Love All Out - The Complete Series (A Stepbrother Romance) by Alice Ward Page B

my patience can outlast your confusion.”
    Yeah… Daddy started out as ‘poor’ too. But he could buy out your family three times over now.
    “I see,” I snapped. I couldn’t believe Bradley’s nerve. I’d always thought he was a nice guy, but I was starting to realize it had all been an act to win me over. “You think your money gives you some sort of claim on me? You think that I’m as shallow as you are, and I’d marry for money instead of love?”
    “You can grow to love someone. But you can’t grow money… well, I guess I can. I turn the crops into cash every year,” he boasted.
    His arrogance infuriated me and the guilt I’d felt for the way I was treating him completely disappeared. I grabbed my evening bag, pushed my chair away from the table, and stood up in a huff.
    “For the record, I’m perfectly capable of providing myself with the kind of life I’m ‘accustomed to’. And I’m also smart enough to decide what’s good for me. Your so called patience is nothing more than arrogance and I’ve had quite enough of it this evening… for a lifetime, actually. Tell my father I’ll be waiting in the truck.”
    “You’re making a mistake, Willow,” he insisted again, his face growing hard.
    “My only mistake was ever believing you were a good person. You know, that’s why I’ve resisted you for so long. You seemed too nice. I see now that that was just a façade. You’ve shown your true colors tonight, and you should be ashamed of yourself. Stop wasting your time pining for me. Go find a woman who’s happy to be told what to think and do. And when you meet her, give her my sympathies.”
    I stormed out of the ballroom without giving Bradley a chance to respond.
    ***
    Matt whistled. “Damn! You told him! I can’t believe that asshole. Bradley’s always seemed like a nice, even tempered guy. He had some nerve talking to you like that.”
    It was Sunday morning and Matt and I were having breakfast together at the main house. I’d called and asked him to come in early so I could tell him about my argument with Bradley. I had a horrible hangover, but the pancakes and coffee were helping immensely.
    “I thought he was a nice guy too,” I agreed with a nod. “Turns out, he’s just really good at hiding who he really is. I swear Matt, his arrogance was so thick I almost choked on it.”
    “Do you think this will cause problems between Cole and Dale?” Matt asked as he loaded his fork with scrambled eggs.
    I shook my head. “I was so pissed off last night. The moment Daddy got to the truck, I told him exactly what had happened. He was appalled by the things Bradley said to me and promised he was on my side.”
    Matt looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “You told him everything? Including what Bradley said about you and James.”
    “Okay, maybe I left a few details out,” I confessed. “But there was no reason to mention James. Daddy finally told me that he has feelings for Renee. James and I dating… or fooling around… or whatever would just make things more complicated than they already are.”
    “I don’t know,” Matt said in a sing song voice. “I think James’s feelings for you go beyond fooling around.”
    My heart leapt to my throat and I dropped my fork into a sticky puddle of syrup. “What makes you say that?”
    “I’ve hung out with him a couple of times this week,” he replied with a shrug. His tone was much more casual than the news called for.
    “What! When? And what did he say?”
    “Renee’s been worried about him. She was running back and forth from the barn to the cabin to make sure he was taking his medicine and not over exerting himself. I offered to check on him a couple of times to give her a break. I think he’s been lonely in the cabin. We’ve hung out, shared a few beers. James is actually a pretty nice guy, if he doesn’t want to sleep with you. And unfortunately for me, I fit into that category.”
    I was stunned. “How am I just hearing