“This isn’t going to happen. Sierra and I, we’ve been seeing each other.”
Heather took a step back, her eyes filled with skepticism. “Really? I mean, you were like brother and sister when we were younger.”
“It was never like that and you know it.”
“She said she’s been coming over to see you, but I thought that was just so the boys could learn to horseback ride.”
“It’s a lot more than that. Sierra and I have a good thing.”
Doubt filled her eyes. “Sierra is just so serious all the time. Doesn’t that get boring?” She took a step closer again. “We could be so much more.”
Angry she didn’t back off when he told her he and Sierra were together, he blurted out, “Is that what you told David?”
The sexy smile died on her lips. She simply stared at him.
He let her know what he’d suspected all this time. “Danny and Hallee have the same eyes.” Hers went wide. “Their father’s eyes.”
They both jumped at the gasp that sounded behind them.
Before Mason even turned toward the stable, he knew who’d be standing there. He never heard a car because she’d walked across the pasture instead. He instantly knew he’d made a huge mistake in not talking to Sierra about his suspicions before confronting Heather himself. And the look of betrayal he saw in Sierra’s eyes now said she blamed him for keeping this from her.
Sierra dismissed him without a word and focused on Heather. “Hallee is David’s daughter.”
Heather’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry.”
Sierra looked so brittle the dust on the wind might shatter her to pieces, but it was Heather’s words that set her off.
“You’re sorry? Like you were sorry when you stole Miss Maisey when you were four and wanted my baby doll for yourself so you took her? Sorry like when you borrowed my makeup and clothes and never gave them back? That kind of sorry?”
Distress lined Heather’s forehead. “I never meant for it to happen the way it did.”
“But you did mean to sleep with my husband. Were you hoping he’d leave me for you?”
“At first, it was just something that happened.”
“At first? So it wasn’t a onetime thing? You were carrying on an affair behind my back.”
Heather caught herself with a gasp. “It wasn’t like that.”
Oh, yes it was. And Mason felt every ounce of pain he saw etched on Sierra’s face along with her anger.
“You weren’t sneaking around behind my back fucking my husband every chance you got? Without protection? For God’s sake, Heather, you got pregnant with his child.”
“That was an accident.”
“Right. You tripped and fell on his dick in the dark and didn’t realize he wasn’t wearing a condom.”
Heather’s mouth drew into a tight line. “You’re angry. Maybe we should talk about this once you’ve calmed down.”
“This is as calm as I will ever be when it comes to you fucking my husband. And this is the last time we will ever speak. Period.”
Heather’s eyes pleaded. “You don’t mean that. Hallee is Danny and Oliver’s sister. They deserve to know that and grow up knowing each other.”
“Is that right? So you want to tell those two little boys that their father lied to their mother and cheated on her by sleeping with her own sister. Their aunt. How do you think that will make them feel about their father? You think they’ll think he was a good man?”
“We can explain it in a way that doesn’t make them upset with David.”
Sierra laughed without any mirth in a nearly hysterical sound. “You stupid bitch. You didn’t think about anything but yourself. You just took what you wanted, consequences be damned. You didn’t think about how this would hurt me, let alone the children. Tearing up a family didn’t even give you pause.”
“I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. David and I had this amazing connection. He said I made him feel alive.”
“Stop talking,” Mason warned Heather, knowing every excuse out of her mouth was a dagger through the back and straight into Sierra’s heart.
Sierra stood rigid. “No. Go ahead. Tell me how much David wanted you.”
“He loved me,” Heather whispered.
“Did he tell you that while he was fucking you, then coming home to me?”
Heather looked unsure. “I knew he did. I felt it.” Sierra laughed again and it set Heather off. “You don’t know what we had.”
“No. I don’t. Because I was taking care of my kids while you were trying to steal their father and break up their home.” Sierra paused, then shook her head and laughed under her breath. “When I arrived, you were surprised I wanted to move back home. You thought David was the one who wanted to move back here and I didn’t want to leave Napa. You thought that because that’s what he told you.” She hit Heather with another hard truth. “What did you think he’d do, move us all down here and you two would carry on your affair right under my nose? He didn’t want to get caught. He didn’t want to lose his family. He didn’t want to be with you, Heather. If he did, he’d have left me. All he did was give you excuses.”
Hurt, Heather retaliated. “Yeah, well, while you thought he was on a business trip, he was actually with me.”
“I got that. Stupid me for believing my husband, thinking that he cared about me and would never hurt me. I knew there was something wrong between us and I didn’t do anything about it. I ignored it, because I had faith we’d make it right. And we had a good life despite the growing distance between us.”
Heather just stared at Sierra.
“What? Did you think we were fighting like cats and dogs?” Sierra sighed. “You don’t know anything about us, Heather. You weren’t there when we sat down to dinner and talked about the boys and our day. You weren’t there when he played with the boys and put them to bed and spent the weekends hanging out with all of us. You broke a family that could have been saved given some time for David and me to find our way back to each other, because we probably would have. At the core of our relationship we were always friends.”
“You put all the blame on me, but he betrayed you, too.”
“He did. But you’re my sister. I thought that meant something. I would have done anything for you.” Sierra’s eyes filled with disgust before she closed them for a second. “Just looking at you makes me sick.”
“I hoped you’d never find out.”
“I bet. How long did you plan to carry on the affair? Until David and I celebrated our ten-year anniversary? Twenty years? Fifty?” Sierra frowned. “No. You were hoping to celebrate all those anniversaries with him. You hoped he’d leave me and the boys and pick you.”
“Yes! I wanted him to pick me, but I also knew it would never work out even after we had Hallee.”
“Was he there for the delivery? Did he help you pick out her name? Did he paint the nursery especially for her?”
Heather’s gaze fell to the dirt.
“No. He didn’t. Because he was at home with his family. And now he’s not here at all.” Sierra gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were so wide and filled with an accusation she didn’t look like she wanted to speak.
Mason prayed it wasn’t what he was now thinking.
Sierra dropped her hands and sucked in a breath and took a menacing step toward Heather. “He died on Highway 1 when it was socked in with fog. He was coming to see you.”
The accusation hung in the air, thick and menacing and fraught with Sierra’s rage.
Heather wrapped her arms around her middle. Tears cascaded down her cheeks in rivulets. “Hallee got sick. Her temperature was so high. I had to take her to emergency. She had pneumonia. I was so scared I’d lose her, I called and begged him to come. She needed him.”
Sierra and Heather stared at each other for a long moment, then Sierra broke the tense silence. “Should we tell the boys you’re the reason their father is dead, too?”
“It’s not my faul
t.”
“No? Then whose fault is it? David should have been home in bed with me instead of crushed to death on the highway.”
Mason turned at the sound of the house side door closing.
Sierra stared at her boys, each of them holding one of Hallee’s hands, helping her down the porch steps. That’s when the tears fell.
Heather and David deserved her anger.
The kids sparked her grief and sadness.
Sierra brushed away the tears and stared at her sister. “You took my husband. You destroyed my memories of him.” She gave Mason a sharp look, then turned back to Heather. “And now I know why David needed that loan. For you. You took money that should have gone to my children. That cute little house you love so much, I’m the one paying for it. You just took and took and took and didn’t care one bit. Well, let me tell you, I care. I will never forgive you for this.”
“Sierra, please,” Heather choked out.
“No. You don’t get to ask me for anything ever again. Stay away from me and my children. I never want to see you again.” Sierra cut off her words before the kids got too close to hear. She closed the distance to the boys and held her hands out to them. “Come with me.”
The boys let Hallee loose and took their mother’s hands. She turned and headed for the pasture. “We’re going home.” She directed that right at Mason.
Mason’s heart broke and his throat constricted. His chest felt so tight he couldn’t breathe. He’d blown this by confronting Heather without telling Sierra what he knew first.
“Sierra, this isn’t fair,” Heather called out to her as she held Hallee close to her chest and cried.
Sierra didn’t even turn around when she shouted, “You should have thought about that when you took what didn’t belong to you and killed it.”
Heather burst into tears and heaving sobs.
Torn between going after Sierra and trying to make her listen to him and Heather crying all over a bewildered Hallee, Mason chose to save the little girl from her mother and plucked her right out of Heather’s arms.
“Take a minute to get yourself together. I’ll take Hallee to see the horses.” If he couldn’t fix things with Sierra right now, at least he could make a little girl happy.
But damn his heart felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer. He couldn’t bear to see Sierra so upset. He’d explain his part. She’d understand.
He’d show her that no matter what, through good times and bad, he’d be right beside her, on her side, ready to love her through it.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sierra tried her best to hide her rage. The boys felt the vibe coming off her and remained watchful as they walked home. They didn’t understand why she’d made them suddenly leave, without letting them go for their ride, without even saying good-bye to Mason or Aunt Heather.
But she’d said her good-byes. And that was enough for now.
Mason understood exactly what she’d meant when she said they were going home. She meant forever.
Sierra’s mind raced.
He must have known, or suspected, something about Heather, David, and Hallee.
That’s why he’d put off telling her whatever his investigator discovered.
He’d kept a huge secret from her.
After her husband’s lies and betrayal, she wouldn’t stand for another man in her life to keep things from her.
If she couldn’t trust Mason, they had nothing.
As for Heather, her betrayal cut so deep she didn’t think the wound would ever heal. Right now, every beat of her heart pumped out anger and hurt, filling her up to the point she felt like an explosion waiting to happen.
Tears stung her eyes when she thought of David and the last year of their marriage. And she couldn’t help but wonder why, if he wanted to be with Heather, did he stay up in Napa with her?
And if he hadn’t wanted to be with Heather, why didn’t he come clean about the affair and beg her forgiveness?
Lying, cheating bastard.
Her conclusion: he hadn’t wanted to face what he’d done, wanted a family with her and the boys and to keep Heather and Hallee on the side. Unable to face the consequences of his actions, he’d simply bided his time, hoping to not have to ever explain himself.
But a secret like that always comes out.
Sierra was surprised Heather kept her mouth shut this long, never revealing to anyone who Hallee’s father really was.
And while she wanted to blame her sister for everything—Heather was impulsive, reckless, and always felt like she was entitled to whatever her sisters had—David was equally to blame.
He’d carried on with Heather behind Sierra’s back for God knows how long. He’d fathered a child with her sister. He never said a damn thing to her about it. He never voiced even a hint that he wanted out of their marriage.
Of course she knew he’d been hiding something. But he still maintained their relationship. He was the perfect father. They still talked about their days, spent time together, kissed each other hello and good-bye, and yes, they’d had sex. Not as much as they used to, but they’d have a great night and then she’d wake up hopeful everything would go back to the way they were before, but then David would be distant again.
His guilt built a wall between them.
She hadn’t known what it was at the time. She’d blamed herself, thinking that it must be something she did—or didn’t do—that built the barrier between them.
But it had been David’s actions that had ruined them as a couple.
He had doomed them, and he’d known it.
Instead of doing the right thing and confessing and letting her go, he’d hid his dirty deed.
All those months she’d wanted to confront him. Yes, she’d kept silent, hoping things would get better and she wouldn’t have to upset the boys by fracturing their family.
But David had torn their family apart the second he slept with Heather.
The boys didn’t know the full truth, but they’d felt something off in the house. Just like they felt her dark mood now.
And just like David had done, she was going to have to hide the truth from them, for now anyway.
When she finally got to the house, she found her mom sitting on the porch reading the mail when they walked up the steps. She took one look at Sierra and the smile she’d had for them died on her lips. “What’s wrong?”
Sierra walked the boys to the front door, opened it, and stared down at them. “Please go upstairs, wash your hands, then you can have an hour of screen time. I need to speak to Grandma privately.”
Danny stared up at her, eyes wide and filled with worry. “Is everything okay? Will we go see Mason later?”
She touched Danny’s soft cheek. “I’m sorry, honey, but no. Something happened between us and I need to figure out what happens next.”
“I thought you liked him.” The concern in Danny’s eyes turned to dismay. “Tell him to apologize.”
“I wish it were that simple, sweetheart.”
“Don’t you want it to be okay?”
She put her hand on his shoulder and leaned over to look him in the eye. “I need some time to figure things out.” Her anger made it hard to think reasonably and rationally.
Danny’s eyes narrowed with frustration that she didn’t give him an answer that made sense. If she could make sense of her feelings right now, it would be a lot easier.
She’d asked Mason to find the truth about the money and what David had been doing with it. But now she thought he’d already known. Or suspected it. Either way, he must have known to look in Heather’s direction.
Danny took Oliver’s hand and tugged him into the house.
She closed the door and turned on her mother. “Did you know?”
Her mother’s head drew back at her angry tone. “I don’t know what’s got you so upset, but I do not appreciate being spoken to that way.”
Sierra took a few steps toward her mom and pinned her in a hard glare. “Did you kno
w that Heather was having an affair with my husband and Hallee is David’s child?”
All the color drained from her mom’s face and her eyes went wide. “What? No.” She shook her head back and forth saying, “No. No, no, no. She wouldn’t do that.”
“She did do that. Again and again and again. She thought David was going to leave me for her.”
“Do you believe that?”
“That he was telling her the truth? No. I think he got caught up with her and wanted to somehow keep me and the boys. He strung her along, probably hoping he’d come up with some way to fix this.”
Dede stood and embraced her. “Sierra, I’m so sorry.”
Sierra didn’t want to hurt her mother’s feelings, but she didn’t want to be touched or held right now. And because she didn’t want to take things out on her mom, she gently pushed her away and took two steps back, her body tense, her chest aching with the expanding ball of emotions she tried to contain, but wanted to get rid of all at the same time.
“I think Mason knew about it.”
“What?”
“I don’t know how, or when he figured it out, but I think he suspected they had an affair and that Hallee belonged to David. He never said a word to me. Nothing.” She pressed her hand to her forehead. “I think that’s why he was reluctant to track down the money.”
Dede gasped. “The house. I thought Heather saved up for it.”
Sierra sneered. “Their private little getaway. David would sneak away from us, pretending he had a business trip, and slip right into her bed.”
Even more anguish filled her mother’s eyes. “Oh, Sierra. I’m sorry. I wish I knew what to say.”
“There’s nothing to say. David’s not even here to defend himself. Not that he could after what he’s done. No, he left me to clean up the mess.” She paced away, then back. “But you know what, I’m not cleaning up anything. As far as I’m concerned, Heather is just as dead to me as David is. They can both go to hell for all I care.”
Her mom touched her arm. “You don’t mean that.”
She snatched her arm back. “Don’t I? This isn’t the same as her stealing the keys to my car and taking it out on a joyride. She slept with my husband and had his child and hid it all this time, soaking up all the sympathy we showered on her because Hallee’s father wasn’t in the picture and poor Heather had to do it all alone.” It made her seethe inside to think of all the times she’d tried to soothe and sympathize with Heather. “She played on all of our heartstrings. We went out of our way to help and support her this past year and half. I’ve been such a fool.” She raked her fingers through her hair. “And to top it off, she’s the one who begged David to come see her the night he died.”
Sisters and Secrets Page 20
