Good Together (8 page)

The cow had gone wild and rammed her poor mother into the concrete wall of the barn.

Death had been instant. No suffering, the doctor told them later, which was of some comfort, at least.

The damn cow and her calf had been fine. Her father had sold both, wanting them off the ranch. But of course, the sale had come too late. Nothing could change the outcome. Or the awful knowledge that their mother, who had always been terribly nervous around cattle, would only have been helping under duress.

“I was twenty-two when Mom died. So you were—”

“Twelve.”

“Gosh. So young.”

“Callan was only eight,” Sage pointed out. “I wonder why there were so many years between us? Five between you and Dani. Then four more between Dani and me, and another four between me and Callan. Did Mom have trouble getting pregnant?”

“She never said so.” Mattie was still mulling over how young Callan and Sage had been when their Mom died. Maybe that was why they didn’t seem to harbor the same anger toward Hawksley that she did.

Her bad feelings toward her father had even deeper roots than her Mom’s death, dating back to the arguments she’d overheard from behind their parents’ closed-and-locked bedroom door.

Hawksley had an awful temper.

And no one had borne the brunt more than his wife.

“Given what a beast dad was, I’m surprised she stayed in the marriage as long as she did. She would have had options.” Their mother had been born Beverly Bramble, after all, an ancestor of the original Brambles who founded Marietta. They’d built a fortune on the copper buried into the mountain of the same name. And diversified into banking once the ore was depleted.

The original Bramble Manor was still one of the grandest homes in Marietta. These days Great Aunt Mable lived in the stately Victorian, along with cousin Eliza, who had turned the place into a bed-and-breakfast and was reported to be writing a family history.

“There are always two sides in any marriage, Mat. That’s kind of what my secret is about.”

For a moment Mattie was reminded of her own marital woes. Did Wes have a list of grievances against her? If so, she wished he’d at least given her a chance to hear them. “Compared to Hawksley, Mom was a saint.”

“I know you’ve always thought that.” Sage took her feet off the table and shifted into a more upright position. She gazed at the crackling fire for a moment, absent-mindedly twisting a strand of her hair at the same time.

“Because it’s true,” Mattie said, feeling suddenly tense and uncertain.

“Is it? I saw something, Mat. About a year before Mom’s accident.”

The room fell quiet, the only sound the snapping and popping from the fire. Tuff picked that moment to wake up and come looking for them. Mattie pulled the little fluff ball into her lap, where she settled immediately back to sleep.

“I was home from school. Sick with a fever, at first, but then I felt better and decided to sneak into Mom’s room to play with her jewelry and makeup.”

They’d all done that when they were little girls. Their mother had owned a beautiful vanity table, a family heirloom, with dozens of intriguing drawers and hidey-holes.

“Only the door was locked. And not thinking that someone must be in there—because it was early afternoon and the room was always empty during the day—I took a pin and unlocked it.”

Mattie could read her sister’s face well enough to guess that she’d interrupted a sexual act. But—“who was Mom with?”

“It wasn’t Dad. It was—Mr. Sheenan. And, oh God, Mattie, it was so appalling to me at the time. They were having oral sex.”

Mattie supposed she shouldn’t be shocked. But she sure as hell was.

The Sheenans owned the ranch next to theirs. Their mother had died much earlier, leaving Bill Sheenan to raise five boys and a daughter on his own.

Ever since she’d start school, Mattie had been cautioned to stay away from those “Sheenan brats” by her father. She’d assumed it was a dispute over water rights that had bred the dislike between the two families.

Now she realized the problems were a lot more... personal.

“Frankly, given what a jerk dad was, I don’t blame Mom for having an affair.”

“Maybe not. But here’s the weirdest part. At the steak dinner after the rodeo last month, Bill Sheenan came up to me and apologized for what I’d seen. All these years later! I couldn’t believe he had the nerve.”

“He must have been feeling guilty for a very long time.”

“I guess. But dad saw him talking to me, and came up and popped him one on the jaw.”

Mattie had seen the fight. “So that’s what was behind it!” Their father had made them all leave the barbecue after that, without saying a word about what was going on.

“I talked to Dad later and found out he knew about the affair. Had known all along.”

“Really? Then why didn’t he ask for a divorce?”

“That’s what I wondered. And Dad told me that there were worse ways you could hurt someone you’d married than by cheating on them.”

“Wow.” Mattie would never have expected to hear something so... understanding... from her Dad. She had always pictured him as a man who saw things in black and white. Sons—good. Daughters—useless.

“Incredible, isn’t it?”

“And you’ve kept this secret for how long?”

“More than a decade.”

It was a heavy weight for a young girl to have carried. Mattie suspected it had taken a toll. She remembered Sage as a young girl—she’d been real chatty, with a sunny disposition and an easy-going nature.

But Sage had changed as she’d gotten older. Become quiet and thoughtful. And this was why. It had to be.

“I’m so sorry you had to deal with this on your own, Sage. I wish you’d confided in someone. Like maybe me?”

“At first I was too scared to say anything. I was afraid Mom would leave us. Then, after she died, I didn’t want to spoil anyone’s memory of her.”

“No wonder you make chocolates for a living. You are the sweetest, Sage. You really are.” Mattie stroked the puppy’s soft fur, and considered Sage’s reasons for exposing this big secret today. To her.

“You’re trying to say that even if Wes has been unfaithful I shouldn’t automatically give up on my marriage.”

“At least talk to him.”

“I want to. He’s the one who’s gone into hiding.”

“Then find him, Mattie. Don’t leave it too late.”

A
s Mattie tried to fall asleep that night, her conversation with her sister kept repeating in her brain. Should she be trying to reach Wes?

She lifted the cell phone, which she kept next to her pillow. No missed calls, emails or text messages. Nothing.

Why this wall of utter silence from Wes?

Was he waiting to hear from her?

That didn’t make sense. Wes had been the one to say he wanted to leave. And he’d done it. His silence proved he didn’t love her anymore.

Still, Mattie’s thumb hovered over Wes’s name on her contact list. It was past midnight. Where was he? Would he take her call if she had the nerve to hit that button?

Even if he did—she had no idea what to say. And there was always the possibility that that woman would answer. Mattie didn’t know if she could bear the certain knowledge that her husband was having an affair.

And yet her father had done it.

Sage’s revelation about their mother’s affair was still difficult for Mattie to believe. How long had the affair gone on? And why had Hawksley put up with it? The man Mattie knew as her father did not offer forgiveness or second chances very often.

Maybe he’d understood that it was his own lack of kindness and loving that had chased his wife into the arms of another man?

No one could say the same of her and Wes, though. From the beginning they’d been affectionate in private
and
in public. The twins would sometimes complain when they kissed for too long in places like restaurants or street corners. But Mattie had loved Wes’s demonstrativeness.

That, too, had eased off recently, she realized, when she couldn’t recall the last time they’d shared a kiss in front of others.

Or made love.

Damn, how long had her marriage been crumbling without her even noticing?

* * *

C
ooking apples and cinnamon. Fresh brewed coffee. French toast and maple syrup. Mattie rolled over in bed, trying to decide if these delicious smells could possibly have been conjured in a dream. Then she heard the sounds of dishes being unloaded from the dishwasher. Hell, Sage must have gotten up before her. How was that possible?

She reached for her phone and saw with dismay that it was after eight. Outside there was just a hint of daylight peeking through the curtains.

Suddenly she was reminded of how it had felt to be a little girl, on Saturday mornings, sleeping in and being woken by her Mom calling that breakfast was ready so get it while it’s hot. She so hadn’t appreciated how lucky she’d been in those days. If only she could have her Mom back for one day to tell her thank-you for those hundreds of breakfasts that had been made with love and devoured so carelessly.

Like so many things in life, the wisdom of appreciation came too late.

She grabbed her robe and headed to the kitchen, where she found Sage dusting powdered sugar over the French toast. Tuff was licking the floor by her feet where something yummy must have spilled.

“Oh my God. You’re amazing Sage. You made Mom’s breakfast.”

Her younger sister had such beautiful skin that she looked fresh and pretty, even first thing in the morning. Her loveliness only increased with her smile. “I haven’t had French toast for years. But I woke up craving it. Hope you don’t mind that I commandeered the kitchen.”

“You’re kidding, right? Like I would mind. I thought I was dreaming all those delicious aromas. I was afraid to open my eyes.” She gave Tuff a cuddle, then glanced out the window at the morning fog and sighed. “Poor Jake. He had to do the morning chores on his own again.”

“Not totally. I probably wasn’t as much help as you, but I did try.”

“What time did you get up?”

“Early. Tuff has been fed and taken out to pee, as well.”

“You’re an angel.”

“Pretty much.” Sage placed two slices of the prepared toast on a plate, smothered it in cooked apples and cinnamon, then passed it to her. “Eat up. You hardly had a bite of dinner.”

Was that why she felt so famished now?

Her first taste was heavenly. “Tell me more about this new guy of yours. Dawson O’Dell.”

“Want to see some pictures?” Sage set her breakfast plate next to Mattie’s then sat beside her and passed over her phone.

Between bites of scrumptious maple-infused French toast, Mattie scrolled through several pictures of a dark-blond cowboy with a laid-back air and the hint of a smile on his lips. He lacked Wes’s confident, almost cocky air. Instead—“There’s something kind of sweet about him, isn’t there?”

“He has the biggest heart,” Sage agreed. “You should see him with his daughter. He’s such a rock. Kind, but firm and so patient.”

The two sisters exchanged a glance. Their father had possessed only one of those qualities, and they weren’t kindness or patience.

“So he’s really moved to Marietta to stay? He’s quit the rodeo?”

“Yup. That’s part of the reason it took him so long to come and find me. Not only did he need to extricate himself from his failed marriage, but he also took courses and earned his degree in criminology. Now he has a full-time position as deputy sheriff and he and Savannah live in a super cute house on Bramble Lane.”

“Does his daughter like Marietta?”

“She seems to. Though I’m not sure she believes they’re really in town to stay. Her life has been a series of moves from one place to another and she finds the routine of school somewhat tedious. You should have seen her expression when Dawson explained she’d have to keep going until she was at least eighteen.”

Mattie couldn’t wait to meet this kid. She sounded like a real firecracker. “What about Dawson’s ex-wife? Why doesn’t she have custody of their daughter?”

“Gina’s quite the character. Apparently she falls in and out of romantic relationships with regularity and ends up following these guys all over the country. Mostly she’s happy to leave Savannah with Dawson, but he’s nervous since legally they have joint custody and he’s afraid one day she’ll show up in town and want to take Savannah away from him.”

The mention of custody had Mattie’s stomach turning over. Just about the only good thing about her current predicament was that the twins were old enough that she and Wes would never have to fight about things like custody. “Can he get the agreement changed so he has sole custody?”

“He’s talked to his lawyer about it. But getting Gina to sign any sort of legal document is unbelievably hard.” Sage sighed. “It worries me sometimes that Dawson married such a dipstick.”

“Well, he obviously learned from his mistakes.” Mattie affectionately bumped her shoulder against Sage’s. “Or am I jumping to conclusions when I assume the two of you will end up as husband and wife?”

Sage couldn’t stop a smile from revealing the truth. “He’s already asked me. I told him he had to wait a year for my answer.”

“A year!”

“I need to make sure that all the changes he’s made are going to stick.”

“Is he really so different from the cowboy you first fell in love with?”

“That’s a good question. At heart—no. Or I wouldn’t have fallen in love with him all over again.”

Mattie was satisfied with that answer. She was glad that Sage had finally found her place in this world. Too often in the past Sage had seemed a little sad, a little lost. Maybe it was carrying the burden of their mother’s secret that had weighed her down. As the oldest sister, she should have been there for Sage. But it was too late to fix that now. All she could do was feel glad that Sage finally seemed happy. She really did have it all. A career that fulfilled her. A man to cherish her.

It was almost as if she and Sage were balanced on a teeter-totter. Once Mattie had been up and Sage down. Now it was the other way around. The image wasn’t a satisfactory one. Mattie knew that whatever setbacks she was facing now, ultimately she would get through them and be happy again.