By his lack of surprise, a thought occurs to me. “Wait a minute, did you know she was my client?”
His smile deepens. “I had a suspicion. When her agent booked, she told me her client needed to learn skills for a role, and she paid plenty to get you alone . . . and for our discretion. Said her client didn’t want any exposure. How many actresses do we know who’re currently in town? Wasn’t too hard to put two and two together.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?”
Landon returns to pumping oil into the tractor. “I find that things work out better when they unfold organically. If you knew, you might have screwed it up.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, brother.”
He shrugs. “It worked out, didn't it?”
“That it did.”
Preston is practically bouncing on his toes. “You told her about Audrey?” he asks in a rush. “She forgave you?”
“I did.” They’ve both stopped what they’re doing again to look at me in anticipation. “And she did. In fact, we reconciled.”
Landon nods his head in approval. “‘Bout time.”
Preston moves his hand in a rolling motion as if to get me to tell more. “And?”
I shrug. “And what?”
“Are you back together?”
I rub another buckle. “Time will tell. You can’t rush these things.”
A whistle has us all looking to the barn door. Dillon walks inside. “So, the woman whisperer hasn’t completely lost his touch after all.” He’s in his typical bank attire, but he’s taken his tie off and is holding a manila envelope. “Now we don’t have to see you mope around after you’ve watched another one of her episodes,” he continues.
“I don’t mope,” I say. They all give me a look that says they think otherwise. I just shrug, refusing to let them ruin my mood. I’m still on a Malia high, and I plan to ride it until I see her again.
“When will she come visit?” Preston asks.
“It’ll be a bit longer,” I say.
“Jax wants her all to himself,” Landon says.
“It’s not just that. I mean, yes. But it’s been eight years. We’re not the same kids we were when we first fell in love. A lot has changed, and we need to see whether or not those changes will allow us to have a future together.” I also need Malia to get used to the idea of a child. It’s a big responsibility, and I want to be sure she understands and accepts that fully before introducing her to Audrey.
“While I’m actually impressed with that sentiment,” Dillon says, tapping the envelope on his other hand, “you may want to speed up your timeline a little.”
That’s definitely not the response I’d expect from my twin, who is usually the very responsible, take-it-slow type. He’s the kind of guy who works out every angle and scenario before making a decision, unlike me, who dives in headfirst without reservations or apology—or at least I used to. I look at the envelope in his hands and an uneasy feeling turns my stomach. “Why are you here, Dillon?”
He holds up the envelope. “I was mistaken for you by a process server today. Brittany got a lawyer.”
I drop the rag and close the distance to Dillon in three steps, anger and dread closing in like a stampede of spooked cattle.
He hands me the envelope. “I’m not a lawyer, but from what I can tell, she’s just trying to scare you. No official paperwork has been sent or filed with the court system. The main part is a a statement from her lawyer on letterhead saying that if a resolution isn’t reached between the two of you, Brittany will be left with no choice but to take you to court.”
“So she implicated herself in blackmail?” Landon asks. He and Preston have stopped what they were doing and are crowding around Dillon next to me. I examine their concerned faces, and my heart warms a little. We’re family, and when one of us is threatened, all of us are.
Dillon shakes his head. “No, the letter was very careful in wording, making sure not to indicate exactly what the terms of a resolution might be.”
“If she doesn’t want Audrey, then why is she doing this?” Preston asks, his hands in balled fists.
I pull the papers out of the envelope and start to read them. “Because she thinks it will strong-arm me into giving her more money.”
“It’s a bluff,” Dillon says.