Page 94 of It's a Wonderful Knife

“Any plans on getting more tattoos?” I asked agreeably.

“Nah.” He brushed his rough hand over his arm. “Running out of room.”

“The angel is nice,” Max said. “I prefer serious angels like yours, not the cherubs.”

Frowning, Leo nodded. “Yeah, I don’t think angels would be cute and cuddly. They’re warriors.”

“Protecting the innocent?” I smiled.

“That’s how I see ’em.”

“You’ve worked here a long time.” It wasn’t a question. It was a fact. Leo had been here as long as Mona from what I’d heard.

“Yep. I started right before Mona took over.”

“So you knew Mona’s father?”

He dropped his gaze, and his mouth tensed. “Yes.”

“What did you think about how he didn’t want Mona to run the farm unless she was married?” Had he maybe agreed with Charles? He seemed more enlightened than that, but you never knew.

“I think that was a bullshit excuse to force Mona to marry Ezra.” Leo’s eyes glittered.

He was always so soft-spoken, his emotion caught me off guard. “Do you know why he picked Ezra for her?”

Leo shrugged. “Let’s just say Ezra and Charles saw eye to eye on the subject of women.”

“Huh.” I frowned.

Leo said. “Charles thought Ezra was perfect for his daughter.”

Max frowned. “Didn’t she have any say in it? Surely Mona knew what Ezra was like before she married him?”

“He put on an act,” Leo said quietly. “I tried to warn her, but she thought I had ulterior motives.”

I frowned. “Meaning what?”

Leo sighed, and he stroked his finger over the word “Guardian.” Glancing up, he said, “I don’t suppose I was ever any good at hiding how I felt about Mona.”

“So she thought you were just… jealous?” Max said.

Leo nodded. “Iwasjealous. I’ve loved Mona since the day I first set eyes on her.” A little smile played around his lips. “She was pretty but feisty. To a man like Ezra, that’s a bad thing. But to me? Well, she was perfect. Still is.”

I’d always suspected Leo had a thing for Mona. “I see.”

“Why didn’t you just marry her?” Max asked. “If all Charles needed was for Mona to be married, why not you?”

He chuffed. “Me? To Charles I was just a lowly employee. A penniless farmhand. He wasn’t about to let Mona get married off to someone like me. No, he wanted a man like Ezra. Ezra’s family had some money. Not the kind of money Charles had, which is probably why Ezra was willing to marry Mona. She got a husband, and he got money.”

“This is like something out of the dark ages,” Max muttered.

“Mona knew what the deal was, but she didn’t quite understand who Ezra was. She didn’t grasp how cold he was. I sometimes think the man doesn’t even have a heart.” Leo scowled.

“I do notice he’s not very kind to Dakota.” Max shook his head.

“He does seem tough on Dakota,” I agreed.

“He doesn’t know how to be a father or a husband.” Leo curled his lip. “In my opinion, he’s neither.”