Page 18 of Forsaken Trail (Runaway 4)

Clara had cut Devan loose when August had been a newborn. The two of them had dated for about a year when she’d gotten pregnant. It hadn’t been planned. She’d tried to keep him involved, but by the third trimester, he’d already checked out. Knowing that he’d never make a good father—and knowing that she’d never succeed if she tried to change him—she’d given him an out.

He’d signed over his rights to August without hesitation.

Not long after, Brody had approached her with an offer that had been irresistible. A fresh start. A new town. All expenses paid.

“I wanted her to move to Oregon,” I said. “I lobbied hard for it.”

“Not hard enough.” He gave me that smug, cunning grin. The one he always cast my way whenever he won.

“It’s hard to compete against a free house, a free car and a free life.”

“It’s not free. Clara has earned it.”

“Even Clara knows she hasn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

I rolled my eyes. “Why do you think she works so hard for you? Why do you think she would have come to this wedding tonight, sick as a dog?”

He blinked.

Yep. Clueless. “She’s trying to balance the scales. You helped her out of a bad situation with Devan. She wanted to get out of Vegas and leave him behind. Then she came to Arizona and you’d gone so . . . overboard.”

He lifted his chin. “I did what I would have done for any other employee.”

“Bullshit. Be honest with

yourself, Brody. You wouldn’t have done that for any other employee. You treat her differently.”

“No, I don’t. I provide a life for Ron. He has a house on the property too.”

“Okay, then why does Ron call you sir but Clara doesn’t? I’m guessing she did once, a long time ago, and you told her not to. Because you treat her differently.”

His forehead furrowed and there was that jaw tic.

Point for Aria. That round was mine. “There’s a fine line between helping someone and making them feel like a charity.”

“I don’t pity Clara,” Brody snapped. “And she knows it.”

“Maybe. But the next time you tell her to jump, think about why she asks how high. Make sure you aren’t taking advantage of my sister’s work ethic and the fact that she’ll bend over backward for you, all because what you’ve given her, she has no chance to repay.”

He stared at me, shock etched on his handsome face. In his glass tower, he’d never stopped to ask himself why.

“We’re beginning our descent, sir,” the pilot said over the intercom, ending our conversation.

There was a wedding we had to attend.

There was a show for us to put on. Fitting that we were in Las Vegas.

As the plane dipped and headed for the runway, my nerves spiked. Adrenaline and anxiety grew. Rolling. Compounding. Like a snowball flying down a hill, getting bigger and bigger with each spin.

The plane’s wheels skidded on the tarmac. The crew in the plane hurried to prepare for our departure, the crew outside for our arrival, red carpet included. When we stepped outside and into the Vegas heat, I groaned. There was no way I’d survive this sober.

“I’m going to need champagne,” I told Brody as he led the way to a limo.

Lots and lots of champagne.

Chapter Four