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Cowboys would fucking joke about anything.
Hunt became serious then and added, “Elena is not fragile or weak, she’s the strongest person I know.”
Her strength became clearly apparent to me two days later when I got to the ranch house, only to hear voices.
One of them was Elena’s. The other?Fuck!
I moved fast, taking the steps two at a time, my chest tight, my fists clenched. I stopped when I saw Elena sitting on the couch, calm as hell, while my mother stood over her, practically vibrating with fury.
"You think you can just waltz in and take what isn’t yours?" Mama spat, her face red, tears welling in her eyes like she was the injured party.
Elena, to her credit, looked utterly unimpressed. I was about to step in and put a stop to it when I heard her say, “Gloria, cut the crap and get the fuck outta here.”
Gloria scoffed a sharp, ugly sound. "Don’t lie to me, girl. You’ve been after my son since you were a teenager."
Elena’s nostrils flared, the only indication she was angry. But her voice stayed level, controlled. "I think we both know who’s been after Duke his whole life.”
Gloria gasped.
I nearly laughed. My girl knew how to handle herself. She didn’t need me playing white knight.
"How dare you," Gloria hissed, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
"How dare I what?" Elena tilted her head, her expression bordering on boredom. "Point out that you’ve been pulling his strings since the day he was born?"
"Don’t you talk about things you don’t understand!" Gloria’s voice wavered, the telltale sign of an emotional breakdown on its way.
Elena didn’t flinch. "Who inherits Wilder Ranch ifDuke dies?"
Gloria froze. Something dark and awful curled in my gut. I had wondered, but….
“What’s that got to do with anything?” Gloria snapped. She straightened and took a step away.
“You inherit everything. I checked with Mac ‘cause that’s what’s in Duke’s will,” Elena continued as if Gloria hadn’t spoken. “Do you know someone tried to kill Duke?”
“I heard someone tried to killyou,” she snarled in response.
“Duke, honey, you want to come in?” Elena said in a saccharine sweet voice that told me she was pissed as hell. Shenevercalled me honey.
“Baby.” Gloria ran up to me, but before she could hug me, I caught her wrists and set her away.
“What the fuck are you doin’ here?” I asked coolly. I sat next to Elena and gently kissed the side of her temple, making a statement to my mother.
“You’re with her?” Gloria was breathing fire now.
“Yeah.” I smiled at Elena and saw the unease in her eyes. She wasn’t sure I would choose her. She was faking it until she made it, and it broke my heart that we didn’t have trust between us. It would come. Slowly, once she started to believe that good things could happen to her and that the man who loved her did so unconditionally. “We’re getting married.”
“You can’t do that,” Gloria screeched. She kneeled in front of me and put her hands on my thighs. “She’s like her mother, stealing my men.”
“Gloria, you fucked around on Nash, and years later,he found Maria, who he loved. I’m your son,notyourman.”
She noticed I didn’t call her Mama. I felt it deep inside me. I’d protected this woman my whole life, and even now I wanted to—but I also knew that the co-dependency we’d had, the one she’d inculcated, wasn’t healthy for me, wasn’t going to lead me to happiness. This woman had no empathy as Cheyenne had said. She didn’t feel anything for anyone. It was all an act. And still, I wanted to take care of her. I couldn’t just tune it all out—just like I couldn’t tune out loving Elena all these years.
Gloria rose and turned when there was a sound.
Itzel came into the house carrying a basket of produce that she’d probably picked from the greenhouse and garden. She eyed Gloria with contempt and then looked at Elena to make sure she was okay.
“Mrs. Wilder,” Itzel greeted.