Page 45 of Deceit & Desire

“Dad, I was going to tell you?—”

Dad held up a hand, cutting me off, his voice just shy of shouting when he spoke again.

“When? After you made me feel like a damn charity case in my own house, on my own ranch? Zoe, I can’t believe you’ve been hiding this from me. What else aren’t you telling me?”

At dad’s raised voice, Roman eased into the kitchen through the dining room entrance, eyeing both of us with a confused frown.

“What’s going on?”

Dad jabbed an angry finger in my direction. “She’s been hiding millions of dollars. She’s paying off everything and didn’t think to tell me—or you.”

Roman’s gaze slid over to assess me, and his jaw tightened as he gritted his teeth.

“Zoe, is that true?”

I grimaced, wringing my hands. Why didn’t they seem to have any idea of where I was coming from?

“I was going to tell you both. I just… I wanted to make sure everything was taken care of first.”

My voice trembled as I spoke, betraying my vulnerability, and I hated myself for it. I’d been carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, and somehow they couldn’t see it? I was just trying to fix things, make everything okay.

My father scrubbed a hand over his face in frustration. “You didn’t think I deserved a say in what happens to my ranch? Zoe, I’m not a child who needs looking after!”

I shook my head, taking a step back, my voice breaking when I spoke. “I was just trying to help. You don’t understand how much I’ve been juggling, how hard it’s been to figure all of this out on my own.”

I turned and stormed out of the kitchen, my boot heels clicking against the hardwood floor as I grabbed my jacket and headed outside. On autopilot, my body gravitated toward the barn, the place I’d always run to for sanctuary when I was younger and needed space to think.

But then Missy?—

I drew up short at the barn door and shuddered, shaking my head.

My best friend died in there. I don’t think I could ever go in there again, no matter how angry I am right now… that barn could never be the sanctuary I need again.

My eyes filled with hot tears and I jerked away from the barn, looking around, desperate for somewhere to feel safe and decompress, but it damn sure wouldn’t be the barn. My watery gaze snagged on the paddock where the buckskin colt we rescued was grazing, and I veered toward it, almost running.

When I reached the fence, I gripped the top rail as hard as I could, my shoulders shaking with the silent sobs that wracked my body as I pressed my forehead against the fence rail.

Slow hoofbeats approached me and I lifted my tear-streaked face, looking up at the rescue horse, letting the colt nuzzle me. That sweet, curious gesture undid me, and I buried my face against his neck, breathing in his earthy scent, stroking his mane and sobbing, letting the tears flow as I stroked and petted the colt, taking just as much comfort from him as I was giving him.

I heard Roman’s familiar footfalls behind me, but I didn’t turn, didn’t speak. I wasn’t ready yet, not after feeling like my father attacked me for trying to help and take care of him.

The buckskin colt nickered softly, his velvet nose brushing against my damp cheek like he could sense my turmoil. I stroked his mane absently, the repetitive motion grounding me.

“You deserve better than this mess,” I murmured to the colt, my voice hoarse and uneven. “Better than all of us.”

“Hey, darlin’,” Roman said softly, his voice a balm against my raw nerves. “Mind if I join you?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, leaning on the fence beside me, close but not crowding. “Your dad sure didn’t look too happy when I left the house. Wanna tell me what the fuck’s really going on?”

I didn’t look at him, keeping my eyes on the colt. “It’s nothing, Rome. Just Dad being Dad, blowing things out of proportion.”

He let out a low, incredulous laugh. “Zoe, I was right there with y’all in the kitchen. I just heard him shouting something about millions of dollars. That doesn’t sound like nothing to me. What’s this all about? Where’s the money coming from?”

I sighed, my shoulders sagging under the weight of his gaze. “It’s… complicated. I didn’t want to bother you—or him—with it until I had everything under control. I’ve been trying to fix things, Rome. The ranch is in the red because of the embezzlement, and Dad’s care is going to cost more than insurance will cover. I didn’t want him to worry about anything when he came home from the hospital, and I didn’t want you to feel like I was stepping on your toes.”

He stared at me, his dark brows knitting together in that way that said he wasn’t going to let this slide. “So you just… what? Magically conjure up millions of dollars? How does that even work?”

I turned to him, finally meeting his hazel eyes, and saw the bewilderment there. My heart twisted painfully. “I didn’t conjure anything, Roman. The money’s mine. From my time in Miami, my investments, my work. I’ve worked my ass off for every cent of it.”

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