Read Online Fall to Pieces by Jami Alden - Free Book Online

rushed through him at the light touch.
    He didn't bother correcting Jim about the
circumstances around his injury. The details of what happened that
day were classified, and even if they weren't, the Army did the
best they could to keep any friendly fire casualties out of the
news.
    "It's just not a day I like remembering."
Understatement of the year. While his body had recovered, the
attack had left deeper wounds that would take much, much longer to
heal.
    After a few seconds of silence, Jim spoke
again. "I expect your father is enjoying having you around to help
out."
    "I like to think so," Dylan said. He forced
his shoulders to relax, his fingers to lie flat against the
table.
    "Nice little business Frank has built up.
He's lucky to have sons to leave it to."
    Dylan shrugged. "I don't think he's given it
much thought."
    "Seems a shame not to pass on his
legacy."
    "I don't know that it's much of a legacy,
nothing like this place."
    "Don't think it counts if there's no one to
pass it on to."
    Dylan frowned. "What about Sadie?"
    "Sadie?" Jim gave him a look like he was
crazy. "She can't take over the place."
    Dylan didn't miss the way Sadie's shoulders
stiffened or the way the laughter left her eyes.
    "Ranching is no business for a woman," Jim
continued.
    "That seems like kind of an old fashioned
take on things," Dylan said, wishing he'd kept his mouth shut. He'd
had no idea this was such a sore spot.
    "Not old fashioned. Realistic. Most women can
barely tolerate this life. Sadie's mom is a perfect example."
    It was on the tip of Dylan's tongue to point
out that maybe it was Jim's gruff demeanor that Angela Thornton
couldn't tolerate. Then he remembered how tough the split, which
had happened over the summer between their junior and senior year,
had been on Sadie. She'd come back to school thinner than ever and
had hardly cracked a smile the first half of the year.
    He could have kissed June when she stood and
said brightly, "I'll just get dessert!"
    Sadie gave him an almost imperceptible shake
of her head. He took that to mean dessert wouldn't be any
improvement over dinner.
    "None for me. I'm stuffed," he said and
pushed back from the table. "I'm going to go finish unpacking."
    "Thanks June, I'm good too." Sadie said and
stood as well. "I need to get the mares their dinner."
    He followed her silently from the house, and
instead of going left toward his cabin he hooked a right and
followed her into the barn.
    It was dark and cool inside and smelled of
horses and fresh hay. Half a dozen mares hung their heads over the
doors of their stall, whickering as Sadie started to pull a bale of
hay off a stack in the corner.
    "Let me help," he said and went to take it
from her.
    "I've got it," she said and swung the heavy
cube away from him. She reached in her back pocket, pulled out a
small folding knife and used it to cut the twine. "Despite the fact
I'll never be running this place, I'm capable of throwing the
horses a little hay."
    She pulled a couple flakes from the bale and
tossed them over the door of the first stall.
    "Sorry if I brought up a sore subject."
    "It's not like it's anything I haven't heard.
It's no secret Dad always wished I'd been a boy."
    It was the first he'd ever heard of it,
surprising given they'd spent plenty of time together growing up.
Then again, he realized with a pinch of shame, he hadn't spent a
whole lot of time asking Sadie about herself. He'd mostly just
wanted her help getting his math and science homework finished as
quickly as possible.
    He reminded himself that most teenage boys
were as selfish and clueless as he'd been, but that didn't stop the
little ache in his chest at the thought of Sadie growing up knowing
that in her father's eyes she somehow fell short.
    He watched as she finished distributing the
hay and paused next to one of the mares, a pretty little bay with a
white star on her forehead. She snuffled and stuck her muzzle in
Sadie's cupped palm.
    "Would you want to run this place?" he