ou thinking this?” Gabe asked.
“The stable… the man… he said mean things about me and you didn’t deny them. You lied to me.” With trembling fingers, I wiped the tears from my cheeks.
“Seems like there’s a whole slew of lies these days,” Tucker countered. “Let’s work through them.”
I kicked a clod of dirt in the short grass in front of the house. The sun was low enough in the sky to be blocked by the building.
“Mr. Masters did speak disrespectfully, and I’m sorry you heard that. What you obviously didn’t hear was when we told him we married you because we were in love.”
I gasped at Tucker’s plain words then dropped to the ground since my legs couldn’t hold me. The words had literally knocked me off my feet. My dress billowed around me in the grass.
Love?
“You obviously didn’t hear the man’s nose breaking, and you didn’t see Kane and Ian drag the bastard to the property line,” Gabe added.
My mouth fell open.
“Did you?” Tucker asked.
I gave a little shake of my head as I glanced up at him through my tear-fringed lashes. “I heard the mean words then ran out.”
“We haven’t lied to you, precious. Not once.”
“As for fucking you the first time, Tucker told you why he took you that way. Because he wanted you to feel good.”
I nodded numbly again, remembering he’d done just that.
“I’m not keeping track, but if I’m correct, every other time we’ve fucked you, we’ve been face-to-face and watched you as you came,” Gabe added.
My tears fell even harder now, knowing I’d done both of them a disservice, especially in using it as a weapon against them with my brother.
“I am sorry,” Tucker began. “So very sorry you had to hear what Masters said at all. I should have punched him in the face sooner.”
Gabe made a sound of agreement.
“Perhaps you should start from the beginning about your lies.”
I flinched but knew the words were warranted.
I wiped my cheeks, sniffed once, then again, and told them the entire sordid story from the beginning. I spoke of my friendship with Tennessee, her interest in Mr. Grimsby, her pretense of being wealthy. Then of Mr. Grimsby and his threats. And on and on. Neither man interrupted me and, as I spoke, the words came easily. I’d told them of the made up beau, but it was only part of the big lie. When the recounting finished, I was truly lie-free.
“You did all that to save your friend?” Gabe asked.
I’d been looking down at my fingers, clutched together, but I met Gabe’s dark eyes at his question. “Of course. I couldn’t just leave her to that man.”
“No, you like to rescue everyone,” Tucker replied. “Not caring about the expense to you.”
He meant my brother and how I’d saved him from the fire. My scar.
“He did have a gun,” I said, grumbling, thinking of Mr. Grimsby.
It hadn’t been the right thing to say. Tucker’s jaw ticked. “A gun! It is not your job to save your friend. Alone,” he added.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Gabe wondered.
“Why didn’t I… because Mr. Grimsby would have killed you!”
“You don’t think we can protect ourselves and you, precious?” Tucker asked.