SWNOVELS Off to the Races: Chapter 16
I’ve spent all morning cleaning out my grandfather’s house. Or trying to. How the hell am I supposed to throw any of this stuff out? What am I supposed to do with it all? And how do I make my mind stop fixating on last night in the rain with Billie?
Wilhelmina Fucking Farrington. How on earth had I missed that? Probably because at that age I’d been holed up on the ranch with my grandfather, sheltered from the news, and far too fixated on my own family’s bullshit to care much about politics or someone else’s pain.
But still… another person I’ve come to trust. Another lie. I must be naïve to be continually surprised by this.
At first, I didn’t care about her past. I mean, I don’t care about her past. But it niggles at me she wasn’t forthcoming about it. People I care about keeping secrets from me seem to be a recurring theme. It bugs me more than I let on that she kept that hidden from me. On a personal level, and on a professional level. She didn’t consider how her past baggage might affect me, or my family business. The farm’s reputation is already in tatters, thanks to my grandfather’s dishonesty.
Which is really what this all comes back to. Dishonesty.
And that’s when it hits me. Cole never overlooks background checks on employees. He would have known this from day one, unless he’s letting himself slip in his old age. Cole should have been able to tell me about Billie’s hidden background. I jam my finger against the screen of my phone, pulling his number up.
The phone rings twice before Cole answers. “Little brother. You snuck out early last night.” Amusement sprinkles his typically cool and indifferent tone. Or at least as much amusement as I’ve heard from him in over a decade.
I ignore his comment and cut to the point of my call. “Did you run a background check on Billie Black?”
“Crazy Billie?” he corrects me. “I did. Yes.”
“Care to elaborate on that?”
“In what regard? Don’t beat around the bush, Vaughn. Passive aggressiveness is a tactic reserved for hormonal teenagers and simple-minded adults.”
I press my lips together to tame the inner dread that’s creeping up my spine as I come face-to-face with what my brother isn’t quite saying here. “Did you know about her past? Her former identity?”
He’s downright apathetic to what I’ve just said. “As the daughter of our most scandalous and infamous commander-in-chief? That came up, yes.”
Air lodges in my throat. Betrayal sears through me. Deep down, I know I’m probably overreacting. But I hate that I’m constantly left out of the loop. The little brother, the new kid, still at twenty-eight-years-old. An afterthought.
After an awkward amount of silence I say, “Didn’t think that was worth mentioning to me?”
“Well, I didn’t expect you to fall in love with the psycho.”
I rear back in my office chair. What did he just say?
I’m not…
He’s trying to get under my skin, but he leaves me speechless. Am I in love with Billie Black? “I’m not—”
He cuts off my protest. “Her tracks were carefully covered. It clearly wasn’t some rash decision on her part. I didn’t feel like it mattered much if she was good with the horses.”
I just blindly trusted that Hank had brought me the best. Hank. He was the next person I’d be grilling about this. He must have known too. Basically, everyone around me who I care about knew, and not one thought to tell me. Talk about a dagger to the back.
I’m still silent on the phone, because I’m so angry I don’t trust myself to speak.
Cole sighs, quieting his tone, “Vaughn, you’re taking this personally. But, and I mean this as kindly as possible, get the fuck over it. It’s time to be an adult. You need to stop holding the people you profess to care about to these idyllic black and white standards. It’s unrealistic, the only person you’re hurting here is yourself. Humans are complex.” His voice hitches uncharacteristically, “Sometimes a person needs a fresh start. This wasn’t my story to tell.”
It feels like my brother just slapped me. Deep down, I know he’s right. But I’m not ready to admit that. I need to grapple with the bits of wisdom he just dumped all over me. I need to lick my wounds privately.
“Okay, thanks.”
I hang up on him, but only get a moment’s peace before Hank’s number flashes across the screen.
I answer with, “I have a bone to pick with you.”
“Pick it later.” His voice is gruff and commanding. “DD’s been sick all day with colic and Billie is unmanageable. She hasn’t eaten. Hasn’t slept. But she doesn’t want you here. Not yet anyways, so don’t push your luck, son. I’m handling it and I’ll keep you posted.”