his brothers but himself. "Let's just thank God no real harm was done. Nothing happened. I swear it. When I realized she wasn't going to run, I walked out."
"Maybe so, but it still looked bad. You'd better hope nobody in town gets wind of it, or that girl's reputation will be shot, and you won't have anybody to blame but yourself,"
Ace bit down hard on his back teeth. It would be a hell of a note if he ended up honor bound to marry Caitlin O'Shannessy to save her reputation. Just the thought was enough to turn his stomach. "Nobody’ll get wind of anything, I guarant-ass-tee you that. None of us will say anything, and if any of them do, they're damned fools."
Another brief silence fell between them. Ace finally broke it by saying, "You know what breaks my heart the most? That Ma has lived with the truth all these years, never once asking any of us to share the burden with her. Thinking back on it, I can't recall a single time she even so much as hinted that Eden was in any way less a Paxton than the rest of you."
A blank expression came over Joseph's face. "Less a Paxton?" He left the words hanging, his face slowly registering his incredulity as the truth started to sink home. "What the hell do you mean, less a Paxton?"
Too late, Ace realized that his brother had not seen Caitlin O'Shannessy's face as clearly as he had. When she had moved into the light, her back had been to Joseph, and the rest of the time, it had probably been too shadowy for his brother to tell much,
"Oh, hey, Joseph, I'm sorry. I thought—"
"Son of a bitch!" Joseph pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes closed. "Goddamn son of a bitch! You can't be serious. Conor O'Shannessy? That's what you're saying, isn't it?" He dragged in a deep breath. "No, goddammit, not our little sister. I don't believe it. Not Eden . You're wrong."
Ace shifted slightly in the saddle. "Hey, Joseph. I really am sorry. I honestly thought—" He broke off. There was little point in continuing. What he had thought was obvious. Ace knew that Joseph was feeling just as he had half an hour ago outraged, stunned, furious. He wished he could diminish those feelings, but knew he couldn't. Joseph would have to work his own way through them.
Ace curled a hand over his brother's shoulder. "Hey, little brother, I know it's tough. But remember this. As hard as it is to accept, nothing's really changed."
Joseph knocked Ace's hand away and, in the process, dealt Ace a stinging blow along the jaw. "Let go of me, goddammit. I don't need or want your mollycoddling."
"Joseph, I know how upset you're feeling. But after you've had a few minutes to think about it, you'll realize it really doesn't matter. Eden 's the same little sister we've always loved. Who cares who her father was?"
"I do, damn you! You're saying our sister was spawned by the son of a bitch who hung our pa? Jesus Christ. If it's true, how can you say it doesn't matter?" Joseph pinned Ace with a defiant glare. "As far as that goes, how do you know you're even right? The O'Shannessys aren't the only people in the world who have red hair, you know. Ma's a blonde. So am I. There could be red hair in Ma's family, just like she said. Just because Eden and the O'Shannessy girl have similar coloring, it doesn't mean—"
"It's not just the hair," Ace cut in. "A mirror image, Joseph. Those two girls look enough alike to be twins. Just wait until you get a close look at her. Eden 's sturdier of build and taller. But, otherwise, you have to search to find the differences between them."
Joseph closed his eyes again. After a long moment, he heaved an exhausted sigh. "Our poor mother. All these years, keeping it a secret. I'd like to take that bastard apart with my bare hands."
Ace knew the feeling, but before he could say as much, he heard horses approaching. The riders would be his other two half-brothers and the hired hands who had been with him and Joseph over at the O'Shannessy place. Joseph glanced back over his
"Maybe so, but it still looked bad. You'd better hope nobody in town gets wind of it, or that girl's reputation will be shot, and you won't have anybody to blame but yourself,"
Ace bit down hard on his back teeth. It would be a hell of a note if he ended up honor bound to marry Caitlin O'Shannessy to save her reputation. Just the thought was enough to turn his stomach. "Nobody’ll get wind of anything, I guarant-ass-tee you that. None of us will say anything, and if any of them do, they're damned fools."
Another brief silence fell between them. Ace finally broke it by saying, "You know what breaks my heart the most? That Ma has lived with the truth all these years, never once asking any of us to share the burden with her. Thinking back on it, I can't recall a single time she even so much as hinted that Eden was in any way less a Paxton than the rest of you."
A blank expression came over Joseph's face. "Less a Paxton?" He left the words hanging, his face slowly registering his incredulity as the truth started to sink home. "What the hell do you mean, less a Paxton?"
Too late, Ace realized that his brother had not seen Caitlin O'Shannessy's face as clearly as he had. When she had moved into the light, her back had been to Joseph, and the rest of the time, it had probably been too shadowy for his brother to tell much,
"Oh, hey, Joseph, I'm sorry. I thought—"
"Son of a bitch!" Joseph pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes closed. "Goddamn son of a bitch! You can't be serious. Conor O'Shannessy? That's what you're saying, isn't it?" He dragged in a deep breath. "No, goddammit, not our little sister. I don't believe it. Not Eden . You're wrong."
Ace shifted slightly in the saddle. "Hey, Joseph. I really am sorry. I honestly thought—" He broke off. There was little point in continuing. What he had thought was obvious. Ace knew that Joseph was feeling just as he had half an hour ago outraged, stunned, furious. He wished he could diminish those feelings, but knew he couldn't. Joseph would have to work his own way through them.
Ace curled a hand over his brother's shoulder. "Hey, little brother, I know it's tough. But remember this. As hard as it is to accept, nothing's really changed."
Joseph knocked Ace's hand away and, in the process, dealt Ace a stinging blow along the jaw. "Let go of me, goddammit. I don't need or want your mollycoddling."
"Joseph, I know how upset you're feeling. But after you've had a few minutes to think about it, you'll realize it really doesn't matter. Eden 's the same little sister we've always loved. Who cares who her father was?"
"I do, damn you! You're saying our sister was spawned by the son of a bitch who hung our pa? Jesus Christ. If it's true, how can you say it doesn't matter?" Joseph pinned Ace with a defiant glare. "As far as that goes, how do you know you're even right? The O'Shannessys aren't the only people in the world who have red hair, you know. Ma's a blonde. So am I. There could be red hair in Ma's family, just like she said. Just because Eden and the O'Shannessy girl have similar coloring, it doesn't mean—"
"It's not just the hair," Ace cut in. "A mirror image, Joseph. Those two girls look enough alike to be twins. Just wait until you get a close look at her. Eden 's sturdier of build and taller. But, otherwise, you have to search to find the differences between them."
Joseph closed his eyes again. After a long moment, he heaved an exhausted sigh. "Our poor mother. All these years, keeping it a secret. I'd like to take that bastard apart with my bare hands."
Ace knew the feeling, but before he could say as much, he heard horses approaching. The riders would be his other two half-brothers and the hired hands who had been with him and Joseph over at the O'Shannessy place. Joseph glanced back over his
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