Privately, she speculated that this was part of the problem between Nash and Travis, but now was not the time to ask.
“I’m sure she’d like to blame all her issues on me, but that’s not why Susie is so fucking rude. I’m fairly certain it’s hereditary because her mother is…quite something.” Nash flicked his index finger, gesturing a checkmark. “My father was just another steppingstone for her. Don’t get me wrong, he cheated so the blame sits on his shoulders, but she was no saint. Susie’s reputation proceeds her. She’s known for two things, being hateful and screwing anyone that will piss off my father.”
For the first time, Nash allowed her to truly see beyond his sophisticated rough and tumbled exterior. There was nothing more dangerous than a man with charm, especially when he unleashed it from a place of real emotions. They’d shared stories and talked candidly, but tonight he was sharing a piece of his soul. A beautiful gem hidden deep within the thick, impenetrable walls of his heart scarred by years of guilt and anger. One thing was certain, Ember wanted to protect it. Cherish it.
“What about Sam?” Her small hand poked out from the cuff of the flannel. Reaching out, she took his hand, kneading the palm with her thumbs. “The two of you seem close.”
“It took a few years, but we have a solid relationship as brothers and in business. We’ve worked on a few projects together and had success. Susie is just as hateful to him. Hell, even my Dad can barely tolerate her at times.”
“But when it comes down to it, you’re still family?”
“Sometimes I think family is overrated. What determines a family? Is it blood? Love? Trust? Some sort of instant bond that’s made with another person regardless of their biological relationship? Or is it an absolute feeling of sheer loathing? Because if it’s the latter…my sister has it mastered.”
Her hushed laughter carried through the air. “Maybe family is a combination of all feelings and accepting a person for who they are.”
“I guess that could be.”
“Did your father accept you? Is that why you made such a big change in your career?”
“Growing up I felt like I had a lot to prove. For a long time, I followed in my father’s shoes, and Sam’s. I would’ve done anything to make him proud. I set lofty goals and pursued them doggedly, shattering them one by one, but my success in construction didn’t make me happy. While Sam was content to follow my father’s path, it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted more.”
The strength in his voice sharpened her perception. “How did you get into the oil business?”
“I forged my own way, leaping from project to project, determined not to fail. If I’m being honest, I was determined to do better than them, to be more successful than my father or Sam. Back then, I was insanely driven.”
“You still seem pretty driven.”
He snickered, raking his long fingers through his dark, wavy layers.
“Reed said you’re known for being a maverick.”
Nash showered her with a relaxed, haughty grin, acknowledging, “I don’t mind taking on the giants in the industry.”
“Why oil? I mean, obviously we’re in Texas and it’s a lucrative business so that’s a given, but what made you want to drill for oil?”
Nash stood. Offering his hand he assisted Ember to her feet. Grabbing hold of the fleece blanket, he wrapped it around them escorting her to the far edge of the fort.
“Do you see those rigs out there?” He pulled her in close and pointed between two large limbs of the ancient oak. “Past the river’s bend.”
Ember looped an arm around his waist. Peering out beyond the far reaches of Harris Ranch she picked out the silhouette of dozens of pump jacks bobbing in the distant fields like monstrous praying mantises. “Are those yours?”
He shook his head. “No, but when I was a kid, I used to lay here and watch the drills pumping up and down and pretend I was a rough neck. I’d even ride all the way over there, tie my horse to a tree, and get as close as I could to the fence, so I could listen to them talk while they were working.”
Nash encircled her in his arms and rested his chin on top of her head. They stayed that way for minutes, swaying like the branches of the old tree, watching the naked glow of the moon fall over the valley.
“I’m not sure why, but I’m surprised they don’t bear the name NBH Exploration yet.”
His subdued laughter coiled through the air. “I tried.”
Peeling her front from the comfort of his chest, she gazed up at him in the darkness. “Do you see your mother?”
“No. Not since the day she left.” His lip ticked and the air thickened with unspoken emotions. Nash’s eyes wandered off to a faraway place beyond the reaches of the environment, giving a shake of his head. “She got a hold of me a few years ago…asking for money.”
The stillness of the atmosphere soaked up her silence.
Pain and heaviness rolled off him in waves. Locking her fingers together at the small of his back, she pressed a trail of sweet kisses along his collarbone before resting her cheek to his beating heart.
“That had to be hurtful.”
“It was,” he acknowledged sincerely.
“Did you help her?”
“I owed her that much. I wouldn’t be the man I am today if she would’ve decided to stick it out.” Nash’s head bobbed up and down methodically. “And then I told her never to contact me again.”
Pangs of anguish and heartache sifted through her brain and body. Ember keyed her fingers up the muscles flanking his spine and curled the tips over his shoulders, snuggling closer. Words of consolation bubbled up inside, things she wanted to say, questions she wanted to ask, but that’s not what Nash needed or wanted.
“Anyway, that’s the quick version of how I got into the oil business. It’s a tough, gritty environment, but I love the risk.”
“Is this your way of telling me that we’re done talking about your family?”
“Maybe we should take baby steps. Feelings are somewhat new to me, and my family is a lot to take in.”
Each encounter with this man was like peering through a looking glass of life, exposing his vulnerable heart one little emotion at a time. She knew he preferred keeping his feelings tucked away for no one to see, so she wouldn’t push.
“Baby steps it is then.”
Color burnished the bridge of his nose and an amused twitch lifted the corner of his mouth. His eyes needled with humorous speculation, seemingly impressed by her ability to comprehend, and recognize his needs.
“Gypsy woman, you just keep surprising me. You’re turning my world upside down.”
Chin resting on his chest, she beamed up at him. “Maybe it’s been upside down all along and I’m just the lucky one who gets to help turn it right side up.”
Chapter 20
Nash
The scent of dew and earth held thick in the air as light creeped into the edges of morning. He woke to find an empty spot beside him in the sleeping bag. Conversations, intimate declarations made the night before, wove through his thoughts. What he expected to be a long, uncomfortable discussion, professing issues from his past, came as a welcomed relief. It’s not as if he’d been wallowing in self-pity for twenty-five years, but he couldn’t hold onto the internal ache anymore.