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“For what?”

“Default,” Arn said, his words dropping like lead, “on child support.”

Chapter Fourteen

Charlotte

I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

The words reverberated in my mind and brought back painful memories, emotions that had long since hidden themselves deep inside. Thoughts about who I’d thought Jesse was and how that might not have been correct flashed again through my consciousness, and my stomach churned. It was like I was going to be sick.

Was it for real?

“You and I both know that’s bullshit,” Jesse said, stepping to within inches of Arnold’s face.

“I’ll tell you what I know, Jesse. I know you are a piece of crap. You are a petulant child in a man’s body, someone who slept with every girl he could get his hands on because he has no shame, no self-control. Do I believe you knocked up that girl and then took no responsibility for it? You’re damn right I do. And anyone who knows you would say it’s not only plausible, it’s downright probable. Hell, ask your brothers.”

“I don’t need to,” Jesse said. “But what I feel like I need, right now, is to knock you the fuck out.”

“Jesse,” Owen said, putting his massive hand on Jesse’s chest and pulling him back a step, “we don’t need to do this right now. He’s got you hot. Let’s just take a minute.”

“No, I don’t want to take a minute,” Jesse said. “I want you, Arn. I want you and me to go. Right now. Right here!”

But Arnold wasn’t biting. He’d finally gotten under Jesse’s skin and was backing away, heading to his car. All three of the Anderson brothers got into their cars and pulled away, turning off their lights as they pulled onto the road, laughing softly to themselves as Owen literally held Jesse back from jumping them.

“Come back, you cowards!” Jesse shouted as the last of the Anderson cars pulled away. “Come back and fight like a man, dammit!”

“Jesse, calm down,” Owen said. “It’s over. They’re gone.”

“They’ll be back, Owen!” Jesse shouted. “They will always be back! Until we take care of them for good, they will just keep coming back like cockroaches. Our whole lives have been dealing with these pricks, and I’m done with it. I’m done!”

“Jesse,” I said.

My voice was quiet but firm. I felt like I had been rooted to the spot, sadness and anger roiling into a tight ball in my chest. Yet through it, I found strength. I found defiance. I stood my ground and spoke his name, and he stopped. He turned. And he knew.

“Charlotte,” he began.

“We need to talk. Right now.”

“Go to the ranch,” Owen said. “Ain’t nobody there. Luke and Collin are bound to come here, and I’ll stay and wait for them.”

“Yeah, all right,” Jesse said, the vitriol and anger he’d had when the Andersons were there seemingly vanished. “Come on, Charlotte. Let’s go over to the ranch.”

“Fine,” I said.

As we walked down the curved road, Jesse stayed quiet beside me for a long time. We were almost to the entrance when he finally did speak.

“So you heard what Arnold said.”

“I did,” I responded coldly.

“It’s not true.”

“Seems pretty consistent with what she told me ten years ago, Jesse.”

“It’s still not true. That baby isn’t mine.”

I groaned as he led me through the ranch house’s front yard and to the side porch, where he opened the door and let me in. I flopped onto one of the loveseats as he disappeared into the house, flicking on the overhead fan from a switch on the wall as he went. When he came back a moment later, he had four of a six-pack of beer in one hand and a pitcher of lemonade in the other. He sat them down and then pulled out two plastic cups from his back pocket.