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“You’re right,” I say. “Maybe in a few weeks.”
“Promise me, Erin.”
I sigh. “Okay, I promise.”
I’m lying, though. I can’t take time off. Sure, one day is fine. Any more than that is crazy.
“Good. And hey, it’ll be okay. There are plenty more fish in the sea.”
I don’t know about that. I’ve been swimming around out here for a while, and I’m not getting any younger.
“I’ll be okay. Thanks for listening.” I sit straighter in my seat. Screw this guy. I won’t let him get me down.
“I’m always here for you, you know that.”
“I know. I love you, Riley.”
“Love you, sweetie.”
Riley and I hang up. The tears threaten to start flowing again, but I force them back. I’m at work, and I can’t walk in with a puffy face and red eyes.
I take a deep breath and turn off the car. As I step out onto the sidewalk, I’m suddenly hit with the smell of rain. It’s been raining on and off for days now, and I can’t help but think it’s some kind of cosmic punishment for whatever I did to deserve Dan’s cheating.
I make my way through the parking lot, my heels clicking on the pavement. The building looms in front of me, all glass and steel. It’s a state-of-the-art medical facility, and I’m lucky to work here. But today, it feels like a prison.
I push open the door and the blast of air conditioning hits me square in the face. It’s freezing in here, and I shiver as I make my way to the elevator. The doors slide open, revealing a young couple holding hands. They look happy, and for a moment, I envy them.
But then I remember what I have going for me. I’m successful. I’m independent. At the end of the day, I don’t need anyone for anything.
How many people can say that?
So, even though it feels like I’m dying inside, I put on a happy face and push forward. Because, no matter what, at least that’s one thing I’m great at.
CHAPTER 5
JOSH
Another day, another wildfire.
And all of them ones I need to put out.
“So how many head are missing?” Pushing my hat back, I rub at the ache forming between my eyebrows.
My foreman, Phil, studies the broken fence. “Ten.”
Squinting my eyes, I study the fields and woods beyond the ranch. “They can’t have gone far.”
“Yep. The boys are already out looking for them. Shouldn’t be too long before we find them. Those coyotes are getting bolder, though.”
I nod and head back to my horse. It’s always a pain in the ass when cattle stray off from the ranch.
I swing myself up onto my horse and take off, scanning the area for any signs of the missing cattle. It’s a beautiful day, sunny and clear, but all I can think about is work. I’ve been running this ranch for years now, and it’s a never-ending cycle of hard work and long hours.
Every morning, I wake up and do it all over again. At this point, I’m so far into it and the operation that I’ve inherited is so big, there’s just no turning around. It’s like I’m on a barreling train that can’t be slowed.
I should be grateful for the job, for the business that my dad turned over to me. And most days I am.
But other days, like today, I feel close to my breaking point. Lost in a life that doesn’t quite feel like it’s mine.
