Page 58 of A Cowboy's Claim
“How could I stay knowing that being involved with Michael would damage his long-term career?” Lexie demanded with a hint of heat. “We were getting serious, but we hadn’t made any commitments yet. I thought a clean break would be the best. There’s still a chance we can be together at some point in the future.”
Petra shook her head. “It doesn’t seem like something you should be deciding by yourself. But I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong.”
At her core, Sydney was rattled—shaken in a way that made old memories claw to the surface. “You two don’t understand.” She caught hold of Lexie’s hands, squeezing tight. “Grandpa Nate has this way about him. He kind of runs over you with his well-meaning, virtuous-sounding ideas, and you go along for the ride because there doesn’t seem to be any other solution.”
A frown creased between Lexie’s brows. “Did he meddle with you? Is that why you’re living in Heart Falls?”
No. It was far more subtle than that. “I moved to Heart Falls of my own free will,” Sydney assured her, suddenly needing this conversation to be over. “It’s okay, Lexie. We need to talk about this more in the future, but it doesn’t change anything about what I know to be true. You’re a fantastic doctor, and I’m grateful to have your help at the clinic.”
Relief relaxed Lexie’s face. “I’m very happy to be there.”
“But you’d be happier if you could be with Michael,” Sydney suggested.
“That’s impossible, but yes.” Lexie straightened her shoulders. “For now, this is my choice. Iwantto stay in Heart Falls and work for you. But I’ll think about talking to Michael, when it’s appropriate, in spite of Mr. Jone’s insistence that I not get in touch.”
He’d done it to Lexie. He’d done it to Michael. And now, looking at Lexie’s downturned eyes, Sydney realized how many people had been nudged, rerouted, or redirected by Grandpa Nate’swell-meaninghand.
Sydney offered Lexie a hug then sent her back out into the party.
When Petra and Tansy would’ve left the room as well, Sydney waved them down.
Inside her, a storm churned—nearly as chaotic as the one now battering the walls outside the little house.
“That was one of the wildest things I’ve ever heard,” Petra said.
“Hold onto your socks.” Sydney met Petra and Tansy’s eyes in turn. “She isn’t the only one Grandpa Nate is messing with. But he’s damn good at it, and to be honest, he’s meddled in ways I don’t know how to stop.”
13
Both her friends went still, their attention snapping on her like a spotlight. “Your grandpa. How is he messing with you?” Petra demanded.
The concern on Petra’s face was echoed in the soft squeeze of Sydney’s arm by Tansy, and Sydney took a deep breath as she looked at her friends.
How much was she willing to tell them? How much was she willing to share?
She knew a lot of their secrets. But this felt different—maybe because she was supposed to be the smart one, which made it harder to untangle from logic or pride.
The soft grip on her arm released and the next thing she knew, Tansy bopped her one on the shoulder. “Spill the beans now,” Tansy ordered with a glare.
“Yeah. You’ve got that Sphinx look on your face,” Petra said, frowning deeply. “That’s your hiding-something-big face—and now’s not the time to bottle things up.”
“Just figuring out what to say,” Sydney protested.
“If it’s about your grandpa, start with this: ‘He’s a meddler of epic proportions.’” Tansy suggested.
“Say it,” Petra wheedled, dragging out her words. “Come on—Say. It.”
Which meant Sydney was actually laughing slightly when she spoke. “My grandfather…has strong opinions about what a woman’s role should be.”
Tansy blinked. “Okay. That’s not the direction I expected this to go.”
“I thought your grandpa encouraged you to go into medical school,” Petra said, her confusion deepening. “I’m sure that’s what you told us at one point.”
“He did. He and my grandma were instrumental in me attending university when I did.” She looked at both her friends. “I was sixteen when I got accepted, and our family home was four hours away from the university. Grandpa and Grandma lived a fifteen minute bus ride away. Having their house as a home base was vital, especially when everyone around me was a lot older. So I lived with them from age sixteen until after I completed medical school and my residency.”
Petra eased her hip back on the table and folded her arms over her chest. “Enough beating around the bush. What’s the connection between the look on your face and us finding out Lexie is here because he’s keeping her apart from your brother?”
Even talking about it made her stomach churn. “Grandpa wants the absolute best for his grandchildren. For us three girls, that meant jobs that piqued our interest and kept us mentally challenged. The worst possible life choice was to get tangled up with some guy too soon. Because somewhere down the road when we did decide to get married, he assumed that meant we planned to toss aside all our training and become proper wives and mothers.”
