Montana Cherries (14 page)

“Bonding over bad mothers?”

He laughed easily. “Something like that. After a somewhat stiff conversation, Mom offered to put Haley in a movie. Haley’s response was epic.”

“And what was that?”

“She declared that she’d rather take pictures, like me.”

Dani smiled along with Ben, and purposely bumped into his arm. She understood what that would have meant, and she loved that Haley had given it to him.

Leaning back, he braced his free hand on the dock, but kept his other wrapped securely around hers. Their clasped hands rested on his thigh, and her next topics of conversation vanished as she tried her best to ignore the hard muscle under their fingers. She picked at a loose thread on her jeans. One foot kicked back and forth over the water.

After another moment of pretending she wasn’t aware of every breath he took, he squeezed her fingers, and when she looked back at him, he nudged his chin toward the empty bowl. “What’s with the ice cream this time?”

She focused on the bowl.

Though they still had the family discussion to get through, she knew the outcome already. Gabe was leaving. And she was exhausted from the weight of worrying.

The backs of her eyes burned unexpectedly, making her quickly look away.

“Hey.” Ben sat up. He put his arm around her. “What happened?”

She let her head drop to his shoulder. “My family is falling apart. And I can’t figure out a single thing to do to stop it.”

His arm clenched at her side. “What’s going on?”

“I think Gabe is going to move away.”

“Yeah?”

She looked up at him; his tone had been strangely casual. He also had a blank look on his face. “You knew,” she accused.

Guilt flashed through his eyes. “He mentioned there were problems between him and Michelle. Not that we couldn’t all figure that out,” he muttered. “But he asked me not to tell you.”

“Man code?” she asked sarcastically. She hated being left out of things.

“No. Just . . .” He lifted a hand toward her face as if to touch her, but in the end dropped it back to his lap. “I didn’t know if I should. Gabe pointed out that they know you a lot better than I do. It made sense. Said he was protecting you.”

She snorted. “That’s his claim. Didn’t want to worry me. Wanted me to stay out of it.”

“I take it you’re not?”

She smirked. “Cord should be in anytime. He caught a late flight. We’ll call Nate when he gets here.”

“Ah.” He winked at her. “Big sister taking charge.”

“It’s what I do.”

And for the first time, she didn’t want to do it. She wanted someone else to handle things.

Ben’s arm relaxed around her, and she once again tucked her head onto his shoulder. She’d missed this over the past ten years. “I’ve enjoyed us talking again,” she said.

“Yeah.” He stroked her arm. “Me too.” After a pause, he added, his voice taking on a slight hitch, “Though I could think of a few things other than talking that would be nice, as well.”

She peeked up at him. “Are you coming on to me again, Denton?”

“Would it get me anywhere if I were?”

Yes.
“No.”

She didn’t need to let this go anywhere, she knew that. He was just messing with her. Filling time. It didn’t make sense to even play with this kind of fire. Yet she stayed right there in his arms. And she almost purred when his fingertips lowered to trail along the outside of her thigh.

“Ben . . .”

“It’s all good,” he soothed teasingly, and she could see him holding in a smile. “This is only me comforting you, babe. You’ve had a bad day.”

She snorted once again. “And you’re full of it.”

“Yeah.” He smiled that smile she loved so well. “But it’s the only way to get you in my arms.”

She studied him then, pulling back a little, but not so far that he had to turn her loose. They’d had weighty conversations since he’d been back. Not unlike the one they were having today. However, today’s seemed different.
He
was different. Had his trip with Haley changed him that much?

And just how much was he teasing her?

“Why do you want me in your arms?” she challenged. “You can get any woman you want.”

“Does that mean I can get you?” He tried to pull her closer, but she held back.

“Come on, Ben. Be serious. You’re just bored, and I’m handy. You never even showed interest in me back then until
I
made the move. I’d wager that you wouldn’t show interest now if I hadn’t back then.”

He separated his arm from her body. “I didn’t show interest because I was respecting you.”

“You didn’t show interest because you had plenty of better options to choose from.”

“No.” The word came out instantly.

She bit her lip.

He touched a finger to her jaw and lifted her face, and she couldn’t make herself look away.

“Is that what you really think?” he asked. “Have you ever looked at who you are, Dani? And I don’t mean on the outside, though Lord knows you’re pretty damned awesome on the outside. Babe, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. You would end your world—you
did
end your world—for your family. And you did an amazing job of raising them—even though your dad should have done that himself.”

“My dad needed me,” she defended.

“I’m sure he did. And that he appreciates all you’ve done. But the truth is, it was his responsibility, yet
you
set aside your life to come home. To pretty much handle everything. And I know you’d do it again if given the same circumstances. You’re honest and caring, sweetheart. You’re smart. And you never treat anyone any way other than how you’d like to be treated. That’s rare in people. You’re a jewel. And it’s
not
because you’re handy.”

His words spun around her, closing in on her the same way his arm had, and she found herself on the verge of tears once again. So few people ever looked at her the way he did.

“So no, it wasn’t that I had no interest. It’s that I was treated like a son by your father,” he explained. The pad of his thumb grazed over her earlobe. “That Gabe was the closest thing I had to a brother. I couldn’t take advantage of his sister.” He gave a half smile. “But also because your brother would have kicked my ass. Or tried to. As would have Cord. Or hell, probably even the twins or Jaden. You had an army watching over you, sweetheart. An army protecting you. Your brothers would lay down their lives for you.”

She nodded. She knew that. They’d had to rely on each other too much over the years not to be close. “We’ve been through a lot together,” she spoke softly. “It wasn’t easy losing our mom.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t. But I’d be willing to bet that wasn’t all there was to it, either. You may be their
big
sister, but they’re the men around here. And you’re their
sister
. They’ll have your back no matter what.”

Was that why Gabe hadn’t wanted to tell her about his plans?

She supposed it was, though it still annoyed her that he’d tried to leave her out.

“You’re right,” she said. “I know.” They may have fought and disagreed over the years, but her brothers were her soldiers. Which was why she’d never minded staying. The six of them were a unit.

She just wished they weren’t all flying solo these days.

But then, she was too.

“Did anyone tell you about Jaden yet?” Ben asked, his voice now hesitant.

“What about him?”

His eyes burned into hers for a long moment before he looked away. He groaned.

“What?” she asked.

“I don’t want to tell you.”

Which meant that she didn’t want to hear it. Or maybe it was about Megan. Were they getting married?

She gasped. Was Megan pregnant?

Poor Jaden. That would certainly change his life.

But, a baby. How sweet.

Her phone chimed, and she glanced at it where it remained on the dock to see a text from Gabe. “Cord’s here!” She practically squealed the words. She grabbed her phone and the empty bowl and rose. “I have to go.” She hadn’t seen Cord in a year.

She hurried up the path, leaving Ben to follow, and she put everything else out of her mind. Cord was home. She’d often felt that he’d taken their mother’s death the hardest. He’d come upon the wreck minutes after it happened. He’d been the one to call for the ambulance.

He’d also been the one who’d changed the most afterward.

It had hardened him. Too much sometimes.

Therefore, Dani was even more protective of him than she was of the younger ones. Not that he needed the protection. Or allowed it. But she watched over him anyway.

She’d sent him care packages throughout college and medical school, and he was now set up in a private practice in Billings. It made her proud. But he hadn’t softened over the years, and that bothered her. She hoped he’d someday find a woman who could help ease his pain. He deserved that.

“Dani.”

She jerked to a stop just outside the back door and whirled to face Ben. “What?”

He trailed his gaze over her shoulder, and hers followed. Her family was waiting for her in there. They didn’t see her yet, but she saw them. Gabe, Cord, Nick, and Jaden. Four strong, healthy, really good men. She’d helped in that. And she was proud of it.

And now she had to do her best to convince Jaden that it was his time to take over.

With a baby on the way, this could be a good thing for him. Bring a new generation into the family business.

Ben turned back to her. “I’ll be around when you’re done. If you need to talk.”

She wasn’t sure what she might need to talk about, but she appreciated the offer. “Thanks.”

He took one final look at her family before leaning in and laying a long, hot kiss on her lips, catching Dani by surprise. Pulling away, he opened the door and strode into the house.

chapter thirteen

D
ani stared at Ben’s retreating back as he moved through the room and greeted her brothers. What in the heck had that been? Kiss her and then walk away?

Before she could even decide if she wanted to be kissed?

She growled under her breath. Men. They wore her out sometimes.

But also . . .
men
. . . When they came like Ben Denton, she could use a few more in her life.

She touched her fingertips to her lips. Because yeah, she’d liked it. And she hadn’t needed additional time to figure that out.

“Dani,” Cord said from across the room, and Dani forgot all about Ben.

She ran into the house and wrapped her arms around her brother. He immediately swept her up, lifting her to her toes. Unlike her oldest brother, Cord
had
been known to hug her on occasion. Not often, which made them all the sweeter, but at least she occasionally got them.

When he set her on her feet, she was fairly certain she glowed. Her family was home. Most of them.

“I wish Nate were here,” she exclaimed.

“I’m here, sis.”

The words came from Gabe’s cell lying in the middle of the coffee table.

“Nate!” She moved to the table, and stood looking down, her hands clasped in front of her. “Come home, you idiot. Would you do that for me, please? I’m desperate to see you.”

Nate hadn’t been home in more than two years.

A rumble of laughter came from the speaker. “I booked a flight today. I’ll be home this time next week. Sorry I’m not there right now . . .”

“I know. You’re busy. But next week will be great. I’ll cook your favorite meal.”

“Or maybe I’ll cook yours.”

“Right,”
she teased. As far as she knew, none of her brothers even knew where the stove was. They could only find the kitchen because it had a fridge in it.

She caught a gentle smile from Ben, who remained at the edge of the kitchen, then he winked and headed down the hall. She was left in the family room, standing in the middle of her brothers, and for the first time in a long while, she felt like everything was okay with her world. She had her family. She’d done her mother proud.

“So let’s get to it,” Gabe spoke up, reminding everyone of why they were there.

Dani nodded impatiently, and took a seat on the coffee table beside the phone. Everyone else settled on the furniture and turned to Gabe.

“So it looks like I’ll be moving,” he started.

The air went out of Dani’s lungs, because even though she’d known it was coming, she hadn’t been able to keep from hoping he’d change his mind.

She also noted that no one in the room seemed surprised by the announcement.

Seriously? They’d all known about this? Irritation tickled in her throat. She should have known he’d tell the boys before he told her. Or more accurately, he’d had no intention of telling her at all.

“Before I start looking for a foreman to be here when I’m not,” Gabe continued, “I need to ask if any of you want to run things.”

Dani looked, one by one, at her brothers, certain someone would speak up. Not Cord, of course; he was a doctor. But Nick couldn’t be a bull rider forever, and he’d never left Montana on a permanent basis. Clearly he loved the area.

Yet he remained silent.

Then she turned to Jay and smiled. Did he really have a baby on the way?

“Jaden?” she asked when the youngest didn’t look at her. “I thought you might want to take over. It would be a great opportunity for you, and we could bring you in more help since you’ll be doing the books, too. And if you and Megan . . .”

She trailed off as she realized that no one at all was looking at her. In fact, they were making it a point
not
to look at her. Nerves tingled on the back of her neck. She was missing something.

“What is it?” she asked abruptly. She knew their nonlooks well enough to understand they didn’t want to tell her something. “Is it the pregnancy? Ben told me.”

That got everyone’s attention.

“Pregnancy?” Cord asked. “Who’s pregnant?” His eyes dropped to her stomach and his jaw hardened.

“Not me,” she squeaked. She pointed at her youngest brother. “Jaden.”

“Well, hell. I’m not pregnant.”

“You know what I mean. Megan.”

The room once again went silent, except for Nate clearing his throat through the phone.

“You knocked her up?” Nate’s voice sounded in the room.

Jaden shook his head. “I did
not
knock her up.”

“But—”

“And Ben told you this?” Gabe interrupted Dani.

She replayed her conversation with Ben, remembering that he hadn’t actually told her anything. “Not in so many words, I guess. He said there was something about Jaden that you should tell me.” She glanced toward the hallway. She could hear Ben and the girls playing upstairs, and assumed Megan might even be in there with them since she wasn’t down here. “She’s not pregnant?”

“No,” Jaden answered. He rose from his seat and paced the length of the room.

“Then what do you need to tell me?”

This time, Nate didn’t even clear his throat. There was only the silence.

“Come on, guys.” Nerves had her bouncing the heel of her foot. “What is it?”

“Quit shaking your leg,” Nate said from beside her. “You’re rattling the phone in my ear.”

“Sorry,” she muttered. She forced herself to be still and turned to Jay.

“She’s
not
pregnant,” he finally replied. He took a deep breath. “But I am moving in with her.”

“Dani,” Gabe started before Jaden could say more. He ignored their younger brother’s glare. “What he’s saying is, he doesn’t want to run the place either. He has other plans.”

“What I’m
saying
is . . .” Jaden stressed his words, and Dani swiveled back to him. The glasses perched on his nose gave him a slightly different look than the rest of her brothers, yet he still had plenty of the Wilde characteristics in him. Meaning, he was full of stubborn. “That I’m not coming home at all,” he finished.

It took a moment for his words to register. When they did, Dani rose from her seat. “You have to come home. You’re taking over my job.”

“I’m not. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that before. I didn’t even get an accounting degree.”

She didn’t understand. Jaden always ran a little more rebellious than the rest of them, yeah. Nothing illegal or out of control, as Nate had been known to do, but as the youngest child, Jaden often walked right along the edge of the line. He pushed the limit. He said things others wouldn’t.

But to not come home? To not get the degree?

“He
did
get an accounting degree,” Gabe added, his tone sounding exhausted.

“I minored in accounting,” Jay corrected. “But my major is psychology. My
interest
is psychology. Which is why I’ll be going to school in Seattle next fall, working on my master’s.”

“You’re going back to school?” Dani asked, and for the first time since she’d come home to take care of her brothers all those years ago, she lit up with anger over what she’d done without. “I had a full ride to Columbia, and I killed it to come home,” she said, her voice rising with her words. “Gabe got to go to school the very next year. All of you have gone on to do what you want. And don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for each of you. But now, when I have the chance to go
back
to New York, to finally start the life I’ve always wanted, you’re going to be so selfish as to continue on in school?”

“You could have gone back to school years ago,” Jaden shot back. “No one asked you to stay all this time.”

“And you could come home now and put in your time here.”

Jaden ignored her response and faced Gabe. “And personally,” he said to his brother, “I don’t think
you
should have to go back and forth either. Unless you want to. You’re moving to LA. Go live your life. We can find someone to run the whole thing. Living in the house could even be a perk, help with the cost of hiring out.”

“No!” Dani shouted. She stood in the middle of the floor shaking her head. “No,” she said again. “We can’t just give everything to somebody else.”

“We wouldn’t be giving it to someone else,” Gabe said, trying to soothe her. “It would still be our farm. Just not managed by us. And we would all still come home for harvest.”

“But our house.”

“Then fine,” Jaden added, his frustration evident. “We don’t have to include the house if that’s a big deal. We can see how this works out first. Add it in later if we want to.”

Dani looked wildly from one brother to the other. They all cut glances at her, but no one made direct eye contact. “I don’t understand what’s going on. Why won’t one of you run it? It’s Dad’s legacy. It would break Mom’s heart if she were here to see how things are falling apart.”

They all remained silent.

“What?” she shouted frantically. She was still missing something.

“Maybe none of us want to do it
because
of Mom,” Jaden suggested. His words stopped Dani in her tracks.

“Jaden—” Gabe butted in.

“What do you mean?” Dani asked.

No one answered.

“Gabe?” She turned to her oldest brother. “What does he mean?”

“Your memories are different from ours,” Gabe said gently. “That’s all.”

“What memories?”

“Mom wasn’t a saint, Dani.” Jaden’s voice rose with his words. “Not even close.”

Nate cleared his throat.

“I never said she was a saint,” she shot back.

“You haven’t said anything about her for years except how proud we’ve got to make her,” Nick pointed out. She faced him, and he went on, his gaze no longer breaking from hers. “You haven’t let us change a thing in this house since she died, Dani. It’s a shrine to her. Why do you think Dad moved out?”

Dani gaped. “That makes no sense. Why
wouldn’t
he want to be in the home he’d made with the woman he loved?”

Cord snorted. So far that was his only contribution to the argument.

“What?” She whirled on him. “You don’t think Dad loved Mom? Hell, maybe he didn’t. Maybe that’s why he’s marrying Gloria now.”

“Mom’s been gone fourteen years,” Cord interjected. “You think he’s supposed to stop living because she died? Gloria makes him happy. They should have gotten married years ago.”

“I know,” Dani said, “it’s just . . .” She hadn’t meant to get on the topic of their dad, but now that they were, she couldn’t help but continue. She pulled in a shaky breath. “Did he not love Mom?” It felt like that sometimes, though she’d been reluctant to admit it. The way he never talked about her. Dani couldn’t remember the last time her dad had actually uttered her mother’s name. It was as though she hadn’t existed.

“Of course he loved Mom,” Gabe answered. Cord snorted again.

Dani’s temper flared. “Seriously, am I the only one who misses her? Who feels bad that her life ended the way it did? She didn’t mean to die! We should have done something to keep the accident from happening. We should honor her better than we are.”

A muscle ticked in Cord’s jaw.

“Let’s get back on topic,” Gabe spoke up. “The farm. The house.” He stood from his spot on the couch and looked at Dani. Her breathing was ragged.

“What am I not remembering correctly?” she asked the room. She would
not
let this go.

“It’s not just that she
wasn’t
a saint,” Jay added callously. “She was a cold-hearted bitch.”

Dani gasped. “She was not!”

“I may not remember it as clearly as everyone else, but I remember enough,” he said. “She was heartless, Dani. She didn’t care about us. That very fact has shaped my entire life. It’s shaped all of us.”

“Ask me how many times she ever came into our room,” Nate spoke from the phone.

Dani stared down at the object. “What do you mean?”

“Never,” Nick added. “No good-nights, no waking us up. She certainly didn’t deign to come in and play with us.”

“She didn’t love us, Dani,” Nate said. “She manipulated us. You most of all.”

“No, she did not.” Dani stared wide-eyed at her brothers, but no one backed her up. “Guys,” she pleaded. “Come on. Tell him he’s wrong. She would have done anything for us. That’s why I’m here. Because I couldn’t let her down. We can’t let her down now. She—”

“She killed herself,” Cord suddenly roared.

The room went deathly silent, and Dani saw Ben standing in the kitchen, his expression as shocked as hers.

“The kids,” Ben started. He lifted a hand and pointed vaguely toward the ceiling. “They’re in bed, but . . .” His gaze locked on Dani’s, and she could see his worry for her before he shifted to Cord and then to Gabe. “Your voices are carrying upstairs,” he finished.

Gabe nodded, muttered, “We’ll keep it down,” and Dani dropped back to the coffee table.

Cord rose from his seat and came over to sit beside Dani, and Ben quietly left the room.

“I don’t understand.” Dani’s voice shook. “Why would you say that? You don’t mean suicide?”

“I do.” Cord didn’t sound confused, but Dani knew he had to be.

“No.” She shook her head. “It was an accident. She was running errands. She had a migraine.”