Page 65 of Colorado Bride
He went down to the kitchen and found his mother sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.The scent of bread baking filled the room and made his mouth water.Ben did love fresh bread.
“Ben.Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
Doris stood and walked to the cupboard before he could respond.
“Yes, that would be nice.”
She put down the cup full of hot, dark brown liquid in front of him.Now the scent of coffee mixed with the bread and his desire to eat was almost overwhelming.But he steeled himself and persevered.
“Mother.Did you see Rory take Emily?”
“Is that what that lying little witch said?That I watched from my window while he took her away?”
“I never said where she’d seen you.”
His fingers tightened around his cup.
“You just gave yourself away.Why, Mother?How could you let that happen?”
“What could I do to prevent it?”
“Perhaps ring the signal for dinner.Anyone on the ranch would have come.But regardless of you doing anything, you should have told me right away.You shouldn’t have lied to me about witnessing the kidnapping, either.”
He took a deep breath realizing that his hopes for a contented household was not to be.
She hung her head.
“I admit that was not well done of me.”
“No.It wasn’t.I’ll build you a little house on the other side of the property, closer to Golden.I don’t want you to be stranded.You’ll also have your own little barn for a cow, horse and some chickens.”
His mother’s head snapped up and Ben saw the look of panic on her face.
“No, Ben.Please.”
“Did you know that Rory had orders to kill her?”
She frowned.
“But he didn’t follow through, did he?”
“Of course, not.Whoever hired Rory, didn’t know him or me very well.They thought that he and I are enemies.Which we are not.”
Her eyes widened.
“But he rustles cattle from you all the time.”
Ben couldn’t sit still any longer stood and paced the kitchen.
“I let him.He believes he’s my brother.”
“So what if he is.His mother was a trollop your father took up with before he died.”
Ben stood stock still.The silence was deafening.
“How long have you known he was my brother?”
His mother put her nose in the air and sniffed.
