Page 31 of Rancher's Strength

“Right, and some of that goes to you, so she doesn’t get it all.” The roll of her eyes and the snottiness in her voice made me want to take her over my knee and redden her ass.

“Actually, Little Miss Know It All, I don’t take a dime.” Silence hung between us, and there weren’t even any birds chirping or frogs croaking. It was as if they could sense the tension and thought it was better to remain quiet.

“That’s bad business, Ryder,” she said as she finally turned to face me.

“Well, I don’t know if you’re aware, sweetheart, but I don’t need the money.” I winked at her and grinned. “So, when I bailed out your dad, I didn’t ask for anything back. I don’t need it or want it. Your mom’s going to need that money if she decides to sell.” I couldn’t deny that there was a part of me that felt good to have finally caught her with something she didn’t know.

“Wait, who’s paying for Dad to be in that home? My parents can’t afford that place.” She stepped toward me, and I took a step back out of fear. “Are you paying my dad’s medical bills, Ryder Saffort?”

“Yes… I am.” I braced myself for an outburst and backed up again as she came closer. But instead of yelling, she wrapped her arms around me, pinning mine to my sides so I couldn’t hug her back.

“We don’t deserve you,” she whispered.

A lump formed in my throat, and I tried to clear it, but nothing worked. I had done it all for her; to make her life easier so she wouldn’t have to worry about anything and to avoid leaving Helen with horrible medical debt.

“Uncle Ryder, can we go back in the house now?” Sawyer asked from the bottom of the stairs, his eyes wide and a smile on his face.

“Yeah, pal of course you can. I think we still have cake to eat.” I chuckled as the kids flew up the stairs and into the kitchen.

“We have cake,” Sawyer yelled, and I could hear Helen and Lydia laughing.

“You don’t have to fight her, Lex. Ask Lydia what she expects from you, and I think you can come to an agreement.” She nodded against my chest and sighed.

“Sweetheart, you have to let me go. We have cake.” She didn’t step away from me, and we moved toward the door together. Reaching for the screen door, I pulled it open and she finally let go of me, took a deep breath and put her mask back on.

Lexie cut the cake she’d gotten from Fred’s and placed it down in front of everyone.

“Lydia, how can I help?” Lexie grabbed her napkin, placed it on her lap, and waited for her sister’s reply.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lydia replied without looking up from the crumb of cake she was moving around her plate. God, these two fought because they were the same, both fierce and stubborn.

“No, I’m here, I can help.” Lexie’s voice softened, and Lydia finally looked up at her sister.

“Can you work a shift Saturday night? I’m short servers.” Lydia’s shoulders slumped, and Lexie gave me a questioning glance. Nodding, I waited for her to say something.

“I can be there. What time?” She lifted a piece of cake to her mouth and waited for her sister to respond.

“If you’re there by six, I’m sure that would be fine.” Lydia sat a little straighter, and the tension in the room began to dissipate.

“What time is that shift supposed to start?”

“Four-thirty,” Lydia said, grimacing slightly.

“Then I’ll be there at four-thirty,” Lexie said with a hint of attitude.

“Lex,” I said quietly, and she shifted her eyes to me, arching her brow as if challenging me to say more. Like a smart man, I shoved a forkful of cake in my mouth and stayed silent.

Chapter Sixteen

RYDER

The house was quiet, too quiet, in fact. I’d gotten used to the kids being kids and Lexie puttering around the house, and I missed it. Two weeks— that’s how long we’d been living like this, and for the first time in years, I’d been truly happy.

My phone buzzed on the table, and I picked it up to see a text from Griff. We hadn’t said much to each other, so I quickly opened the message.

Griff: You might want to get to the bar. Your wife is getting manhandled.

A photo pops up on my screen of Lexie sitting on the lap of some local scum. She was leaning away from him as he puckered his lips.

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