Page 36 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
Daisy was quiet for a second. “I really don’t have time for this right now, D—”
Dahlia heard someone shouting in the background.
Daisy’s answering laughter was high and sweet. “I’ll be right there!” Her hand over the speaker muffled her voice, but it was still there in her tone. The fun, lovable, flaky-as-a-pastry Daisy. Same as ever.
“Daisy, are you listening? You don’t have to stay long, but I need you to get to Montana to see this ranch.”
“No can do,” Daisy chirped. “We’re about to start recording an album in LA! Can you believe that? So I’m gonna be busy with that for a few months.”
A few months?
Dahlia winced at the thought of this inheritance issue hanging over her for months to come. The sooner she got this place and her newfound sisters out of her life, the better.
“This is important,” she huffed. “You can’t just get one day off?”
“Come on, I’m not going to make such a big trip for one day. I’ll get there when I’m ready.” Daisy’s tone was a sweet as ever, but Dahlia heard the edge to it. She was the only one Daisy talked to like this. Like they were enemies.
The thought made her heart hurt. They were twins. It shouldn’t be like this. How different would their lives have been if they’d gotten along? If they’d been on the same team rather than in two separate worlds?
How nice would it have been if Dahlia hadn’t been so freakin’ alone all the time?
Oh, Daisy had been there physically, but she’d chosen to ignore anything that wasn’t sunshine and roses.
And right now… well, right now Dahlia felt like a kid all over again.
She heard the laughter coming from the kitchen. Rose had found the sort of caring, doting sisters she’d always deserved. And Dahlia was alone. Again.
“Daisy, please…” She squeezed her eyes shut and hardened her tone so her sister wouldn’t hear her pathetic, childish hurts. “You’re holding everything up right now.”
Daisy sighed, and Dahlia knew she’d taken the wrong approach. She couldn’t argue Daisy into coming. The more she pushed, the more Daisy would run in the opposite direction.
“Look, Daisy…” Dahlia made an effort to soften her voice. To find some sort of middle ground that wouldn’t stir up another fight. Rose. This baby. That was something she and Daisy could come together around.
Besides, Rose was the one person Daisy might actually want to see.
“You really should see Rose. She’s beautiful with her baby belly, and I know she wants you here.”
“Stop speaking on her behalf,” Daisy snapped. “You always do that.”
Dahlia let out a surprised huff. “I’m only telling you the truth.”
“Rose is fine. I talked to her the other day. And I’m not giving up this awesome opportunity just so I can do whatyouwant me to, Your Highness.”
Dahlia clamped her lips together.Great, now I’m a dragonandroyalty.Her throat burned, but she kept her voice even. “Well, when can you get here, then?”
“After the album is finished. Like I said, a month or two… or three.”
Dahlia snapped her eyes shut and fought the urge to yell into her phone. Taking a silent breath, she gritted out, “Well, I guess we’ll look forward to seeing you then.”
End the call now. Take the higher road.
But even as she thought it, she felt her mouth opening as an age-old bitterness surged up inside her. “Unless, of course, you come up with another excuse to avoid your family by then.”
Dahlia hung up before Daisy could respond. Her hands were shaking, and she balled them into fists.
She shouldn’t have said that. She shouldn’t have ended it that way.
She dropped her head into her hands with a groan. Why was it that the more she tried to make things right, the worse things seemed to get?
