Wildflower Bride in Dry Creek

Everyone just kept looking at him.

“I heard it was a bomb,” Jake finally said. Then he turned to Angelina. “In fact, she told me it was a bomb.”

Tyler could see where this was going. “Angelina only passed on what the military sent to her father’s firm.”

His mother was starting to frown as he talked.

“But that’s what I never understood,” she said. “Isn’t the military supposed to notify your next of kin?”

“I didn’t want to bother you,” Tyler explained. “So I listed Brighton Security as my next of kin.”

“Not bother me—” his mother said, her voice rising. “I’m your mother. I’m supposed to be bothered if you’re dead.”

“And just who is this Brighton Security?” Wade demanded. “If you didn’t want to put Mom down as your next of kin, you should have listed me.”

“I didn’t have anyone’s address,” Tyler said in his defense. Maybe he’d taken his independence too far, but he never thought the military would need to contact someone anyway. “And Brighton Security is where I work.”

“But that’s—” His mother still sounded confused. “Isn’t that Angie’s last name?”

“Angie?” Tyler didn’t understand. “You mean Angelina?”

Even in high school, Angelina had never allowed anyone to shorten her name. Not that many tried. He turned to look at her now.

“I didn’t want to be different,” she said. “Everybody here is Amy or Susie or Mary or something short. Even your mom is Gracie Stone.”

All he could do was shake his head. Here Angelina was, a bona fide rich society woman, and she wanted to sound like she’d grown up in Dry Creek. Kids here spent their summers dreaming about going to the big city. He could suddenly sympathize with her father. Mr. Brighton had worked for decades to give his daughter every advantage possible, and all she wanted was to blend into a small Western town like Dry Creek.

“I think I need to sit down,” Tyler said as he walked over to the chair Wade had been sitting in. He looked at his brother. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Anything for you,” Wade said.

Tyler closed his eyes, feeling tired. The doctors had warned him he’d have some bad days for a while, even before he began his physical therapy. He doubted they’d counted on this kind of a day, though.

“I should make you some tea,” his mother said.

Tyler nodded, not bothering to open his eyes.