The Outsider Series

Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Diana didn’t know how long she sat behind the old bargain-store desk, with bank statements, papers, and overdue notices sprawled over the desktop. She’d rummaged through the drawers and pulled everything out, but now the room was a mass of shadows, and she had to squint to read the numbers.

A boot scraped, and someone cleared their throat behind her. Diana startled and scooted around to see her brother-in-law Brad hovering in the doorway. He leaned against the door jamb and then scratched his head, wincing as he watched her. Diana took a deep breath, smelling the fresh hay and horse manure, and listened to the horses, now back in the barn stalls, munching on hay.

Diana rubbed her eyes, which burned from reading fine print and numbers, notices, and zero balances. She had a pretty good idea now of the financial mess they were in, and she wondered how Jed had managed to hide all of this. She leaned back in the stiff wooden chair.

“What are you doing back here, Brad?” Diana felt numb, tired, and pretty beat up as she gazed up, wondering why Brad was here.

“Neil picked me up. I just flew in. Listen, Diana, I love my brother. He’s about as pigheaded as all of us. But he’s family, and you’re family. And family sticks together. At one time, Jed and I were about as far apart as two brothers could get. Never talked for years, and I blamed him for something he didn’t do.”

Brad pushed away from the wall, shoved his hands in his faded jean pockets, and stepped around the cluttered desk to sit on the edge. “My first marriage was a disaster. Well… let’s just say I’ve grown up a lot, but I was more interested in how a woman looked hanging off my arm, with all that flash and glitter, and I wanted Crystal—except she was about as faithful and trustworthy as a tomcat is to a rat. She was a drama queen who was never happy unless everyone else around her was miserable. She didn’t like the closeness of my family, and she figured she could have both me and Jed. Let’s just say she played us against each other, and I said some things to Jed I’ll never forgive myself for. Even after she left… with all the trouble she caused, I never reached out to Jed, even though I knew deep down she’d played us both. It was Emily, my wife now, who helped bring my family together.”

Brad looked away, and Diana wanted to reach out and touch his arm, ease the guilt she could see he still carried for his brother. “I didn’t know any of that. Jed never told me.”

Brad was in shadows as he stared down at Diana. “Jed was hurt real bad, and it was partly my fault. Jed always did things his own way, but after that he walked away from the family, made his own way. I admire him and his pigheaded determination, but I’m also careful with him now. I respect him. I’ve also seen how much he loves you, and he’ll die to protect you and Danny. Jed doesn’t take kindly to anyone getting into his business.”

Diana reached for one of the folded papers on the desk. She handed it to Brad. “This is how much Jed’s in arrears on the mortgage.” She reached for another letter on the pile in front of her. “This is from the state about the grant I thought we had for start-up costs for the therapeutic riding. Apparently, funding was pulled, so where Jed was getting the money from put us here…” Diana reached for another pile of papers on the desk. “These are the bank statements, line of credit, all the credit cards. Everything’s maxed out.” She allowed the papers to fall from her hand and onto the desk. “We’re broke. There’s no money coming in. So, evidently, my husband was so stressed out he wasn’t sleeping. When I asked him what was wrong, he wouldn’t tell me. He was killing himself: the barn roof, the riding ring, the horses for me. We didn’t have the money to do it. So when he stepped onto that ladder, stressed and tired, it was because of me that I damn near lost… him.” Her voice trembled as a sob caught high in her throat, and she pressed shaky fingertips to her lips. Her eyes burned, but she wouldn’t let a tear fall as she forced a smile to her lips.

Brad stared with deep concern for her. “This isn’t your fault, Diana.” Brad still held the letter from the bank. He briefly read it, lips firm, and looked back at her. “I’ll talk some sense into Jed. It’s why I came back.” Brad was a handsome man, solidly built, just like Jed, but older, in a different way.

“I can’t let you do that, Brad. Jed’s my husband. I respect him. I’m really mad at him right now, and he’ll be angry that I know about this.… He’ll be furious that you know.” She took a deep breath and stood up. “I need to go talk to my husband. I was supposed to call the banker back at four, and I didn’t because I didn’t know what to say.”

Brad didn’t say anything for several seconds. In the dimness, she couldn’t make out what he was thinking, not that she could read his mind, but she was pretty good at reading people’s expressions and knowing how they were feeling. Brad was so much like Jed in that way, both men who hid everything, as if they thought that would somehow insulate their women.

“It’ll be late by the time we get there, but I’ll drive you.”

Diana saw then, in the way he stepped toward her, that he too had a few things to say to Jed.

“Let me check on Danny,” she shivered in the cool night air and rubbed her bare arms, “and grab my coat.”