance he still needed to finish to keep the equipment in working order.
“I know,” Cade replied, “but this was her dream and it’s hers, I don’t want to take it away from her.”
“So you…don’t want to come home?”
His heart thudded a couple of times at the thought of finally returning to the home he’d longed for over the years, but the thought of leaving Addie made him ache. “It’s not that,” he said.
Cord nodded. “It’s her. You don’t want to leave her. I can’t blame you.” There was no accusation or jealousy in Cord’s tone, just the surety of his guess.
“No, I don’t,” Cade said. “But I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t want to go home too.”
Cord rubbed his arms, clearly chilled from the cold air. “Well, t-think about it,” he said with a slight stutter. “Talk to her and see what she says. We can always figure something out.”
Cade nodded, then inclined his head toward the house. “Let’s get back inside before you freeze. I just got you back, I don’t want to lose you again now.”
Cord nodded, his boots making tracks toward the house. Cade was right behind with his mind turning. Despite what he said, his fear hadn’t completely left him. He knew Cordell had told him the truth—he’d always been able to tell when his twin was lying. The only time he’d ever fooled Cade had stolen almost six years from them.
“Cord?” he called and his brother turned back to him. “No more lies, all right? Even if the truth’ll hurt, no more secrets, okay?”
“For either of us.”
Cade inclined his head. “For either of us.”
“Absolutely,” Cord replied, “but we have to listen, too. I tried to tell you several times that Jenny was no good. You just never heard me.”
“I know,” Cade said softly. “That won’t happen again.”
A small smile pulled at Cord’s mouth. “Glad to hear that, brother, but I’ve got to say, I don’t think we’ll have the same issue with Addie. You’ve done good for yourself this time.”
Cade grinned in reply. “Yeah, she’s something special, and far too good for me.”
A frown replaced Cordell’s smile. “You deserve to be happy, Cade, and she seems to have chosen you. At least, she’s very…protective of you.”
Cade didn’t reply. He couldn’t seem to make himself believe his worth, especially to her.
“Come on,” he said instead, patting Cordell on the back and turning him toward the house once more. “Let’s get you inside.”
His brother chuckled and shivered. “Yeah, I could use some more of that coffee if I’m going to make it back home tonight.”
Cade looked around. Nearly a foot of snow covered the ground and the wind had increased as well. “I don’t think you should drive in this. Looks like this storm is just getting started. Why don’t you stay for a while? At least until it stops and the roads are cleared.”
“Will Addie mind?”
“I doubt it, but we’ll ask her.” He gently pushed Cord toward the front steps and they hurried inside. Cade had no doubt Addie would invite Cord to stay herself, especially once it became clear that they’d cleared the air between them. But
