Page 93 of Spencer and the Younger Girl
Spencer
It was the moment Spencer had been waiting for since returning home. The reckoning.
Okay, that was a bit dramatic, and he’d never been one for drama. But his parents apparently were.
His mom sat on the worn leather couch, her legs crossed at the ankles. Her husband stood behind the couch like he was a sentry keeping guard of his wife’s heart.
A heart Spencer broke three years ago.
He didn’t blame them for the caution in their eyes or the guarded way they stopped talking as soon as he walked through the entryway.
Guilt thickened the air, but that might have just been in his own mind, his own guilt.
As he met his father’s hard eyes, he realized Hadley was only the excuse. They needed something to yell at him about, something that allowed them to release all the anger they held for him.
“Sit down, boy.” His dad pointed to the recliner facing the flat screen TV hanging above the fireplace.
Spencer sat and swiveled the chair to face them.
The front door slammed and moments later Damien appeared, his cheeks red from the sun. “Spence, why didn’t you let Harbi run around in the paddock to dry off? Now he’s rolling in hay, completely negating the scrub down you and Hadley gave him.”
Spencer tried to communicate what was happening with his eyes, but his little brother didn’t get the hint. “What’s going on? Gabe said you were looking for me, Dad.”
Their dad flinched just the tiniest bit, but Spencer saw it. Gabe. His eyes widened. How did they know?
“Damien,” his mom’s voice was much softer than their dad’s. “Please, sit beside your brother.”
Damien dropped into the other recliner, his fingers drumming across the top of his knee. It was his tell. He could sense something was wrong too.
Their dad rounded the couch and sat beside their mom. A sigh lifted his shoulders before they dropped back down. “All right, boys. It’s time we have a conversation we’ve never had to have before.”
“Uh oh.” Damien crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. “What did Spence do now? Is this about all the ‘fence fixing’ he’s been doing lately? I knew it! There’s no way that fence was busted again.” He shot Spencer a smirk. “Slacker.”
“Damien,” their dad snapped. “Will you just stop talking?”
Damien frowned. “I guess. But only if you guys start.”
Their mom put a hand on her husband’s arm. “Boys, it’s time we have a chat about dating.”
Damien snorted. “You realize Spencer is twenty-one, right? And I’m not a kid either. I don’t need the birds and the bees talk.”
“Damien,” Spencer warned. “Shut. Up.”
Their mom offered them a tight smile. “We’ve never exactly had this problem before, but it’s time to talk about boundaries. I know you boys can feel isolated out here, but in this family, we do not date the hands.”
Spencer jerked his eyes to Damien who was sputtering, trying to say something.
Their dad rubbed his neck. “This is as awkward for us as it is for you. But the people who work on this ranch… they are employees of our family. You boys are essentially their bosses.”
“But Hadley isn’t even getting paid.” Spencer’s jaw tightened.
“That’s true, but she is here working off a debt to this family.”
“That’s bull.” Spencer stood. “She is here because she chooses to be. Working for free, I might add. Yeah, she knows about your deal with her grandfather, that everyone lied to her.”
His mom buried her face in her hands. “Oh, no.”
“Spencer,” his father said. “Sit back down.”
