Emmett, his middle brother, always referred to him as the runt of the litter. He said it matter-of-factly, without malice, and had been surprised when Rush became upset. “Not your fault, Shorty. You just don’t have the family looks.”
And that was true. Hadn’t Father told him as much, stating that it was only his resemblance to his grandmother that kept Father from assuming Mother had had an affair nine months before he’d been born? Father had said it in the heat of an argument, but all that meant was his tongue wasn’t as zealously guarded as it usually was, not that the belief wasn’t lurking in the back of his mind.
It surprised Rush that Tadder wanted to be friends with him, but when he thought about it, he realized it shouldn’t have. Not only was Tadder so good-looking he made Rush’s m
