It was the first time he’d felt good in weeks.

He might not be a football player like the rest of his brothers, or like his father, but the Cassidy athletic dynasty was what made him into the athlete he’d become. And he owed all of that to his father, Easton. The man was a sports legend, had played football in college and spent his entire career in Green Bay. He’d been one hell of a quarterback, and he was one hell of a dad.

It was always good to come home and feel the energy his dad still emanated.

Tucker needed some of that feel-good fire right now. Because right now he felt broken.

Coward.

That word hovered incessantly in the back of his head like it had been branded there for all eternity. And he goddamn didn’t like that feeling.

He heard the front door open and the sound of boots approaching. He knew without looking those were the sounds of his father’s footsteps.

“You’re up early. I would have thought you might have slept in.”

Tucker looked over at his dad, who, even in his mid-fifties, still looked as robust and healthy as he’d been the last time he’d played a game for Green Bay. Working the ranch kept him active and Tucker was grateful for that.

“Haven’t been sleeping much.”

“I figured you didn’t make this stopover because you wanted to spend a day helping me rebuild fence on the northeast side of the property.”

Tucker laughed. “Yeah, not so much.”

“Okay. What’s going on?”

Tucker looked out over the front of the property. Dogs were playing and scrub blew across in the breeze. But it was calm and peaceful.

Not inside Tucker, though. Inside there was turmoil, a twister of emotions he needed to get out. “I’m in love with Aubry Ross. She’s Clyde Ross’s daughter.”

“Clyde Ross being the owner of the Rivers?”

“Yeah.”

“Is that a problem?”

“It wasn’t until she brought me to her parents’ house for dinner. Clyde pulled me aside and told me that Aubry’s career in medicine has to take precedence in her life, and if I didn’t stop seeing her he’d send me back down to Triple-A ball or trade me.”

“Bastard.” His dad took a sip of his coffee, then took a seat on one of the chairs on the porch, propping his feet up on the porch rail. “So what are you gonna do about it?”

“I don’t know. If it was any other guy telling me to stop seeing his daughter or else, I’d tell him to fuck off. No one tells me what to do. But Clyde Ross owns the Rivers. He could do anything he wants to me, from trading me to sending me back to Triple-A ball.”

Tucker sat on the top step, turning to face his dad. “Instead, I took a step back from the relationship, keeping my distance from Aubry.”

“Understandable knee-jerk reaction to having your job threatened. What did Aubry say when you told her what her father said?”

“I didn’t tell her. I didn’t want to pit her between me and her dad.”

His father took another few swallows of his coffee before answering. “Okay. I can kind of see your point there. But now I guess you’re gonna have to choose.”

The door opened. “Choose what?”

Tucker’s mom came outside. A former lawyer, she was smart, savvy and had managed to raise five unruly children without killing any of them.

“Kid’s got a problem with a woman and her dad,” his father said. “Tucker, fill your mom in on what happened.”

While his mom took a seat next to his dad, Tucker told her what had happened with Aubry and with Aubry’s father.

“Well, hell,” his mom said. “That’s unfair. To you and to Aubry. She’s not a child and she’s old enough to make her own decisions regarding her personal life. But to threaten your career like that? That’s below the belt, Tucker.”

“Yeah. The worst thing is that I immediately backed away from Aubry. I deliberately avoided her. Deep inside, I knew it was the wrong choice, but I got scared.”

“How do you know it’s the wrong thing?” his mother asked, her lips curving as if she already knew the answer.

“Because I feel miserable. Every damn day I wake up feeling awful, and I go to bed feeling awful. I miss her. I miss talking to her and I miss seeing her. And even worse, she found out about her father’s threat. She came to my condo and read me the riot act. Then she dumped me.”

“Ouch.” His mother sipped her coffee. “I don’t blame her for being angry with you, Tucker. We women don’t like it when men keep secrets.”