Page 6 of If You Loved Me

Thankfully, my cousin, Stephanie, came to my rescue and made it just in time for me to pull them out of the oven.

“Holy shit, Sarah. You’ve really made something of this place.” The sound of my brother’s voice cut through the ding of the oven timer that had been going off for a minute straight.

“Theo!” I tossed the cookie sheet onto the metal counterof the island and dashed for him. His chest rumbled against mine as he laughed a full belly laugh. The sound only made me squeeze him harder.

“Easy there, tiger. You’re going to take me out if you squeeze on my ribs any harder.”

“Oops,” I giggled, pulling back to take a good look at my big brother. “Wait,”—I narrowed my eyes at him—“what’s wrong with your ribs?”

He rolled his eyes. “Not much. Just a few broken ones.”

“Theo! What the hell?” I pushed against his chest and he winced.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, drawing my cheeks back in a grimace. “But seriously. What the hell?”

He shrugged like having broken ribs was just part of his job. Which, I guess it was now that he was a bronco rider and all. It was fairly normal for bull and bronco riders to walk away with a ton of injuries—if they walked away at all.

Though I was happy for my brother that he finally stopped living under our parents’ thumbs, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the profession he chose after he dropped out of law school. I didn’t like the idea of my brother becoming broken beyond repair, especially when he had so much life to live. But it wasn’t my choice to make and I promised myself that no matter what he decided to do, I was going to support him in it.

He’d already sacrificed years of his life doing what our parents wanted him to do so that I could open my bakery without my mother bringing down a literal hammer on me. I was the biggest disappointment of her entire life, but mybrother’s success and willingness to pursue law helped to ease the burden of shame I brought to our family.

I didn’t know how things would look now that he had dropped out and was home. Honestly, I didn’t want to know.

“Mom’s going to be pissed when she finds out about your ribs.”

“Mmm, maybe this is a secret we should keep from her.”

I huffed out a breath. “That’s probably a good idea. That woman doesn’t need any more ammunition than she already has.”

“Sometimes, I think she manifests it out of thin air,” he grumbled.

I could feel the weight of it. Our mother’s ambitions. The goals she set for us to maintain her high society image. Every time I thought about it for too long, it felt like someone strapped a backpack filled with rocks onto my shoulders.

My dad wasn’t any help either. Most of the time he was absent and the rest of the time he spent supporting my mom in whatever verbal lashing she decided to give me.

My brother and I stood in silence for a few moments. The realization of what his coming home would truly mean for us as a family was starting to settle in and I hated the feeling of the tightness taking hold in my chest.

So, I straightened my apron and rolled my shoulders back. “When do you start at the Carnelle’s ranch?”

“Tomorrow.”

“And you’re going to work with broken ribs?” I arched a brow at him and he shot me a lopsided grin.

“It’s all part of the job, little sis.”

“Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

He pulled me in for a side hug and I tried not to squeeze him too hard this time. “I promise.”

“You know…” I drew out the words as I leaned back to look him in the eyes. “At that ranch, there’s a lot more to look out for than just the bucking broncos. I’ve heard Melody Carnelle likes to have her way with all the new riders who come through her family’s ranch.”

His face twisted into a scowl as he groaned. “That woman has always been a viper in the grass, hasn’t she?”

“Yup.”

“Honestly, if there was anywhere else I could train in Pebble Brook Falls, I’d choose it over the Carnelle’s ranch. But this was the only option for me to train and be close to home. Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Unfortunately, when it comes to that family, I think all of it is bad. But, I get it. You’re trying to make multiple things work by pursuing your dream and being home. I’d just steer clear of her if I were you.”

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