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Chloe issued a long pause before a slow sigh. “This is awful. Bree doesn’t deserve this. She’s already been through so much.”

And most of it had been his fault. More of that guilt slammed into him.

“Promise you’ll keep me posted?” Chloe finally asked after a few moments of silence.

“On the hour. Scout’s honor.”

“Thank you.”

“Chloe. Lock the doors tonight.”

She seemed to catch the undercurrent of what he was saying. “I’ll do it right now.”

“Good,” he said, waiting to hear the telltale snick of a lock.

“Done,” she said.

“Get some sleep. I have things covered here,” Kade said.

“I’ll be waiting for an update. I doubt I’ll be able to sleep. It can’t hurt to close my eyes and try.” Chloe paused. “Did you see Conrad and Beau huddled up in the hall today? I meant to mention it earlier but got distracted with everything going on.”

“No.” He’d missed it. His world had been shattered by the news that he was going to be a father. His thoughts had been too focused on Bree, and before that, the contents of the will. “What were they saying?”

“I couldn’t hear,” she admitted. “They caught me off guard, though.”

“Do you think they knew each other before today?” Kade asked.

“I doubt it,” she said. “Conrad seemed genuinely shocked when Beau strolled into the room.”

“I can think of a reason Beau would make nice with Conrad,” Kade said. Was the dude making the rounds to get a pulse on who might side with him on keeping the ranch versus selling?

“Fishing for allies,” she said.

“My thoughts exactly.”

“Like I said before, I honestly don’t know how Conrad feels about Beaumont or the ranch,” she said.

“I’m certain he supports selling.”

“Are you sure about that?” she asked.

“I was until you started questioning me about his intentions,” he admitted. Those seeds of doubt were taking root.

“It’s just that he’s so quiet. You know? I can’t tell if he agrees or simply isn’t speaking up.”

Kade did know when he really thought about it. It was easy to forgetbecauseConrad was quiet. “I’ll give him a call and see if I can get a read on where he stands.”

“Try not to be so…you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kade asked.

Chloe hesitated like she was searching for the right words. Then she said, “You have strong opinions that sometimes come across as non-negotiable statements.”

“Goodnight, Chloe.”

She exhaled a slow breath. “It’s bad, isn’t it? What happened to Bree…?” she asked so quietly he almost didn’t hear it.

“It’s better now. She’s safe and recovering.” He had no idea about the baby and surprised himself with a deep sense of loss if anything had happened to the little nugget.