Page 6 of Make Me Whole
Chapter Four
BRADLEY
I almost groanedout loud as I savored the first taste of caffeine to hit my tongue. When my gaze traveled to the scenery beyond the window, my lips lifted into an easy smile. The sun was barely peeking out from behind the mountains, painting the sky in different shades of orange.
Every single time I saw this picture, I knew this was where I belonged. A contented sigh sounded through my nose before I lifted my mug again, enjoying the lingering bitter taste.
"Good morning!"
"Ugh." This time I did groan out loud. Glaring at my sister over the mug's rim, I asked, "Do you have to be so chipper at this hour."
Talia waved a dismissive hand through the air while she made her way to the fridge where she grabbed a yogurt. "Don't get pissy with me." She set the yogurt on the counter before scavenging the cupboards for the granola and a bowl. "It's not my fault you woke up on the wrong side of the bed…yet again." With one eyebrow arched she dared me to say something.
I couldn't so I simply lifted my shoulders in a shrug. With my gaze fixed on her, I took another long swallow of my tarry liquid.
"You know I love you, right? But your mood swings have been giving me, and everyone else, whiplash lately. Do you want to talk about whatever is bugging you?" Talia slipped onto the stool opposite me, shoveling a spoonful of her granola-yogurt mix into her mouth.
"Did I miss the part where you got your psychology degree?" Gritting my teeth, I shoved my drink away from me and crossed my arms in front of my chest.
"Your assholeness is uncalled for,brother." My sister mirrored my movements. "I'm worried about you and I won't apologize for that." She leaned forward slightly. "You need to talk to someone about whatever is eating you up." I opened my mouth, but she shook her head before I could utter a word. "Every day I see a little more of you disappear."
She wasn't wrong. For the past several months, I'd felt myself slip into autopilot. I went through the motions of living every single day without actually feeling alive. It was annoying and frustrating.
"Anyway," Talia's voice drew my attention back to her. One of the many things I appreciated about my sister was her ability to know when to push and when to let go. "Where did you disappear to yesterday?"
"At the cabin. Needed to clear my head." After I'd spoken with my father, a strange uneasiness had settled over me. The kind you could only rid with a good dose of nature. I'd saddled up Max and together with man's best friend, Bandit, we'd headed out only to return early this morning.
My sister drummed her fingers on the counter, grinning at me like a fool.
"What?"
"While you were out playing nature boy, we hired someone."
Pretty sure I looked like an idiot when my only response was, "How?"
By the way my sister was rolling her lip between her teeth, I knew I wasn't going to like the words about to come out of her mouth. "Weeelll," she drawled. "You know how Mavis told us her friend was coming for a visit?" It was a rhetorical question because Talia simply babbled on. "Turns out she needs a job." She shrugged dramatically. "And we need an extra set of hands, so Dad made it happen."
"You're kidding, right?" I felt as incredulous as I sounded. Under my breath, I mumbled, "Tell me she knows her way around a ranch at least."
The slightest tinge stole Talia's cheeks. "About that…"
In frustration, I threw my hands in the air. "How the hell is this going to be helpful? Not only will we have to make sure the guests are taken care of, but now we'll have to train someone who probably has no clue what amount of hard work goes into the daily upkeep of the ranch." With a sharp shake of my head, I stood so abruptly my chair toppled over.
"Wow, judgmental much?" The disappointment in her voice made me wince slightly. "You haven't even met this person and already you think you've got her figured out. Shame on you, Bradley Lee Walker."
Talia walked over to me, sadness shining in her blue eyes. "I really hope you find a way to remove the chip on your shoulder before it destroys what's left of you."
We'd had disagreements like this plenty of times. For some reason, today was the first day shame rushed through my veins as I watched my sister stomp out of the kitchen.
Sighing heavily, I bent down to right the fallen over chair before heading over to the sink. After dumping the rest of my coffee out, I opened the tap to rinse my mug.
"Let me do that." Mavis appeared next to me. One hand pressed firmly into my back while the other took the mug out of my hand.
"You heard all of that, huh?"
"Heard what?" She hip-bumped me out of the way, it was impossible to miss the sad expression on her face.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it." A small breath fluttered over my lips as I searched my brain for the right words. She didn't need to know that some days all of this became too much for me.
