Abiding Love by Kate Welsh Read Free Book Online Page B

Xandra. Her friend looked a bit troubled.
    “Adam wasn’t very enthusiastic over the idea, but Mark certainly was.” She frowned, looking thoughtful. “But I’m afraid it was only that Mark saw Adam’s attitude toward riding and adopted the opposite one.”
    “Why would your brother be so contrary? I seem to remember he took several junior championships.”
    “Adam competed until he was about Mark’s age. But Father turned riding into constant practice and perpetual competition for him. It was like a job for Adam, not the joy it should have been.”
    “He did the same thing to you, right?”
    Beth nodded. “Adam threatened to start losing badly if Father didn’t let him quit eventing. Father was trying to build his own reputation as a coach then and he knew Adam meant what he said, so he gave up. But he also took away Adam’s horse and sold it. Adam acted as if he didn’t care, but I know he was upset over losing Lancelot. Apparently, he rarely got to ride just for enjoyment.”
    “Where was your mother while all this was happening?”
    “Oh, she was there. Until then Adam had been the rope in a subtle tug-of-war between our parents. She was thrilled Adam wasn’t riding anymore. She’d always pressured him about school and his grades.”
    Xandra felt a little thrill that the lieutenant commander once hadn’t been so perfect in school himself. She smirked. “School problems?”
    “Adam? Never. School was his refuge. That much I remember. My brother always had a book in his hand. Remember, I was only eleven when he left to join the Navy.”
    Xandra thought of her life at eleven, and growing up with a brother like Jason. The subtle pinches under the table when she said something he didn’t like at dinner. The way he’d corner her and threaten to choke her if she screamed. She’d lived in terror of her brother until he was sent away when she was sixteen. Her own selfish exaltation that she was free even though it meant a younger girl had been hurt was not one of her finer moments.
    But she was trying to make up for all that now.Helping Beth’s nephew would go a long way toward easing her aching conscience.
    “So things got better?”
    Glory, Beth’s mount, sidestepped, bumping into Fly Boy. It took a moment to settle both horses. Xandra anxiously waited for an answer.
    “All I knew at the time was that the battles between Adam and my parents stopped. Their relationships never recovered, though. I think the Navy represented freedom from our parents’ single-minded expectations for him. Adam wants so much more for his relationship with Mark than he had with our parents. That’s what makes this all so sad.”
    Xandra grimaced. “I’m sorry life was so hard on him, but I confess I can sort of identify with Mark. Your brother is this larger-than-life figure, and I can’t seem to keep a conversation with him on target. I try to get my point across kindly, but it’s hard to be kind when…he…he makes me so nervous.”
    Beth stopped and turned in her saddle. She stared at Xandra for a long probing moment. “Not all men are abusers. Strength can be controlled. And not all control is bad. One other thing I remember about my brother is his innate goodness. Even though he’s probably led a very violent life as a SEAL, I know in my heart that he isn’t someone you need to fear physically.”
    Xandra shrugged. She was disturbed by how much she wanted to put stock in Beth’s memories of Adam. She herself had known the truth about her enormously popular brother’s hidden faults. But Adam had beengone a long time and, as Beth had just admitted, he’d lived what must have been a violent life. That had to have left a mark on him.
    “No offense, but your brother’s past is of no consequence to me. Mark is my only concern. For his sake I’ll be happy if Adam can be trusted, but I shouldn’t have that much to do with your brother. My interaction with any parent is minimal.”
    “Still, you need to learn to