Dirty Stepbrother

by Alycia Taylor

  She smiled at me. “I’m sure. I haven’t changed my mind. Not in the slightest.”

  “I recall overhearing you once say it was a hillbilly town.”

  She chuckled. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean it. But that’s what I was told it was going to be and I didn’t want to admit to anyone that I actually liked it here.”

  I smiled. “So you’re staying?”

  She nodded. “Oh, I’m staying. And anyway, I clearly can fit in if I want to.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Aren’t you the one you taught me how to talk like this?” she said in the most perfect drawling cowgirl accent I’d heard so far. It was a far cry from the time I’d overheard her practicing her lines behind the barn.

  “Wow, you’ve really gotten that down perfectly now.”

  “I had to. I was so embarrassed when you overheard me the first time trying to talk this way.”

  “I was so mean to you. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t say sorry. If we are going to sit and apologize for all the things we did, we’ll be here all day. Anyway, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be this good now. I worked so hard on this accent just to prove a point to you.”

  I chuckled. “Not the best way to teach someone. But I’m glad I helped.”

  “Ah, it’s beautiful here this morning. That’s the thing I love the most about this place, you know? It’s these moments. You don’t get that in New York. I feel too rushed there. Have you ever been?”

  I shook my head. “I haven’t. But I’d like to. Just to visit. I’ve heard it’s an amazing city.”

  “Yeah, it actually is. I guess it depends on what you want in life. I’m definitely not denying that the place is incredible. But this is what I want at the moment. Maybe this is what I need right now. Do you think people are going to think that I’ve just run away from my problems?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe. I think everyone will think something different. But you shouldn’t care about them. As long as you’re happy, it really doesn’t matter. I have no idea why people make such a big fuss about someone they’ve never met.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it. You should see the things that people say about me. I once spent an entire day just looking up myself. There were great things and some awful things. And there were also a lot of things that were just completely not true. I couldn’t believe that people had invested so much time in me. Part of it was flattering, and part of it was just disturbing. I felt like I had lost a part of my life. That was a bad day. After that, I tried not to look myself up anymore. My best friend and agent used to hate that about me. They said it was good for me to know what was going on.”

  “Sounds exhausting,” I said. It was such a far cry from the life of solitude that I was used to that it was hard for me to even comprehend what she was going through.

  “It is. So exhausting. And tasteless.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She laughed. “No carbs, remember.”

  “Oh yeah. Okay, I think I’m happy to live here. Which reminds me, I think I want to make you dinner tonight. Maybe something different from steaks on the grill. I was thinking maybe a nice pasta. Something simple with tomato and herbs.”

  She grinned. “A carb-filled meal. I like it.”

  “Well, I better get ready for work then. Got any plans today?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Not so much. I was thinking of reading. I started the book, by the way, and I’m loving it. It’s so beautifully weird. I already can’t wait to talk to you about it. And I was thinking of maybe taking a walk and coming to say hi to you.”

  “And what you mean by that is you really just want to say hi to Betty,” I teased.

  “Both of you,” she insisted.

  “I have an idea for later.”

  “Clothes on or off?” she asked.

  I laughed. “I think we need our clothes on for this one. But no clothes after that sounds like a plan. I was thinking that it’s time to take you for driving lessons.”

  She grimaced. “Ooh, another first for me.”

  “Scared?”

  “No way!” she said even though I could see she was lying.

  “You’ll be fine. I promise. And if there’s ever a place to learn how to drive, it’s here in Wyoming.”

  “And then we’ll do no clothes?”

  I chuckled. “Oh yeah.”

  I was just about to get my things ready for the day when the phone rang. I looked at Sloan and frowned. Who was calling me so early in the morning?

  “Probably Harold telling me I am not allowed to come in today,” I said as I picked up the phone. “Hello, Brady speaking.”

  “Brady Maxwell?” said a voice I didn’t recognize.

  “Yes, who is this?”

  “Brady, I’m calling you from the hospital. I’m so sorry to tell you this, but we just received news that your boss, the owner of the farm you work on, has passed away.”

  I felt the room spin around me, and I held onto the wall for support.

  “What? Ha–” I couldn’t bring myself to even say his name.

  “I’m so sorry. We found your name, so I assume you were the closest to him. We need you to come and identify the body. I’m terribly sorry to call you with this news.”

  “I—”

  “Come in as soon as you can.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  She gave me the details of where to go, and I put the phone down. I stared at the phone without saying anything. I was too scared to talk. If I spoke, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself from crying.

  “Brady, what’s wrong? Who was that?”

  I looked up and saw Sloan staring at me in concern.

  “Harold,” I managed to get out.

  “It was Harold? What’s wrong?”

  I shook my head. “No. Harold died. That was the hospital.”

  “Harold died? Oh no! Brady, this can’t be real. What happened?”

  “I don’t know. I have to go and identify the body. He has no other family. I was . . . I was all he had.”

  “I’m coming with you. And I’m getting a driver to get us. I’m not letting you drive. Damn, of all times not to be able to drive. I’m so sorry.”

  “No. It’s fine,” I started saying although I wasn’t sure how I was going to drive if I could barely stand without wanting to fall over.

  “Brady, I’m calling the driver,” Sloan said.

  Minutes later, the driver got us, and we drove in silence to the hospital. I tried to speak so many times, but every time I opened my mouth nothing would come out. Sloan held my hand and told me that I didn’t have to say anything. She thanked the driver as we climbed out of the car, and we walked slowly toward the hospital. My legs felt shaky, like they didn’t want to support me anymore. I was so grateful to have Sloan by my side. She held my hand the whole time and never let go. At the hospital, the nurse made us fill out some forms, which Sloan did for me, and then she took us to the mortuary.

  The mortician was a young man with a kind face. He didn’t look like I thought a mortician would look. I wondered how he dealt with doing this every day of his life, but assumed it was something he barely thought about anymore. I didn’t envy his job. No matter how closed off he was to what he did, it still couldn’t be easy. I was glad that he was being so nice to us. He took us toward the body and opened up the zip bag. He told me to take my time. I gasped at the sight of Harold inside. How could that be him? There was no more life in him. He lay there, motionless. It didn’t seem real to me. It felt like an imposter. I wanted to hit him and tell him to come back to life. I wanted to scream at him and tell him that he should never have left me. I wanted to shout at the mortician and tell him that this was not Harold lying in front of me. But I didn’t say anything. I just stood there, staring in disbelief. Eventually, I looked up and nodded. The mortician nodded back. And just like that, it was over.

  I walked outside and breathed in the fresh air around me. The ai
r inside the hospital had felt stale, and I now wanted nothing more than the freshness of the outside air. Sloan and I sat down outside, and she wrapped her arms around me.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  I looked at her and saw that she was crying. She hadn’t known Harold as long as I had, but I knew how much he meant to her. She cared for him deeply.

  “I’m sorry too,” I said to her. “Is it weird that I already miss him?”

  She shook her head. “I do too. I’m so grateful that I got the chance to meet him.”

  I smiled sadly. “I’m glad he got to meet you too. He liked you so much.”

  Sloan wept silently beside me. I didn’t cry. I felt too empty to cry. As if all my tears had disappeared along with him. How could he be gone? He’d been like a father to me. I’d often joked around about it, but I only realized at that moment how much he’d actually meant to me.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Sloan

  It had been two weeks since we got the dreaded phone call. Two weeks since I walked with Brady to identify Harold’s body. The first few days had been some of the hardest. I’d only known Brady as this big strong man who could get through anything. It was hard to see him look so weak and so hopeless. The worst part was knowing that there was nothing I could do to get Harold back for him. But I think he was glad to have me there, and I was so glad that I had come back for him.

  He was slowly starting to get back to normal, and every day he seemed to improve. The worst was having to go to the ranch without Harold around, but we went a little every day just to make sure that things were being run smoothly. That was all we could do. I woke up early that morning, earlier than Brady. It was starting to become a habit. I had a feeling that he battled to sleep at night because every morning he slept in late and looked exhausted. I climbed slowly out of bed and made my way downstairs. I decided to send Victoria a message and asked her to let me know when I could call her. I’d messaged her to let her know that I wasn’t coming back the Monday as promised and that I’d get back to her, but with everything that had been happening, I hadn’t gotten around to it. I was surprised when she messaged back to say that she was free to talk.

  I made my way outside and closed the door so that I wouldn’t wake up Brady. Victoria answered after a few rings.

  “Hey, Vic,” I said.

  “Sloan. Man, it’s good to hear your voice. I’ve been so worried about you. I thought you were coming back? It’s been over two weeks, and I haven’t heard a thing.”

  “I know. I’m so sorry. Vic. I owe you an explanation as well as an apology.”

  “Tell me everything.”

  I sighed. I decided that it was time to test our friendship by telling Victoria everything there was about me. If she didn’t want to be friends with me afterward then I would simply walk away. But I owed it to her to at least try. I took a deep breath and told her everything that I had told Brady. About growing up poor, about my father leaving, and my mother having no money. About working hard, and how I’d thrown it all away to make some quick money for my sick mother. It was the second time I was recounting the story, and it still wasn’t an easy thing to say out loud.

  “Oh, Sloan, you should’ve told me.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I . . . I mean . . . we only really went shopping and stuff. I think of you as my best friend, and yet sometimes I feel like we don’t even know each other. I didn’t know how you were going to react.”

  She sighed. “I’m going to tell you a little story about me,” she said. “A story I haven’t told anyone before.”

  I listened as Victoria told me all about how her father used to abuse her, and how she had turned to drugs and alcohol when she was younger. She told me that she’d been in rehab for two years and had been clean now for eight years. She told me how messed up she was and how she’d done things that she would never dream of doing now.

  “It was the worst time, Sloan. I did all those things. But I’m not that person anymore. I regret all the things I did, but I don’t want them to define who I am now. I can’t. If I do, then I will never be happy, and I will never move past from that time in my life. I’m a different person now. I guess you and I had sort of a superficial relationship, because we were both scared of letting each other in. I don’t want to be like that with you anymore.”

  I started crying. “Same here. I love you, Vic.”

  “I love you too, Sloan. You’re not coming back, are you?”

  I wasn’t sure how she knew. I’d never even told her about Brady. “I don’t think so. How did you know?”

  “I don’t know. I just do. You met someone, didn’t you?”

  I laughed. “You’re psychic.”

  “It’s called best friend syndrome. So, tell me all about him.”

  I sighed happily. This was a topic I was more than comfortable to talk about. “He’s amazing, Vic. His name is Brady Maxwell, and he’s a cowboy.”

  She chuckled. “A real cowboy! Hey, is he the one from the ranch? The one that taught you how to ride a horse and all that?”

  “The very one. He’s also teaching me how to drive a car.”

  “Wow, he’s teaching you a lot. What’s he like in the sack?” she asked bluntly.

  I giggled. “The sack, the barn, the field, the bed, the living room. Yeah, he’s amazing.”

  “Wow! No wonder you don’t want to leave. You know what, Sloan? You sound happy. In fact, this is the happiest I’ve ever heard you sound.”

  I smiled. “I am happy.”

  “Then stay. You’ll figure things out. Right now, it sounds like you need him.”

  “I do.”

  Then I thought of Harold. And he needs me too.

  We said our goodbyes and I walked back up to see if Brady was still sleeping. I opened the door and sat on the bed, just watching him. He looked so peaceful. When he woke up, he jumped.

  “Are you watching me sleep?”

  I giggled. “Yeah.”

  “Such a creep,” he teased.

  “I can’t help it. You’re just so beautiful.”

  “I thought it was only my legs you liked.”

  “Your face isn’t bad either.”

  “Well, that’s a good thing. I mean, you probably see my face more than you see my legs.”

  “That’s what you think,” I said and laughed. “Come on; you need to get up.”

  “Why?”

  “First, we’re going to the ranch today. I want to help you work. Second, I’m desperate for some coffee.”

  We made our way to the ranch, with Brady making me drive the whole way. I stalled once, but otherwise I didn’t do too badly. He was right; this was the best place to learn how to drive. Especially since it was one straight road from his house to the ranch. When we arrived, we made our way through the ranch, making notes of everything that had to be done.

  “I can’t believe you’re making notes. I don’t know why I’ve never done that before,” he said as he looked at my notepad.

  I chuckled. “You see, you need a woman around here.”

  “I think I do.”

  “Hey, Brady,” I said softly. “How are you doing?”

  He sighed and nodded. “I’m okay. It’s strange not having Harold around. I mean, one minute he was here and the next he was gone. I sometimes feel like the whole thing is just a dream and I’m going to wake up and see him again. But I’m okay. I’m getting better.”

  “Yeah, it’s so weird. But you’re doing well. I can’t believe he left you the ranch. I knew he would, but it’s crazy isn’t it? I mean, the whole ranch. It’s all yours.”

  I looked around the ranch at the vast expanse of land. We’d gotten the call from the lawyers a few days ago. Apparently Harold had put Brady’s name down about two years ago. He left absolutely everything to him.

  “And yet, I’d give back every cent that I’m going to make or that I already have just to have Harold back again.”

  “I know. But you’re going to do so wel
l with this ranch. I know you are.”

  “I’m going to make him proud,” Brady said.

  “I think you did that long ago.”

  “So, what’s on the agenda for today?” he asked me.

  I looked down at my notes and told him everything that needed to be done. “It’s a long list. I think we need to call in your friend Trace to help and maybe look at getting someone else in. I don’t mind helping you with all this admin, Brady. I don’t have a job at the moment, and I’m happy to help.”

  “Are you sure? That would be amazing. I’m not so good at that kinda stuff.”

  I smiled. “I don’t mind at all. In fact, it will be nice to have something to do. And I’d like to feel like I’m helping. I want to do it for you. And for Harold.”

  “Thanks, Sloan.”

  We spent the rest of the day figuring out the logistics and doing what we could for the day. I helped Brady with the horses, as that was the part I enjoyed doing the most, and at the end of the day, we took them for a ride. This time I let him have Betty.

  When we finished up, I drove us home slowly, and he chuckled at my atrocious parking skills.

  “We need to work on that next,” he said.

  “What do you mean? I’m an amazing parker,” I said. I got out the car and laughed when I saw how badly I had parked. I hadn’t actually realized how bad it was until I was seeing it from the outside. Brady was chuckling at me, but I refused to admit it. I looked at it again and smiled. “Yes, this is perfect. This is exactly what I intended to do.”

  “You’re so stubborn, you know that?” he said.

  I chuckled. “And you’re not?”

  “Two peas in a pod, then. Come on; I’m ordering pizza.”

  The pizza delivery man came an hour later, and we made a little picnic outside on the grass. I was hoping to invite Grant and Emily, whom I still hadn’t met, but they were away for the week. So we had the whole place to ourselves. We sat outside on picnic blankets with pizza and a glass of wine. The sky was absolutely incredible. I kept stopping just to look up and admire the view. Other than the sound of a few birds or the occasional car, there was nobody else around. It was the most peaceful evening ever.