Which I supposed was, sadly, his new normal routine.
The bear had been doing a little bit better since the attack and I attributed that to Nolan. In the week before his father’s death, he’d been playing his violin for the stressed animal twice a day. Nolan hadn’t been so sure it was helping, but I’d seen a difference in the bear. When Nolan would play, he’d pace the confines of the enclosure less and he’d eventually stop altogether and just sit and watch Nolan from afar. It wasn’t much, but it was progress. When I’d first gotten Gentry, it had taken me more than a year to get the animal to even come near me, so it wouldn’t surprise me if it took that long or longer to earn his trust back.
Since I had a few minutes before I had to leave, I made a quick detour so I could check on the bear. As I neared his enclosure, I saw that Sawyer was standing inside the double fence. My shoes crunching over the snow gave away my presence and he turned around.
And I instantly stopped in my tracks.
Because it wasn’t Sawyer.
“Dallas,” my brother said softly as his eyes met mine.
I shook my head in disbelief. If I could have talked, I probably would have said his name.
Maddox watched me for a moment, then left the enclosure area. I still hadn’t moved by the time he exited the building. I watched Loki run up to my brother, but he didn’t sniff him like he normally did when he met a new person.
Which meant he’d met Maddox before.
What the hell?
As he neared me, I automatically stepped back, then caught myself and forced myself to stand still. His cruel words rang in my ears as he stopped a few feet from me.
It should have been you that died, not her.
Maddox was dressed in a heavy parka and dark pants. Despite not having seen him for almost ten years, he hadn’t changed much. He was a little taller than me and it looked like he’d filled out a bit more, though it was hard to tell with the type of clothes he was wearing. His hair was shorter than it had been when we were kids, though I attributed that to his life in the military. He had some laugh lines that made him look a little older than he actually was, but it was his eyes that stood out more than anything else.
The last time his dark green eyes had been focused on me, they’d been dancing with brittle anger. Now they just looked dull and tired.
“It’s good to see you,” Maddox murmured. His gaze settled on my throat. Most of my scars were hidden by the button-up shirt, but not all of them.
When he took a step toward me, his hand outstretched, I stepped back.
I had absolutely no interest in shaking his hand.
I wanted him to get the fuck off my property.
I was in the process of pulling out my phone to tell him that when I heard my name being called. I looked over my shoulder to see Sawyer heading toward us.
“Hey, I was hoping I’d catch you before you left,” Sawyer said, seemingly unaware of the charged air that hung between me and Maddox. “Would you tell Nolan I’m thinking of him and his mother?” he asked.
I managed a nod.
“And don’t worry about things around here. Maddox and I have it covered. I mean, I was doing okay on my own, but it’s definitely easier with two people.”
I shot Sawyer a look at that. Something in my expression must have clued him in because his smile faltered. He looked back and forth between me and Maddox.
“Um, everything okay here?” he asked.
Maddox sighed and said, “I didn’t exactly tell Dallas I was coming.”
Sawyer’s face fell, then he looked at me. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Dallas. I thought you sent him to help me out.” He shook his head.
“And I didn’t correct him,” Maddox admitted.
I didn’t have time for this shit. I put out my hand to shake Sawyer’s in the hopes he’d understand we were okay. He quickly shook it, and I pulled out my phone and motioned to it and then him to let him know I’d text him later.
“Got it,” he said.
I didn’t spare my brother another glance as I hurried up the path toward the parking lot.
“Dallas, please, I just need a second.”
Frustration coursed through me as Maddox fell into step next to me. I shook my head violently.
He stepped in front of me on a narrow part of the path. I ground my jaw together as I was forced to stop.
“Look, Sawyer told me what happened to your friend.”
I jerked my hand in a sharp motion to the right and then pulled out my phone.
I typed Boyfriend and stabbed my finger at the screen.