Hank had a whole heap of consequences for his actions he’d avoided having to contend with.

And Gabe could have done something to make his father pay. But he hadn’t. Because when it had come down to it, he’d wanted to keep his mother safe from them. He hadn’t wanted to destroy it all.

And part of him, a part he’d hated, had understood.

Because when he’d been seventeen and he’d faced down his own unintended consequence, all he’d wanted to do was run.

He could still see his girlfriend’s tearstained face when she’d told him she wasn’t pregnant, after all. And he’d been entirely made of relief, and she’d been devastated. The resulting fight had put Tammy and Hank Dalton to shame, and at the end of it Gabe had been left with a lot of hard truths about himself.

The one girl he’d ever cared about and he’d failed her. He’d gotten to know her in study hall. Had become obsessed with making out in cars and then later sex in cars, because of her.

A high school boy’s dream. Love at only seventeen and nothing but the future in front of them.

He’d thought with all the feeling between them they could have made something. Something that could have lasted forever.

But oh, he’d been wrong. And he’d seen how stupid you could be for a feeling you told yourself was love.

He’d seen it explode right in front of him.

And he’d failed spectacularly.

And what the hell would have happened if she had been pregnant?

What would he have done?

He wanted to think he’d have done the right thing. But the fact of the matter was, when the going got tough in his life, he seemed to behave like Hank Dalton.

When they arrived at the barn, Beatrix was already out front with the horse ready to be loaded into the trailer. Her curly red hair was tumbled-looking, and she had a wide grin on her face. And the source of the smile stood behind her, her fiancé, Dane Parker, Lindy’s younger brother.

Gabe knew Dane pretty well, from their years riding together in the rodeo, though Dane rode bulls like Wyatt Dodge. He had also been horrifically injured a little over a year ago, though he seemed on the road to recovery now both mentally and physically.

Jamie smiled when she saw Bea, and when he parked she got out of the truck and greeted her friend enthusiastically. It was definitely a different kind of reception than he ever got from Jamie.

He followed behind slowly, and gave Dane a nod, extending his hand. The other man shook it. “Long time, no see,” Dane said.

“Yeah, I think the last time I saw you, you were drunk,” Gabe said.

“Uh, no,” Dane said. “I think the last time you saw me I was doing the walk of shame out of Bea’s cabin.”

“Oh, right,” Gabe said.

That had sure been a moment. Dane and Bea had gotten caught fooling around by her former sister-in-law, Wyatt and Gabe all at the same time. How could he have forgotten that?