“You couldn’t know that unless you’d given me a chance,” he contradicted.
“What could you have done against parents intent on punishing me?” she asked.
“I would have done anything for you, Audrey. Including run away if it meant getting you to safety.”
“Don’t you see? That’s exactly the reason I couldn’t let you in on what was going on at home,” she said. “You are the kind of person who wouldn’t have given up. Believe me when I say my parents wouldn’t have let you get in their way. Besides, where would you be now if we’d run away together?”
Those words seemed to strike a nerve. Duke’s eyebrows knitted together like they did when he was seriously contemplating something. At least he was thinking about what she said. He might resent her for the rest of their lives for her actions, but he might finally understand why she did what she did. And that was something.
“You’re right,” Duke conceded. “I wouldn’t have stopped until I’d figured out a way to help you. And I would have gone off half-cocked at that age, which might have made life worse for you with your parents. I can’t say my life would have been better off without you, Audrey. It might have looked different today, but we would have figured out a way to make it work.”
“That’s the problem,” she said. “I couldn’t let you settle. You would have helped me, and then your honor would have forced you to stick around. The thing is, I had to learn how to help myself first. And I was lost back then.”
“What about now?” he asked.
“I know who I am, if that’s what you’re asking,” she answered. She figured she needed to change the subject before they really went down a rabbit hole. “Are you tired?”
“No,” he admitted. “I thought I would be. But I got a second wind.”
Second, third or fourth at this point since he’d barely napped in the past few days, but she got what he meant.
“I need to go check the barn since Nash is at the hospital,” he said. “The horses need to be checked on. We have a newborn foal to keep an eye on.”
“Can I come with you?”
The thought of seeing new life gave her a burst of hope for the future. Hers might be uncertain at this point. Witnessing the miracle of a foal walking around would do her heart good.
Duke hesitated. Was he trying to keep her at a safe distance? She wouldn’t blame him for it even though it shredded her heart.
“HOW ABOUT THIS?” Duke started, trying to find a way to tell Audrey she should rest. She’d been whacked on the back of the head a couple of times. Even though she’d been cleared by the doctor at the ER, she didn’t need to expend more energy than necessary. “You get ready for bed, and I’ll check on the foal. You can come down and help feed her in the morning. After a good night’s sleep.”
“Does that mean you don’t want me to come with you?” she asked.
“I never said that,” he admitted. He was trying to look out for her. Would she see it that way, though? Or would she think he was rejecting her? “You should know by now that I’ve always enjoyed your company.”
“Does that mean I can come with you?” she pressed.
He would ask if she was always this stubborn, but he already knew the answer to that question. All capital letters Y-E-S.
If he was being honest, he would admit it was one of her more attractive traits. He imagined she’d learned how to survive her childhood and parents by digging her heels in and not allowing any other outcome. She’d done it. She’d survived. And yet, he couldn’t help thinking she was still in survival mode. “Can I stop you?”
Her laugh was downright magic. It had the ability to soothe his soul and lift his spirits, like that was the easiest thing in the world to do. He had news for her, it was next to impossible. To say he lived a closed-off life was an understatement. Duke was beginning to realize just how much he’d shut down parts of himself after losing Audrey. The stubborn part in him decided not to ever feel that kind of pain again.
Duke was realizing that had also stopped him from loving anyone else, too. He’d been living a half life since he was sixteen years old.
That was the good thing about realizing your shortcomings—it meant you could fix them.
Pushing up to standing, he held his hand out, palm facing up, in the doorway. “Madam. Care to join me in witnessing the miracle of a foal walking around the barn?”
Duke was mildly concerned he hadn’t heard from Nash yet. The ranch foreman had promised to text an update once he got to the hospital and he should have arrived by now. Which most likely meant there wasn’t any news to report or Nash would have sent word. There was another explanation, as well. Nash’s cell battery was notorious for running low. It was highly possible his cell died, and he forgot to bring in his charger. Grandpa Lor had joked about Nash being bad with his cell too many times for Duke to panic.
But considering recent events, Duke was unsettled.
If he didn’t hear anything after he went down to the barn, he could always call the hospital and talk to a nurse at one of the stations. Speaking of phone batteries, his own needed a charge.
Audrey took his hand and waltzed, not walked, out of the bedroom and into the hallway. He played along, twirling her and remembering how many times they’d done the same thing out in the barn when they were alone. They’d spent a lot of good time among the horses, which despite living in Dallas, she’d seen very little of. He shouldn’t be surprised. Some folks still had the impression Dallas was all barns, open spaces and tumbleweeds, but it was a metropolitan city known for its sushi and shopping. It wouldn’t be wrong to say shopping was considered a sport in Dallas.
Duke liked shopping malls about as much as he liked the thought of eating raw chicken.
Audrey took the lead for the rest of the trip down the hallway and then the stairs. To say his grandparents’ house was large was a lot like saying Texas was big. They’d joked the eight-bedroom home with guest quarters had always been too big for the two of them and their pair of sons. Despite Duke’s father’s many shortcomings, there was still a picture of him along with his brother on the fireplace mantel. Even though he’d walked out on his children, and they shook their heads as to why he would do such a thing to young impressionable kids when they’d just lost their mother, they never spoke an ill word about him.
Duke’s father didn’t deserve their kindness. The fact didn’t matter to them. They loved their sons. And if they didn’t, it never showed. Duke, on the other hand, had always been vocal about thinking his father was the biggest jerk for running out on him and his sisters. His baby sister entered this world and immediately lost the two people who were supposed to care for her the most. Their mother couldn’t help it. But their father...
Considering the man had called recently, there must be a significant amount of potential inheritance. It was the only reason he would come sniffing around after all these years. Bastard.
Duke didn’t want to go down that slippery slope of anger and frustration about the non-father he’d had. Instead, he wanted to check on the foal with Audrey.
He kept hold of her hand, linking their fingers, as they walked outside. It was a miracle she could walk unassisted already. But then nothing should surprise him when it came to Audrey Newcastle.
Nash’s truck was parked around the side of the barn where it was hidden from view from the house. Well, the lack of a text made even more sense now that Duke realized Nash hadn’t left yet. Was the filly in trouble? Duke picked up the pace, holding on to Audrey’s hand like a lifeline.
“What’s wrong?” Audrey asked.
“Maybe nothing,” he said, stopping a good fifteen feet from the barn’s door. “Maybe it would be a good idea for you to stay out here while I check on the foal just in case.” He had no idea what he would be walking into and the last thing he wanted was more stress for Audrey. She’d been through enough for one lifetime, let alone what had happened over the past couple of days. “Something feels off in my gut and I can’t explain it.”
“Whatever it is, I can handle going with you, Duke,” she reassured.
Could she?
