Read Online Shameless by Joan Johnston - Free Book Online

as he leaned across the cluttered surface and put himself nose-to-nose with King. “That’s not what we agreed. You offered me free rein here, but that’s not going to happen if I can’t spend money. I knew I couldn’t trust you!” He rose abruptly and snarled, “What am I supposed to do until you—or Uncle Angus—finishes what you’ve started? Sit around and twiddle my thumbs?”
    King met his gaze, his blue eyes flecked with the black in his soul. “I’ve told you how things stand. What you do is up to you.”
    Matt’s heart was racing as he whirled and strode from the room. His father knew he had him over a barrel. Matt wasn’t going anywhere, despite this setback, because he didn’t want to uproot his kids again so soon. And besides, where would he move them?
    He’d headed straight to the stable, afraid of what he might do or say if he ran into one of his younger sisters before he got out of the house. Thank God Pippa had come home safe and sound so soon after he’d discovered her missing, because he already had enough worries on his plate.
    Trust King to screw him! Matt didn’t give a damn about Kingdom Come. He planned to sell the ranch the instant the three hundred and sixty-five days he had to live here were done. He’d been making changes because he could see the potential here, and he’d figured he might as well spend the year increasing the value of his property.
    And because he would go crazy if he didn’t have something to keep his mind off all the other disasters that had occurred to force him back home.
    He set down the brush he’d been using to groom Pippa’s mount and slung his arm around the horse’s neck, leaning his cheek against the sleek hide, swallowing hard over the painful constriction in his throat, and blinking to stave off tears.
    He’d made a real mess of his life.
    The horse turned his head around to check on Matt, and he let go and smoothed a hand across the animal’s withers. “I’m fine, thank you very much.”
    He left the stall, but he still wasn’t ready to head back to the house, so he walked in the opposite direction. The night was cold, and he zipped up his fleece and shoved his hands into the pockets.
    He should have known better than to come here. He should have known King wouldn’t honor his bargain. After all, he’d lied to Matt in the past. What had made him think King wouldn’t lie to him again?
    But he hadn’t had much choice. It wasn’t only Pippa’s pregnancy that had convinced him to accept King’s offer. He needed to get Nathan away from his prescription-drug-addicted mother, who was making noises like she wanted Nathan to come spend more time with her in Darwin. He wasn’t about to let that happen, especially after what had occurred the last time he’d left Nathan alone with her.
    His belly churned as he recalled the moment he’d seen his small, unconscious son in a large white hospital bed. The doctors had wanted to amputate Nathan’s right leg. Irene had been so drugged up she’d been incoherent. She’d already told the doctors they could do whatever they thought was best.
    He’d arrived in the nick of time and insisted that the doctors set the bones in both of his son’s legs, instead of cutting one of them off. It had been touch and go whether Nathan would ever walk again, even with crutches. Matt blamed himself every time he saw his son limp across a room. He should have known better than to trust his child with someone as irresponsible as Irene. Coming to Wyoming was a small price to pay to protect his son.
    And Matt had figured he would never have a better chance to make King pay for what he’d done all those years ago. Matt’s hate had simmered for a long time, and it hadn’t taken much to make it boil over. He knew King believed he would stay the full year at Kingdom Come. After all, he’d sold his cattle station in the Northern Territory. Where else could he go to do what he loved? Ranching was in his blood. He came