The Cowboy's Texas Sky (The Dixons of Legacy Ranch 2)

“Why?”

“Because you might realize the opportunity you have here.”

“I’m just supposed to be grateful like I’m some charity case?”

Had Travis been this petulant as a teenager? No wonder his pops had wanted to throttle him most days. But add to the mix that this kid’s background was far less stable than his had been, and all of this had to suck for Brandon and make him feel like a defensive ball of stress. Travis had had a family rally around him in his time of need, had access to the best medical care and treatment. Brandon had no one but Sky and Anita. Only one of them was actually fighting for him.

“Naw.”

Brandon scoffed, not getting the irritated reaction he’d been angling for. “At least she had a dad,” he mumbled.

“Yeah, a dad who beat her.” Shit, he’d said far too much, letting his frustration get the better of him. It was Sky’s story to tell, not his. “She and I went steady all through high school. We were gonna get married once. If there was ever a grand slam case for DFPS to revoke a parents’ rights, it was hers, but she never got so lucky.”

Travis bit down so hard on his tongue, he might cut through it. Fidgeting, Brandon smarted, then fell silent, then shook his head.

“Who’d do that to her? She’s, like, the nicest person.”

That little utterance told Travis the most important thing. Beneath his armor, Brandon was a good soul and saw Skylar for who she was when he was willing to admit it. Maybe just like with him, Skylar could see through the layers of Brandon’s bullshit, too, to the good in his core.

“Give her a chance, man. She built this sparkly life out of a helluva lot of darkness. And if she can do it, so can you.”

But he wondered… The way Skylar kept pulling back from him, the way she seemed flirty one moment, reluctant the next… Had this sparkly life cured the darkness from which she was sprung? Or had it only covered a deeper darkness up?

All this talk about Skylar and mention of Rhett had that protectiveness burgeoning within Travis. He inhaled and rolled out his bunched shoulders, nodded in place of words, and turned once more to go find Skylar as Brandon pushed inside the house. Yoda shimmied through the door after him. Ten bucks said that binder would be gone later when the kid’s curiosity got the better of him.