Page 42 of Wilde Ride

I walked toward him and reached my hand toward his outstretched one. We shook, then Gatlin pulled me into a quick hug, slapping the shit out of my back. He may have been younger than Caden by five years, but they might as well have been twins. The only difference in their physical appearance was that Caden’s eyes were the color of the sky, and Gatlin’s looked more gray.

“It’s good to see you, Gatlin.”

“I couldn’t believe it when Caden told me you were back for good!” He glanced down and smiled at Rhett. Tapping his hat, he asked, “And who’s this cowboy?”

“Rhett, this is Gatlin, Caden and Emeline’s brother.”

Reaching his hand out to shake Gatlin’s, Rhett said, “Can I call you Uncle Gatlin?”

Gatlin glanced at me, then down to Rhett. “Hell yes, you can!”

Smacking her brother on the arm as she walked back up, Emeline said, “Gatlin! Language.”

Looking sheepish, he replied, “Not used to littles.”

“It’s okay, it’s not like he hasn’t heard a curse word.”

Rhett nodded. “My daddy says ‘fuck’ all the time.”

“Rhett,” I warned.

He covered his mouth with a hand and giggled.

“Little dude, how would you like to go riding with me and Caden? Maybe help us check on some cows?”

I watched as my son nearly exploded with excitement. “Can I, Daddy? Please?”

“He’s a good rider, but you’ll give him a calm horse? And no running. He’s not there yet.”

“I can run!” Rhett argued.

Caden grinned as he reached down and lifted Rhett effortlessly. “I promise we’ll keep him safe, Levi.”

I walked over and kissed Rhett on the cheek. He tried to squirm away as he pushed me and said, “Dad, not in front of Emeline!”

Holding up my hands in surrender, I took a few steps back. “Sorry. Listen to Uncle Caden and Gatlin, okay?”

Caden glanced at his sister.

“Thirty-minute ride?” she replied to the unspoken question. “We’ll meet you at the barn.”

“Sounds good,” Caden said before they turned and headed to the truck.

Once they were driving off, I looked at Emeline. “So? Why did you send my son away?”

She swallowed hard. “There’s something I need to tell you. Something that Rhett shared with me, and I thought it was best if he didn’t see your reaction.”

Panic instantly hit me square in the chest. “What is it?”

Wringing her hands, she motioned for us to go back into the building. She walked to the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge. “Do you want one?”

“What I want is for you to tell me what’s going on, Emeline.”

Sliding onto a barstool, Emeline closed her eyes, then opened them again. “I have to ask you a question first.”

“Ask it,” I said brusquely. I knew I was being rude, but I wanted to know what the hell was going on.

“Is Brooke…” She closed her eyes again and whispered fuck. Opening them, she met my gaze. “Is Brooke your biological daughter?”