Dirty Stepbrother

by Alycia Taylor

  The photos at the beginning of the album showed a very big but very happy family. The boys were always laughing, and the parents looked at each other with obvious love and affection. The brothers all looked similar to one another, but it was easy for me to spot Brady. He was just a smaller and happier version of who he was today. I wanted to crawl into the album and meet his younger self.

  It was the first time that I was seeing a picture of his father, and I couldn’t believe how much Brady looked like him. He had a leather jacket on in almost all the photos, and his motorcycle seemed to always be in the photos too. I remembered Brady telling me about the motorcycle club and the obsession for anything bike-related. It was clear that he loved to ride and loved his bike. I had a feeling that all the Maxwell brothers had their own obsession. For Brady, it was the ranch. For Ryan, it was the MMA fighting. For their father, it was his bikes. What was their mother’s obsession? I smiled when I realized it was more than likely her children.

  But then, the photos changed. It became clear when they were not photos from the initial album, but rather, photos that Brady had added himself. For a good few years, he’d kept his promise to his mother and filled the album up even after she had passed away. Although there were no recent photos, so something must have happened to make him stop. The photos showed the boys at various stages in their lives, but almost all the photos were of the brothers and not of their father. He appeared every once and a while, but never next to Brady. And as the photos got newer, and Brady got older, his smile seemed to disappear. He went from a happy little boy who laughed in every photo to a solemn man with sad eyes. What had happened? And why did I get a feeling that it had something to do with his father?

  I had a sudden urge to see Brady. I put the album away and made my way to the ranch. I couldn’t drive, and I had no more driver to call whenever I needed. But there was something nice about getting to a place on my own, and the walk was just what I needed. When I got to the ranch, I saw Harold and rushed over to greet him.

  “Sloan!” he said, and his eyes lit up. There was something about Harold that I liked so much. He was a kind man, with an open heart. I knew he was lonely, and there was something about that loneliness that I felt connected too. In our own separate ways, we were both just as lonely as one another.

  “Harold, it’s so good to see you again,” I said and embraced him. “I hope you don’t mind me just showing up like this unannounced. I probably should’ve let you know.”

  “Of course I don’t mind, and you don’t have to let me know. It’s great to see you again. I didn’t realize how much I missed your pretty face until I saw you again. How did you get here?” he said as he looked around.

  “I walked.”

  “You walked? Oh goodness, you young people. You and Brady are just the same. You should’ve called me! I would’ve come to get you in a heartbeat.”

  I shrugged. “Nah, I wanted to walk. Thank you though; that’s nice of you. But the walk was very good for me. It’s such a great way to clear your head.”

  He smiled. “That’s true. And like I said, you’re young. You can do it. My legs wouldn’t let me walk so far anymore. So it’s good to make the most of it while you can. Shall I call Brady for you?”

  “No, I’ll wait for him to finish. I thought it would take me longer to get here. But I don’t mind waiting for him. I know how much he hates stopping a job halfway.”

  Harold laughed. “You know him well. Come on then, and let me make you a cup of tea.”

  Harold’s tea was very different from the tea I was used to drinking. In New York, I was used to drinking my tea black with no sugar. But Harold made his with lots of milk, and lots of sugar. I would’ve detested it back home, but I somehow seemed to love it when I was in Wyoming. I took a sip and smiled at the sweetness.

  “This is great, thank you,” I said as we both took a seat on the porch.

  “My pleasure. I know you and Brady are more coffee drinkers. But I sometimes feel that a tea can solve a million problems.”

  I looked at him and smiled. I had a feeling he was hinting at my own problems. I took a sip.

  “Yeah, I think you’re right. This is delicious.”

  “Thank you. I’m a bit of a tea snob you know. I have a certain way of making it. That’s why you’ll always see me saying no when someone offers me.”

  “You’ll have to show me one day. I mean, I’d like to at least know how to make you a cup one day.”

  He smiled. “I’d like that, Sloan.”

  “So, are you happy to have the farm back to yourself?”

  “Yes and no. It was nice having you guys over here. You were a fun bunch to be around, and I think it’s important to hang around people that are different from you every once and awhile. Although, I sometimes feel that we have more in common than we think we do. The farm was very quiet without you guys. I didn’t actually realize until the day you left. It felt like the life had been sucked out of it.”

  “I can imagine. Roger and his crew are a rowdy bunch.”

  Harold laughed. “They certainly are. Nothing wrong with a bit of noise sometimes. Makes me appreciate the quiet even more. And I liked Roger. He’s a good man, and I have a feeling he’s going to make a great movie. He has a good eye for things like that don’t you think?”

  “He certainly does. And I agree, I think it’s going to be a great movie,” I said. Although I wondered for the first time what Roger would think of me being here again. It was best to think of it at all.

  We spoke some more about life on the farm, and Harold didn’t once ask me why I was back. I had a feeling he knew, but I was glad that he didn’t ask me. I was glad that he still liked me despite the rumors.

  “Sloan, I just want you to know something,” he said suddenly, and I thought he was going to talk to me about what he’d heard. I took a deep breath to prepare myself.

  “Yeah?”

  “I know that you have a good heart. No matter what. I can always tell when someone is a good person or not. And you’ve got a good heart.”

  I gulped and I felt myself getting tearful. “Thank you for saying that. I can’t tell you how much that means to me right now.”

  He nodded. He wasn’t trying to make me feel better; he was just giving me the facts. I liked that about him. “I know a good heart from a bad one. And Brady has a good one too. In fact, he’s got one of the best hearts I know. One day this ranch his going to be his. He’s like the son I never had. We might not have the kind of relationship where we talk about things, but that’s because we’re stubborn men who don’t like to show our feelings,” he said and smiled at me. “But he’s a good guy.”

  We both looked out into the distance and saw Brady. He hadn’t seen us yet. I sighed.

  “He’s a great guy.”

  “Now, I know that there are things going on with you. I know that you came here to get away from it all for a while. And that’s fine by me. You can stay as long as you want and you don’t ever have to tell me anything. I don’t need to know.”

  “Thank you, Harold.”

  “But,” he continued, “Brady cares for you. Maybe more than you know and maybe more than he cares to admit. You don’t have to tell me the truth, but he deserves to hear it. And that’s all I’m going to say on that matter.”

  I looked out again at Brady and sighed.

  “You’re right.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Brady

  I was surprised to see Sloan sitting with Harold when I finished work that afternoon. The two of them were sitting on the porch and drinking tea. They were laughing and talking like old friends, and I wondered if she had spoken to Harold about what was happening in her life. I didn’t think she would tell him and not me, but I couldn’t be too sure. Either way, it was good to see her.

  “How did you get here?” I asked when I walked up to them. I was once again taken aback by how beautiful she looked. She didn’t seem to be wearing even a hint of makeup, and I wished that she
knew how much she didn’t need it.

  “I walked,” she said.

  I grinned. “It’s the best walk.”

  “It is,” she said. “But . . . how about a lift back? I’m feeling lazy suddenly.”

  “Of course. Let me just wash up. I’ll meet you at the car. Harold, mind if I take off for the day?”

  “Brady, the whole day has already gone, anyway. Of course you can leave. Besides, I need to get going myself, and I don’t want our pretty lady to have to sit all alone.”

  “Sloan, how do you feel about this old man flirting with you all the time?”

  “Oh, I love it,” she said, and we all laughed.

  I washed up and met Sloan by the car. I thought about taking her for a drive around town, but I knew she wasn’t too keen on bumping into people. Instead, I took her home.

  “So, what did you do all day?” I asked.

  “Well, I thought about cleaning, but your place is already so clean.”

  “Cleaning? Are you crazy? I would’ve been so mad.”

  She laughed. “Why?”

  “Because you’re not here to clean. You’re here to relax.”

  “Well then, you’ll be pleased to know that I relaxed to the max. I spent a lot of time just sitting outside drinking coffee. Oh, and I raided your bookshelf and found a book to read. I’ve decided to start reading again.”

  “Oh yeah? Which one did you choose?”

  “The Magus by John Fowles. It seems interesting.”

  Out of all the books on my shelf, she somehow picked up my favorite one. “You’re in for a treat. It’s a great book. Ah, finally someone is reading the same books as me. I always want someone to talk to once I finish a book. I can’t wait to hear what you think about it. This is definitely one of the books that makes you want to talk about it long after. Did you start?”

  She shook her head. “I haven’t started yet. I was going to, but then I felt like seeing you, and I decided to walk to the ranch. Ah no, I just realized I didn’t say hi to Betty today.”

  “Still ashamed by what happened in the barn, are you?” I teased.

  “Ashamed?” she said. “More like proud.”

  I chuckled. “Well, would you like to go visit her? There’s nobody at the ranch right now. We can take her out for a ride before it gets too dark. I know we just came from there, but we’ll take the car. How about we go for a ride and then come back and stuff our faces with pizzas while we watch old movies?”

  She sighed happily. “You just described the perfect evening. Let’s do it.”

  We had a great evening, with neither of us talking about anything serious. We rode the horses, ordered pizza and laughed at silly old movies into the early hours. The next morning I woke up early to the sound of my phone ringing. I ran to answer it before Sloan woke up and thankfully got there just in time. I had noticed that Sloan took a long time to fall asleep, but once she was asleep, she was dead to the world.

  “Hello?” I said. I was downstairs so at least I could speak without her hearing me. Although I very much doubted that my voice would even wake her up.

  “Brady, sorry to wake you. I thought it was later than it is,” Harold said.

  “No problem at all. It’s not that early. I was about to wake up, anyway. What’s up? Is there something wrong?”

  “No, there’s nothing wrong. I wanted to tell you that you had the day off today. That’s why I called so early. I wanted you to know before you came over.”

  “The day off? What? Why?”

  “You know why,” Harold said.

  I laughed. “Harold, you don’t need to give me the day off. Honestly. You know me; I want to work. And there are things that need to be done. Thank you, but I’m going to be there.”

  “Ah, but here’s where you are wrong – you have no control over this.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that I’m the owner, and you are my employee. So, I make the final decision as to what you do and what you don’t do. And I’ve decided that you won’t work today. End of story. There’s honestly no point in arguing with me right now. You’re getting the day off.”

  “You know, most people would kill to have their boss force them to take the day off. I won’t argue. Thanks, Harold. I appreciate it. And I’m sure Sloan will too.”

  “In fact, I might even make you take a few days off. Put it this way: when I’m ready for you to come back to work, I’ll let you know. And no more arguing. You’ve done a lot for me in the past few years, and it’s about time I did something for you. You’re a good kid, Brady.”

  I smiled. “Thanks, Harold. But don’t leave it too long. You know I hate being away from the ranch.”

  “I know. But right now, I highly doubt you’ll miss it all that much.”

  I put the phone down and laughed.

  I thought about starting breakfast, but when I went to check on Sloan, she was still fast asleep. And so, for the first time in a very long time, I climbed back into bed and fell asleep again.

  When we woke up, it was eight thirty. I kissed Sloan on the forehead and wished her good morning. She smiled at me and then when she saw the time on the bedside clock, she gasped and quickly sat up.

  “Brady! It’s eight thirty. You’re so late! Oh no! We shouldn’t have stayed up so late last night. I’m so sorry.”

  I chuckled. “It’s okay. Harold called me early this morning and gave me the day off. And you looked so comfortable in bed I decided to come back and join you.”

  She grinned. “You actually chose to sleep in? Wow, that’s a first.”

  “It is a first. I haven’t done that in years. And I actually fell back asleep again.”

  “And you don’t feel guilty for sleeping in? I remember you told me once how you always felt guilty if you didn’t wake up early.”

  “I didn’t feel one bit guilty. And sleeping in is not as overrated as I thought it would be. I enjoyed it. So, let me get you some coffee. What do you want to do with the day?”

  “Hmm. I’d like nothing more than a delicious steak for lunch, cooked on an outdoor grill, with a glass of wine and a beautiful view.”

  “Oh yeah? Now that I can do.”

  I made her a cup of coffee while she made some toast, and we both took our books and sat in the living room to read with our breakfast. Every now and again I’d stop and glance over at her, and I’d smile when I’d see her transfixed by the words. We read for almost two hours.

  “I missed reading,” she said suddenly.

  “Yeah, there’s nothing quite like getting lost in a book. Why did you stop?”

  She shrugged. “I’d like to say that I just didn’t have time, but that’s not true. I spent a lot of wasted time going shopping or going for lunches. So it’s not a time thing, even though that’s what I used to tell myself. I guess I just couldn’t concentrate very long on a book. I’d find myself reading a full page and not knowing what the hell I’d just looked at. So, after a while, I just gave up.”

  “Good to see you taking it up again. So, how about a small walk outside and then we start the lunch?”

  “I like that idea.”

  We stuck to the field so that nobody would see us. She asked me a lot of questions about the house, and about my brother who lived next door. Grant still hadn’t met her, but I knew now wasn’t the best time.

  “He sounds like a nice guy,” she said.

  “He is. He was deeply unhappy before coming here, though.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “It’s a long story. But he was in the Navy. After that, he really battled to find himself again. He seemed so lost in the world. He got a job as a real estate agent, but the lifestyle was killing him. He’s not an office guy, and I could see he was getting depressed. One day I suggested that he came to visit, just to get away from everything. He quit his job and decided to come and spend a month with me. And he never left.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Just like that. He worked on the fa
rm with me, and then he got a job as a firefighter. He made some new friends, and then met the love of his life. And suddenly, he was happy again. It’s good to have him around. I don’t see him as much as I’d like to, but it’s nice to know he’s right there. Sometimes he visits early in the morning before Emily gets up and we have coffee together.”

  “That’s nice,” she said. “It sounds like the plot of a movie.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, you’re right. Some big romantic movie with a sappy ending. All about a man who leaves the city life to find himself.” As I said that, I realized I could’ve easily have been talking about her, too.

  She must’ve realized it, too, because she went quiet for a while. We walked in silence, while I tried to think of what to say to her. Should I ask her what was happening? Or should I just leave that up to her? Thankfully, she spoke first and snapped me out of my thoughts.

  “Remember how much we hated each other when we first met,” she said and chuckled.

  I thought of the girl in the tight blue dress and high heels that had walked up to me that day. “Oh yeah. Although, I think I was more angry at myself for finding you so beautiful. I didn’t want to like you. What did you think of me, by the way?”

  She chuckled. “I thought you were very handsome in a rugged sort of way. But then again, I’d always liked the rugged look. But I was annoyed because you didn’t know who I was. I was so embarrassed and I knew I had made a fool of myself when I asked if you wanted my autograph. I was so angry with myself, and it made me hate you.”

  “Oh no. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way.”

  She stopped suddenly and looked at me. “No, it’s okay. I needed to know my place. I came in here thinking that I was better than everyone. And I’m not.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know so much, Sloan. I think you’re the best person I’ve ever met.”

  “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I didn’t have you to come to right now.”