The Reckoning, A Wilde Brothers Christmas (The Wilde Brothers Book 4) by Lorhainne Eckhart Page A
Authors: Lorhainne Eckhart
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surgeon. Something went wrong in surgery. Doctors screw up all the time. She just happened to get fired over it. She beat herself up for a long time and hid out at her grandfather’s place for months. She still carries the grief over what she did. She has a conscience, Dad, and she’s a damn good doctor. If it wasn’t for her, Ryan wouldn’t even be here. You don’t know this, but she saved him when he was injured on that damn horse we used to have.”
Joe stopped as a smile crept over his father’s lips. Raymond lifted his coffee to his mouth and took a swallow. “Nice, Dad,” Joe said, shaking his head.
Logan couldn’t help wondering what his dad’s game was.
“Well, it was starting to sound like you want Margaret home, or is it that she has a better job than you?” Raymond said. Well, that was right to the point—and what Logan had been thinking. But his dad had said it first.
“I’m just a feller, sell lumber, pick up jobs where I can to make ends meet. I don’t have a college degree, and I’m not interested in being supported by my wife,” Joe said, then waved his hand in front of his face. “Besides, we’re having a baby. This isn’t the time to be starting some high-stress career around a bunch of sick people.”
“Sounds to me like the problem is your ego, Joe,” Ben said. “She’s a doctor. I say good for her for getting back on her feet after being kicked in the head.” He turned to Jake and Samuel. “And you two, what’s up with you? Don’t think I didn’t notice how you’ve avoided each other.” He glanced between them. Both had been unusually quiet. Only Logan knew the whole sordid story.
“I asked Jill to marry me,” Jake said. He cleared his throat, and both Ben and Joe looked at each other and frowned.
“Who’s Jill?” Ben asked, looking to Logan. Of course Raymond didn’t miss the gesture, and this time he appeared annoyed.
“You asked Jill, my girlfriend, to marry you?” Samuel snapped. He had leaned forward and was now sitting at the edge of the sofa, his fists flexing.
“Excuse me, Samuel,” Joe said. “Aren’t you with Deena, remember, the girl of your dreams? Or is she the one who threw you out?”
Logan hoped the women couldn’t hear over the music, as Jake and Samuel were starting to get loud.
“No, she’s the broad he picked up in the bar in front of Jill, the dipshit’s way of blowing her off because he was getting cold feet,” Jake snapped, jabbing his finger at Samuel.
“Hey, you two, knock it off.” Logan put his hand on Samuel’s arm. For a minute, he wondered whether his brother was going to shrug him off.
“I was scared, is all. It didn’t mean I didn’t care. I made a mistake. Jill knows that.”
“How the hell does Jill know? She knows you hurt her.” Jake was now standing, and the last thing Logan wanted was for his living room to be turned into an arena where Jake and Samuel would start throwing punches.
“Jake, I told you you were playing with fire. And, Samuel, with what you did to Jill, you lost any right to have a say in who she sees.” Logan was standing between them as Samuel rose to his feet.
“Well, you see, that’s where you’re wrong. Jill came to me and told me you asked her to marry you, but, brother, you’ll never have her—because it’s me she’s in love with.”
Logan never saw it coming. Jake’s fist blew right past him and hit Samuel in the jaw, knocking him backwards over the coffee table, sending a lamp flying. The wood splintered, the lamp shattered, and then Jake was on top of Samuel, hitting his brother in the face over and over. There was yelling and shouting and craziness as Logan reached down at the same time Ben did, both of them pulling Jake off Samuel. Jake wasn’t an easy man to hold back, though. With all that muscle and rage, it took everything Logan and Ben had to keep him from knocking them over. Joe was helping Samuel up. He had blood coming from his mouth and a red mark
Joe stopped as a smile crept over his father’s lips. Raymond lifted his coffee to his mouth and took a swallow. “Nice, Dad,” Joe said, shaking his head.
Logan couldn’t help wondering what his dad’s game was.
“Well, it was starting to sound like you want Margaret home, or is it that she has a better job than you?” Raymond said. Well, that was right to the point—and what Logan had been thinking. But his dad had said it first.
“I’m just a feller, sell lumber, pick up jobs where I can to make ends meet. I don’t have a college degree, and I’m not interested in being supported by my wife,” Joe said, then waved his hand in front of his face. “Besides, we’re having a baby. This isn’t the time to be starting some high-stress career around a bunch of sick people.”
“Sounds to me like the problem is your ego, Joe,” Ben said. “She’s a doctor. I say good for her for getting back on her feet after being kicked in the head.” He turned to Jake and Samuel. “And you two, what’s up with you? Don’t think I didn’t notice how you’ve avoided each other.” He glanced between them. Both had been unusually quiet. Only Logan knew the whole sordid story.
“I asked Jill to marry me,” Jake said. He cleared his throat, and both Ben and Joe looked at each other and frowned.
“Who’s Jill?” Ben asked, looking to Logan. Of course Raymond didn’t miss the gesture, and this time he appeared annoyed.
“You asked Jill, my girlfriend, to marry you?” Samuel snapped. He had leaned forward and was now sitting at the edge of the sofa, his fists flexing.
“Excuse me, Samuel,” Joe said. “Aren’t you with Deena, remember, the girl of your dreams? Or is she the one who threw you out?”
Logan hoped the women couldn’t hear over the music, as Jake and Samuel were starting to get loud.
“No, she’s the broad he picked up in the bar in front of Jill, the dipshit’s way of blowing her off because he was getting cold feet,” Jake snapped, jabbing his finger at Samuel.
“Hey, you two, knock it off.” Logan put his hand on Samuel’s arm. For a minute, he wondered whether his brother was going to shrug him off.
“I was scared, is all. It didn’t mean I didn’t care. I made a mistake. Jill knows that.”
“How the hell does Jill know? She knows you hurt her.” Jake was now standing, and the last thing Logan wanted was for his living room to be turned into an arena where Jake and Samuel would start throwing punches.
“Jake, I told you you were playing with fire. And, Samuel, with what you did to Jill, you lost any right to have a say in who she sees.” Logan was standing between them as Samuel rose to his feet.
“Well, you see, that’s where you’re wrong. Jill came to me and told me you asked her to marry you, but, brother, you’ll never have her—because it’s me she’s in love with.”
Logan never saw it coming. Jake’s fist blew right past him and hit Samuel in the jaw, knocking him backwards over the coffee table, sending a lamp flying. The wood splintered, the lamp shattered, and then Jake was on top of Samuel, hitting his brother in the face over and over. There was yelling and shouting and craziness as Logan reached down at the same time Ben did, both of them pulling Jake off Samuel. Jake wasn’t an easy man to hold back, though. With all that muscle and rage, it took everything Logan and Ben had to keep him from knocking them over. Joe was helping Samuel up. He had blood coming from his mouth and a red mark
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