Page 43 of For Always
Jagger hadn’t said what he needed help with over the phone and Tyler hadn’t needed to know. Just as he’d told the sheriff, no matter what happened between them he and Jagger were brothers. They were blood. And as such, Tyler would always be there to help. But he wouldn’t sugarcoat whatever fresh hell Jagger had clearly gotten himself into where that woman was concerned.
“You’re right again,” Jagger said, letting his arm drop down to his side.
He stared at Tyler through half-slit eyes.
“She tried to take my money,” Jagger told him. “Can you believe that? Even before I could marry the conniving bitch she had her hands in my pockets.”
Tyler withheld the I-told-you-so that floated through his mind.
“How do you know she tried to take your money?” he asked Jagger.
Jagger chuckled. “I got two accounts,” he said, holding up all ten of his fingers.
Tyler didn’t respond.
“One where my paycheck goes,” Jagger said. “And another where all my bonus checks and incentives from special clients are deposited. You remember Dad telling us never to keep all our eggs in one basket.”
“I remember,” Tyler replied.
“So I don’t keep all my money in one place. I got an offshore account too. And some bonds and investment accounts. You know that kind of stuff.”
“Right,” Tyler said. “That’s a smart business move.”
Jagger nodded. “I know ‘cause I’m smart too. It’s not just you.” He tried to tap a finger to his temple but missed and almost poked his eye out.
“You’ve always been smart, Jagger. Nobody ever said you weren’t.”
“I went to Harvard.”
“Yes, you did. And you became a very successful man. Mom and Dad would have been proud.”
“No he wouldn’t have,” Jagger said shaking his head so hard his hair—which was in need of a cut—scraped over his forehead. “He never liked me.”
“He loved you,” Tyler insisted. “He loved both of us the best way he knew how.”
“It wasn’t good enough!” Jagger yelled. “Just like I wasn’t good enough for her!”
“But Brooke wanted to marry you. She accepted your proposal and was wearing your ring.”
“I took it back. The minute I got that call from my bank rep in New York telling me that a woman in Hobbs Creek, Texas walked into a branch and tried to make a withdrawal with one of my withdrawal slips. I gave her everything, man. My heart, my soul—” his words trailed off with a groan.
Tyler cursed. He believed Jagger. He’d given Brooke Radison everything but what she’d really wanted. Money. The Westwind Ranch and Resort would have given her a ton of that.
“So she tried to steal your money, you confronted her and took back your ring. What are you going to do now? And where is Brooke?”
“She tried to blackmail me. Said she was pregnant and she was going to tell the president of our company that I was the father. We have a strict ‘no fraternization’ rule at the company. That’s why I had to marry Brooke, because we couldn’t keep sneaking around seeing each other. I had to make it right for her. I had to take care of her in the way she deserved.”
“Brooke is having your baby?” Tyler couldn’t believe the words he’d just spoken.
“Hell no!” Jagger yelled.
Then his brother rolled over on the couch laughing. He was clenching his side as he chuckled and Tyler tried to wait patiently until he was finished. It could have been worse, Jagger could have been an angry drunk instead of an obviously happy one.
“I had a vasectomy four years ago,” he finally said between guffaws. “It was after Dad’s sixty-first birthday. I called to wish him well and he had nothing nice to say to me. Didn’t ask about my job or how much I was making or anything. Just talked about the ranch and asked when I was coming back. I told him never. The next morning I called my doctor and told him to set me up. I never wanted to have a child I couldn’t love.”
Tyler swore as Jagger broke out in laughter once more. He stood up finally and went to the couch.
“Come on, get up. We’re going back to the ranch so you can sleep this hangover off.”
