I tapped the end of my cane on the uneven floor and refused to meet Webb’s excited gaze.
“You think I’m going to stay in Wyoming?” I kept my voice even, but I couldn’t stop my fingers from tightening on the handle of the cane. “Did I give you the impression that I was here to stay, Webb?” I didn’t know what I was doing with my life, but I sure as shit was not going to be a burden to my little brother when he’d just gotten himself straightened out.
Webb turned to face me, a frown digging deep lines into his handsome face. “I honestly don’t know what you’re doing anymore, Wyatt. You seem like you’re drifting from one day to the next. I can’t remember the last time I heard you laugh or saw you genuinely smile. I feel like you’re looking through me half the time when I talk to you. Would it be the worst thing in the world to settle down here? Would it be so bad to have me and Ten as neighbors? Is it so hard to imagine having family close by? Are you scared of relying on me, of letting me help you? Am I really that unreliable in your eyes?”
I took a second to process what he was saying. I didn’t realize I’d been refusing his help and that my ingrained independence was hurting him.
“Webb,” I started to apologize, but he held up a hand to stop me.
“Don’t. I know you aren’t trying to be an asshole. I know you’re just trying to figure out what your life looks like now that you aren’t chasing down drug smugglers. I understand that a simple life in the middle of nowhere might not be what you want, but I’m here.” He looked me directly in the eyes, frown deepening. “I don’t get why it hasn’t even crossed your mind to stay where I am. We’ve both been on the move for so long, running from so much, now we have a chance to stop and be in the same place at the same time and just be,” He shook his head and I felt my heart seize in my chest. “I hate that it feels like you’re trying to get away from me.”
“No.” The denial was automatic and full of force. Webb was my favorite person on the planet. I’d given up my entire childhood to make sure he was standing in front of me now in one piece and a mostly respectable man. I leaned heavily on the cane and looked down at the mangled board I’d kicked. “I love you, Webb. I only want the best for you.”
And the best wasn’t him rearranging his life to take care of me because mine was in shambles. I knew how hard and draining it could be to suddenly be responsible for the well-being of someone else, even someone you loved with your whole heart.
Webb started to pace back and forth, cowboy boots clicking furiously on the brittle wooden floors. “And I want the best for you, Wyatt. Do you think I was blind to the sacrifices you made for me when we were younger? Do you really believe I don’t know the lengths you went to protect me from Mom and the rest of the world when I was too young and immature to protect myself? I don’t know how you could ever think I’d view you as a burden. You never treated me that way, even when I was an annoying teenager getting into trouble on purpose. You’re my brother. You’re my only family. I owe you everything, and you won’t let me give you anything in return. If you were in my shoes, wouldn’t you want to give something back to the person who made you into the man you are today? No matter how big or how small?”
I dragged a hand down my face, suddenly feeling exhausted. “I didn’t realize how important all of this was to you. I honestly thought you just wanted to keep an eye on me until I was back on my feet, that we’d both go back to living our own lives. I never even considered that you’d want me to hang around.”
Webb scoffed and whipped his Stetson off his head. I was still getting used to the cowboy version of my brother, but I had to admit the boots, belt buckles, and tight jeans suited him. So did the hard, honest work and the love of a good woman. Somehow, Webb had landed in the middle of the life I’d always dreamed of having. There was a part of me that could admit I was jealous, but there was a bigger, louder part screaming at me not to screw up all the good things Webb had going for him now.
It was just how things happened when you were a Bryant.
Things would seem like they were leveling out, gaining some sense of normalcy, and then boom, it all went to hell. Quickly. I’d learned at an early age not to rest on my laurels and never to let my guard down. Even when it came to my younger brother.
“I started thinking about the future as soon as you went missing.” Webb waved a hand around the house, his frustration palpable. “You were the reason I ended up here. If that case hadn’t gone south, if you hadn’t gone missing on the Warner’s property,” he shivered dramatically. “I never would have met Ten. I wouldn’t have found a career I enjoy. I would never have found a place where I finally felt like I belong. It was like we were meant to come to this exact spot.”
I tossed my head back and groaned at the collapsing ceiling. “I get that you feel like this is where you were meant to be, that fate played a big hand in bringing you here, but we’re different, Webb.” I gave him a pointed look. “You took to the culture and the lifestyle here like a duck to water. You realize it wouldn’t be the same for me, right?” He didn’t need me to remind him how much Cam stuck out in this small town, and it wasn’t my place to tell him Rodie was practically living a double life. “I may like to handle things on my own, but that doesn’t mean I want to be alone.” I might be letting go of my dream of a traditional marriage and family, but there was no way in hell that I planned on giving up sex. Especially after that kiss with the sheriff. The man had a talented, tricky tongue, and rough, powerful hands. I wanted to feel them both again, without the barrier of clothes and the police radio interruption. That didn’t seem likely, though, with the way we ended things. My self-preservation instincts were too strong, and just like always, I pushed whomever was trying to get close away before they had the chance to hurt me. To disappoint me. To abandon me.
I’d woken up more than once with my hand wrapped around my very hard cock and Rodie’s name on my lips. I could almost picture the arrogant gleam in those green eyes if he had any clue what I was getting up to with him in mind.
Webb sighed heavily and pointed a finger at me. “You don’t have to fit in. The people who matter most know who you are and love you no matter what. And the only reason you would be lonely is because you aren’t letting anyone get close enough to keep you company. Who knows who you might meet around here? Plus, the internet exists, Wyatt. You can find a date in two seconds if you really want to. Stop making excuses.” He dropped his hand and walked over to me. He reached out and put a hand on my good shoulder. He squeezed lightly and gave me a crooked grin. “We have a lot of bad memories between us, big brother. I get it if you need to get away from me in order to leave those behind. I guess I always hoped the good memories we made were big enough to blur out the rest.”
Man, the kid was good at going right for the heart. No wonder he made such a good con-man when he was living on the wrong side of the law. Rarely did he turn that slick manipulation and those puppy dog eyes on me, but it was effective when he did.
I swore under my breath and shot a hand out to clasp the back of his neck. We were the same height, so it was easy enough to tug him forward until our foreheads touched.
“You really want to take on this monster?” The idea of my baby brother building a house from the ground up was so strange and scary, I still couldn’t get my head around it.
“I want to stay here. I want a place that feels like home. I want Ten to know every single piece of wood in the place we live together has a piece of us on it. I’m going to do this, with or without your support.” All the previous excitement had bled from his voice and I felt like a total asshole. We’d never had much, and now that Webb had something he clearly wanted and was willing to fight for, I was the jerk trying to point out everything wrong with his dreams. I was so used to rescuing him from himself, I didn’t know what to do with the version of Webb who could not only save himself but save me along the way.
I knocked our foreheads together, causing Webb to give me a playful scowl. “Buy the prope
rty. Build the dream house. I’ll stick around at least until the foundation is poured. Give me some time to get my feet underneath me. I promise that once I do, I won’t use them to run away. If you are bound and determined to give me a place on your property, know that even if I don’t stay forever, I will always come back to you. Getting you to this point is the best thing I’ve ever done. I’m prouder of you than I am of anything else in my life, baby brother.”
We both got a little choked up and stayed silent for a long moment. Webb was the first to pull away, giving me a light shove, then immediately reaching out to help me keep my balance when I teetered for a second.
“Thank you for pretending to let me take care of you, even if you don’t need me to, Wyatt.”
He’d done a much better job at moving on from everything that still held me down. I liked to pretend I’d grown and lived a life beyond all the horrible things my mother had planted in my head and tried to make me believe about myself, but this conversation with Webb was a clear reminder I still tended to see myself through my mother’s eyes. She was the last person I should be allowing to judge me, but old habits died hard.
I nodded and started to follow him carefully around the house as he pointed out some of the vintage fixtures he planned on keeping and reusing.
I poked him in the butt with the end of my cane and muttered, “I can’t believe you’re encouraging me to internet date. Do you know what kind of weirdos are on those sites?” And how many of the men on them were only looking for a quick hookup. When I was younger, that was all well and good, but as I got older and more disenchanted, I wanted more.
Webb chuckled and looked at me over his shoulder with a raised brow. “I don’t think you have to look too far for someone to spend time with, big bro. You and the sheriff seem like you’re getting along pretty well.”
I balked in surprise. “What?”
Webb laughed in my face. “Come on. You think I can’t tell there’s something going on there? Rodie keeps to himself and he’s hard to read, except when it comes to you. He’s been watching you like a hawk since the two of you first met.”
“No, you’re wrong.” He had to be. I would’ve noticed if Rodie had been interested before… wouldn’t I? Plus, all we did was disagree and butt heads. Maybe my little brother was mistaking animosity for sexual tension… though that kiss had been anything but disagreeable.
“I’m not wrong. I know people. That’s what kept me alive when I lived on the streets. And I pay especially close attention to anyone paying attention to you.”
He really could read almost anyone who crossed his path. He used the skill to rip off the unsuspecting back in the day and keep himself safe when his life was filled with predators. The average Joe might not suspect Rodie played for the same team I did, but there was a solid chance my baby brother had picked up on subtle clues anyone else would miss.
“Rodie was paying attention to me?” I didn’t really understand why that knowledge sent a little thrill shooting through my blood.
Webb made a disgusted noise and rolled his eyes at me. “He purposely riles you up and pushes your buttons. He wants a reaction out of you, good or bad. He was obviously worried when you were shot, and he keeps finding reasons to be where you are. I don’t know much about the man, but I do know he doesn’t look at you the way he looks at everyone else.”
How did he look at me? And how did I miss it? If it was the same way he looked at me when he walked in on me when I was half-naked, then I’d obviously been missing out. Rodie was hot, but when he looked like he wanted to eat me alive, his gaze was on another level.
However, none of that changed the fact we lived our lives very differently, and as similar as we were, those differences honestly seemed insurmountable. I could barely walk without falling over. No way was I up to breaking down the walls of insecurity Rodie hid behind. I was too tired and injured to offer him a hand up and over my own walls.
So, even if he looked at me like I was special and touched me like he never wanted to let me go, it wasn’t enough for me to risk letting him get close enough to hurt me.
I was better off alone. I was safer that way.
Rodie
It had already been a long, stressful day. I’d been called out to two different domestic disturbance calls, a missing persons call, and I’d had to break up a happy hour fistfight at one of the bars on Main Street. I was also missing two deputies because of a stomach bug going around, and I could tell colder weather was on the way because my knee ached. Every time I moved, my joints popped in a painful symphony. Needless to say, I was ready to file my reports and head home. I was exhausted and knew tomorrow wasn’t going to be any easier, especially if the illness hitting town spread to more of my staff.
I was stopped by one of the night patrol guys as soon as I entered the sheriff’s office. He had a concerned look on his face, which only deepened when he took in my weary, aggravated appearance.
“I tried to tell them to come back tomorrow, but they wouldn’t listen.” The young deputy fiddled with the badge on his shirt as he looked down at the toes of his polished boots. “I wasn’t sure how to throw the mayor out.”
I tossed my head back and groaned loudly toward the ceiling. Dealing with the uppity mayor was the last thing I wanted to do right now. Lowering my head, I rubbed my tired eyes and asked, “You said ‘they’ wouldn’t listen. Who else is in there with him?” I had a good guess, but wanted to prepare myself, because Delaney Hall had been trying my patience in an unreal way as of late. Her actions were starting to border on harassment, and it was getting much more difficult to play nice for the sake of my job.
“The mayor and his assistant. I told them you wouldn’t be back until later, but they insisted on waiting. They’ve been back in your office for about an hour.”
I swore and rubbed at my temple where I could feel the start of a headache building. Of course, the mayor would make himself at home in my office. Luckily, I managed to clean the place up after Delaney’s last ambush, so there was nothing laying around that shouldn’t be seen by non-law enforcement eyes.
I gave the young deputy a fist bump and told him to be careful on his patrol tonight. It wasn’t a full moon, but it sure felt like it. I took off my hat before stepping into the office. Shoving my fingers through my hair as I glared at my unwelcome guests, I demanded, “Why are you here so late?” I’d lost my patience with propriety and respect after the abysmal way this man had handled the knowledge that his son was a bigot and a bully. It disgusted me that the bad apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
My back teeth ground together, and I could feel a muscle twitch in my cheek as I took in how the mayor made himself comfortable behind my desk. He was leaning back in my chair, the heels of his expensive cowboy boots propped up on the edge. Delaney had a hip propped up on the corner, head bent, attention directed at her phone as I stalked into the space which normally felt like home.
“You’re a busy fella, aren’t you, Sheriff?” The mayor shifted his considerable bulk, feet hitting the floor with a thud. “I guess crime waits for no man.”
He flashed me a grin that made my skin crawl. I tossed my Stetson to the center of the desk and crossed my arms over my chest.
“You could’ve made an appointment instead of waiting for me to get back. My job is to protect and serve the people of Sheridan, that means I need to be where they are. It’s good for them to see the sheriff enforcing the law and a good reminder to those who don’t uphold it that they’re never far away from getting caught. I don’t spend much time behind that desk.” In fact, I hated sitting around and filling out paperwork. I’d much rather be on patrol and spot check that my guys were diligently doing their duty, rather than be nothing more than a figurehead. I was always a hands-on kind of guy, even before becoming the sheriff of this town.
“People make appointments to see me, not the other way around.” The mayor climbed to his feet and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his dress pants. He gave
me a cool look that quickly turned into a smirk as he informed me, “We just wanted to stop by and let you know, personally, that we’ve found the perfect candidate to run against you for sheriff.”
This ridiculous show all made sense now. Normally this man wouldn’t wait around for anyone. He was too self-important and arrogant to hang out in my less-than-spotless office without a specific reason. He wanted to make sure I heard the news from him and no one else. The man was waiting for some kind of reaction, or for me to drop to my knees and plead with him to take me back under his wing.
Yeah, hell would freeze over first.
I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of responding in an outrageous way. Instead, I dipped my chin in acknowledgment and told him, “Congratulations. The election is right around the corner. Good luck getting this town to rally around someone new and unknown.” I’d had to do that exact thing when I first ran for the job, so I knew exactly how hard it was to get the locals on board with change.
Delaney finally looked up from her phone. Her smile was particularly smug and just a little bit vicious.
“Ahh, but we didn’t find someone new and unknown. No, the man running against you was born and raised right here in Sheridan. He’s got roots buried deep in this town’s soil, and a name that will carry a lot of weight with voters.” She tossed her long, dark hair over her shoulder and tapped her painted nails on the top of my desk. “He’s also got a squeaky-clean record, and no questionable actions against him.”
Refusing to ask for a name, or play their tired game, I lowered one of my arms and motioned toward the door. “Sounds like you found yourself a ringer. Good job. If that’s all you dropped by to tell me…” I waved my hand toward the door again. “I have reports to fill out, and I haven’t had dinner yet.” I was just short of being outright rude, but the hold on my temper and my patience was loosening rapidly.
Detour (The Getaway Series Book 5) Page 9