Read Online Good Together by C. J. Carmichael - Free Book Online Page A

Marietta for the rodeo? Callan told me he helped with the fall roundup this year. Did pretty well for a greenhorn, she said.”
    Down in Paradise Valley winter came early and cattle were moved out of the hills at least three or four weeks sooner than here by the Flathead.
    “Callan invited him, not me. But I ended up being glad she did. Dawson and I—well, we’ve mended fences, you might say.”
    “Didn’t you tell me he’d been married? And that he has a daughter?”
    “Savannah is a great kid. As for the wife—that’s over. Before we hooked up again, I made sure Dawson had the official divorce papers.”
    The word hit the air like a bomb blast, reverberating long after both sisters had fallen silent.
    Divorce. Divorce. Divorce.
    A word that just one month ago, Mattie never would have thought would apply to her.
    Her first few tastes of the butter chicken had been delicious. Now she set down her fork, convinced she couldn’t handle another mouthful.
    Sage looked concerned and apologetic. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
    “Don’t be silly. No sense avoiding the subject, since I know that’s why you’re here.” She reached over to squeeze Sage’s hand. “Something I very much appreciate by the way.”
    “Of course I came. I’ve been worried sick since your call. Have you heard anything from Wes?”
    “Nothing. Not a word in sixteen days.” She watched the puppy... tired from all her frolicking, she’d finally fallen asleep on the fuzzy dog bed Nat had given them. “I don’t even know where he is.”
    Sage’s eyes widened. Mattie could tell that she hadn’t expected the situation to be this dire.
    “Rodeo weekend you told me he’d been badly shaken when a buddy was killed last spring.”
    “Yes. Dex Cooper. He was about five years younger than Wes. And it must have been awful for Wes to see it happen to someone he knew personally. Normally he talked to me about stuff like that, but this time he didn’t say a word. It was eating at him, though, I could tell. I thought maybe he’d finally retire. I didn’t expect—"
    She stopped, not needing to say the rest.
    “Why would you expect him to leave you? You guys were so good together.”
    “I thought so,” Mattie said softly.
    “You were, ” Sage insisted. “And you will be again. Don’t give up too easily. Sixteen days seems like a long time now, but when you compare it to twenty years of marriage, it’s just a hiccup.”
    Mattie really wished her sister was right and this stormy period was something that could pass. But she hadn’t told Sage everything. So she filled her in about the key and the phone call from the mystery woman. “The signs point to Wes having an affair...”
    She waited for Sage to disagree. But she didn’t.
    “Maybe he is. Maybe he isn’t. But even if Wes has been unfaithful, that doesn’t have to spell the end.”
    “Are you kidding me?”
    Her sister studied her closer, her gaze intense. Then she took a deep breath. “I have a secret to tell you. I’ve kept it from you, Dani, and Callan for a long time. But I think it may help you see your current situation differently.”
    “What is it?” She could tell the secret was a big one. And if anyone in their family was capable of keeping quiet about something important, it would be Sage.
    “Let’s talk in the family room,” Sage said. “I’ve lost my appetite and I see you have too.”
    Mattie cleared the plates, feeling guilty for ruining a meal that her sister had gone to so much effort to prepare. While she stored the food in the fridge so they could eat it later, Sage set a couple of birch logs in the fireplace, started the fire, then brewed a pot of tea.
    Once the work was done, Mattie tucked herself into her favorite corner of the sofa, feeling cozy and safe. Sage curled up at the other end, resting her feet on the large oak coffee table.
    “So what’s the big secret?”
    Sage looked uneasy. “I hope what I’m about to tell you