AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I nod, hoping I don’t regret this. I can’t stay in San Antonio, though, or I’ll be bored out of my mind. Or go on vacation alone. With nothing to keep me busy, I’ll go crazy.
What I need is a project, and that’s exactly what my mother is providing. I’ll help my parents pack up their house, and I’ll come back to work feeling refreshed and ready to tackle anything that comes my way.
It’s the perfect plan.
Yes, I’m not keen on returning to Fort Williams. Aside from my academic achievements and some good times with Riley, the memories aren’t great at all.
Especially the ones from the night of graduation…
Even thinking about it now makes my cheeks burn. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more humiliated in my life.
The fact that Josh acted as if he liked me before turning on me was just salt in the wound. He had no reason whatsoever to be so cruel, and yet he was exactly that.
Returning to the scene of that crime isn’t exactly on my bucket list, but I’ll do what I need to in order for Sakina to take me back at work.
And then I’ll return — fresh and ready to take on anything. Once again, Fort Williams will dissolve into nothing but an unfavorable memory.
CHAPTER 7
ERIN
The next day, I hop on a plane and head back home. The flight is uneventful, and I spend the time catching up on some much-needed sleep. When I finally arrive in Fort Williams, I’m not surprised to see much of the town unchanged.
The same quaint shops and restaurants line the streets, and the same old houses that I remember from my childhood still stand tall. As I make my way to my parents’ house, the memories come flooding back.
I remember playing tag with my friends on these very streets, riding my bike up and down the hills, and sneaking out to meet Riley at the park after dark. But those memories are bittersweet, tainted by the combination of my parents’ high expectations for me and always feeling like an outsider for wanting more.
Leaving town behind, I trail through the countryside filled with cattle and sporadic buildings. The spring weather is perfect, and I roll down the window to catch a breeze.
As I approach a familiar driveway, I stiffen.
Josh’s house. His family ranch.
Does he still live there?
I don’t see why he wouldn’t. Sure as rain, he was slated to take over from his dad.
Although maybe he surprised everyone and left the ranching life behind.
But then I see a familiar figure on horseback. It’s him. Strong and confident, talking to another rider while pointing at something in the field.
It’s like my teenage hormones come flooding right back. I try to shake off the feeling, but my heart races as I catch a glimpse of his chiseled jawline and piercing blue eyes. He looks good. Too good.
I quickly turn away before he sees me looking and hit the gas a little harder.
The man has only gotten better looking with age, but he’s the last person around here that I want to see. I can hear his ribbing now, joking about how the “mighty have fallen” once he sees me back in Fort Williams.
My teeth clench, and I grip the steering wheel a little tighter. The arrogance of that guy.
No doubt, he hasn’t changed much since high school. Why would he, if he’s never left this small town?
A few miles down, I reach the gravel driveway that takes me up to my childhood home.
As I park next to my parents’ cars, I’m reminded of why I left town in the first place. The same sense of suffocation that I felt here as a teenager begins to creep up on me once again.
But I push those feelings aside as I step out of the car and walk up to the front door. I pause, then knock — an act that always feels out of place at the home I spent most of my life in.
Muff, my mom’s Yorkie, barks his little head off. The door opens, and my mom and dad practically swarm me, the dog running circles around us.
