Page 40 of Rough and Rugged

“It is,” I insisted. “You know I don’t mind helping. And it gave me bonding time with Lloyd.”

Caleb’s half-snort might have been a laugh.

“He’s a pretty big fan already.” He nodded at the tool bag. “I’ll put this up, then you can talk at me if you still want to.”

I nearly rolled my eyes at his phrasing. You’d have thought I was trying to make him do something unpleasant when all I wanted was to give him a substantial amount of money.

“For tonight, I’ll just force to you have dinner with me. How’s that? I’ll head into the house and get something started. The other conversation can wait until you haven’t worked your butt off all day.”

“That’ll be a while then. If you want to make us something to eat, that’s fine.” He took a couple steps back and started toward the workshop. I’d just turned to go into the house when his words stopped me.

“You don’t have to force me, Gem. It’s always good to see you.”

That didn’t quite jive with his prickly welcome earlier, but I didn’t call him on it. He was trying; I would, too.

I turned back to look at him, his dark eyes unreadable in the shadows.

“It’s always good to see you, too, Caleb.” Even when he didn’t talk or interact much, I’d always loved just being around him. Even when I’d known he’d only ever love me like a sister, long before he’d stepped up when I’d needed him most, Caleb had owned my heart.

He acknowledged my words with a nod, then continued on his way. I watched him for a moment, that confident stride that I’d recognize anywhere, then headed in to see what I could find for dinner.

Chapter Three

Caleb

TWOYEARSEARLIER

Tears streamed down Gemma’s face as she sat on the couch in Carson’s condo.

“Stefan was so cold. Like it didn’t matter to him at all. Like telling me he’d never loved me, evicting me from his condo, and firing me all at the same time were just a normal everyday thing. He even asked for the ring back.”

That little hitch in her voice hit me dead center in my chest.

“Shithead,” Cade ground out, saying what all of us were thinking.

“And stupid me gave it to him!” Gemma wailed, a fresh wave of tears streaking down her cheeks. “I should have kept it and pawned it. Jerk.”

I could think of a few better names for her now ex-fiancé than that. A jerk was someone who cut you off in traffic. This fucker had just pulled Gemma’s whole life out from under her.

“You’re not stupid, Gem.” She turned her tear-stained face to me, moisture clinging to her eyelashes like dew drops, and my stomach twisted. There were few things in life I hated as much as seeing this woman cry. “You’re just too good for him.”

Not that I, along with my brothers, hadn’t thought that the entire time she’d been with Stefan. From the second she’d started dating him, then moved in with him, then started working for him at his insurance agency, I’d hated it.

When she’d emailed me while I was deployed telling me they were engaged, my heart had nearly imploded. I’d always had a thing for Gemma but had told myself it was impossible. Saying that in my head was one thing. Realizing she was about to belong to another man for life was something else entirely. In the back of my mind, I’d harbored a glimmer of hope, a fantasy I kept buried deep, that somehow, someday, Gemma and I would end up together. Her engagement put an end to that. I’d forced myself to send congratulations in reply, bleeding out with every letter I typed. The only thing I had to be grateful for was that I was overseas, far from home, and hadn’t heard the news in person. If I had, my face would have given me away.

As it was, I’d had nearly a year to work on my game face before I came home between deployments. Following my initial four-year commitment to the Army, I’d re-upped, and was home on leave until my new assignment kicked in.

“Thanks, Caleb. I know you’re right.” She wiped her cheeks and gave me a faint smile. “I just wish I didn’t feel so dumb. He completely fooled me.”

“You’re not dumb, Gemma.” Carson dropped down on the couch next to her, pulling her close for a one-armed hug and a kiss on top of her head. A twinge of jealousy flared before I pushed it down again. Yeah, I was that kind of asshole – envious of my brother for touching a woman I hadn’t even made a move to claim as mine. “You’re good-hearted, caring, and far too damn trusting for your own good. But dumb? Not even close.”

“What he said,” Cade chimed in, giving her his trademark grin. “You rock, Stefan sucks, end of story.”

“Thanks, guys.” She took a deep breath and slowly released it. “You want to know what really stinks? I mean, other than the fact that I’m now homeless and unemployed? I won’t get the trust my grandfather left me. No wedding means no trust, and no trust means no photography business. Darn it, there go the waterworks again.” She paused, swallowing hard, as her eyes welled up again. “It’s not a tragedy. I know that. It’s just hard to watch my dream slip away.”

My brothers and I shared a look. Gemma’s grandfather had been our neighbor when we were growing up. He had taken her in when her mom and third stepfather decided they wanted to travel the world. He’d cared for her in his own way and been a steady, if not overly affectionate, presence in her life until his death four years before. In his will, he’d provided her with a small monthly stipend – not enough to live on, but enough to help – until she turned twenty-five, when she would receive the remainder of the value of his estate, which amounted to several hundred thousand dollars.

There was just one catch. In order to inherit at twenty-five, Gemma had to be married. According to his will, her grandfather hadn’t believed that a woman was capable of managing that amount of money without a man’s guidance. The condition was bullshit, but according to my brothers, the attorneys, it was also perfectly legal.