Page 14 of Wilde Flame

“Have you spoken to Uncle Mike about that pipe leak at the barn? We need to get that fixed.”

“It’s on my list of things to do today.”

“Good. We’re expecting a pretty decent storm next week, so I want all cattle accounted for. We need to have the guys on rotation, making sure none of the water pipes freeze.”

Gatlin replied, “Already done.”

“Thanks.”

“You know, maybe I’ll ask Lilibeth to be my date for the fundraiser dinner next week.”

I frowned. “Are we back on that conversation again, man? Geez. Do whatever you need to do, like I said.” Watching his smirk, my curiosity got the better of me, so I asked, “That’s next week?”

He laughed. “It’s always the weekend after Thanksgiving, Caden. You should really bring a date this year.”

“No, thanks.”

When he didn’t say anything, I glanced up from my coffee cup.

“It’s been over two years, Caden. How long are you going to let Rachel rule your life like this?”

“Why is everyone on my ass about this? She isn’t ruling anything. I simply don’t want to bring a date.”

He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “If you think for one second Rachel is miserable and hiding out at home, you’ve got another thing coming. Caden, you dodged a fucking bullet with her. All she wanted you for was money.”

“I also spent over a decade and a half dating her. Loving her. That’s not something you can just walk away from.”

Sitting back, he slowly shook his head. “She has, though, and she’s never looked back.”

I bit back the curse and looked around for Lucy. Maybe it wasn’t too late to just leave.

“I’m not trying to bust your balls, Caden. I hate seeing you so unhappy. I don’t think she deserves that kind of power over you.”

“Have you ever been in love, Gatlin?”

He looked at me and sighed. “No, I haven’t.”

“I thought I was going to live my life with her. Raise a family, teach my kids all about ranching and have Rachel right by my side through it all. For sixteen years, I devoted my entire life to her. Only to find she’d never once paid any attention to what was really happening in my life or on the ranch. If she had, she would have known all along I wasn’t going to be able to give her the life she truly wanted.

“I still feel betrayed by the one person I thought I could trust implicitly. So yes, I am bitter, and I highly doubt I’ll ever trust another woman again. My heart is empty, Gatlin. I’m trying to find the person I was before her, and he just isn’t there any longer, no matter how hard I fucking look. Because when she walked away that day, a part of me did as well.”

He swallowed hard. “Caden, not every woman is like Rachel. You have to know that. Look at our own sisters and our mother.”

I exhaled. “I just don’t think I’ll ever be able to give anyone what’s left of my heart without wondering when they’ll break it. And I’m just not willing to take that risk.”

Lucy approached and placed our breakfasts down on the table. “Here you boys go. Do you need anything else?”

“No, thanks, Lucy,” I said with a smile.

“Thanks, Lucy.”

“Sure thing!”

When she turned and walked away, Gatlin cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I said anything. I have no right to judge you, seeing as I’ve never gone through what you have.”

“You’re right, though. I am a miserable son-of-a-bitch.”

He pointed his fork at me. “You said that, I didn’t. I also won’t disagree.”