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I spat out a laugh. She was such a liar. “If you were trying to be my friend, please stop.”
She gave me a scathing look before facing my father. “Do you see this?” She really poured on the tears before she stomped off sobbing. Ashton chased after her, but not before glaring at me.
My sisters both looked at me as if I had lost my mind. “That was really mean, Emma,” Macey threw at me. “Mind your own business from now on,” Marlowe added in.
Sawyer stood frozen, staring at me coldly, but I couldn’t deal with him yet.
Frankie gave my hand one more good squeeze. “Honey, I’m done here. I can’t work like this.” She faced my father. “Mr. Carrington, I always thought you were a good man, but I’m not sure anymore.” She shook her head. “Shannon wouldn’t have wanted this for you or your girls.” She wrapped me in her arms. “Take care. I’m only a call away if you need anything.”
“Frankie,” I cried.
“I know.” She walked away.
Dad let her.
Ray took off his cowboy hat and ran his hand over his balding head. “I gotta say, Dane, Frankie’s right. Things haven’t been the same since Shannon died. I think it’s time for us to part ways.”
Dad’s brown eyes widened. “Listen, Ray, we can work this out.”
“I don’t think so. When you didn’t stand up for my boy or your girl here,” he patted my back, “it told me all I needed to know about where your head is.”
Ray and Morgan headed for the bunkhouse. Dad looked between me and them as if he wasn’t sure what he should do, that was, until he looked at Sawyer. It was then he made his choice.
I was left alone with the man I loved.Chapter NineteenSawyer stood eerily still near one of the signs that had a map of the property on it for guests.
I wiped my eyes, which was a mistake with how much grime was left on my hands even though I had washed them. I could picture the streaks on my tear stained face. “Sawyer, please say something.”
He began to stretch his neck from side to side. “What do you want me to say, Emma? I knew you didn’t like my mom, but I can’t believe you hate her so much that you would accuse my brother of stealing and cheating. What have they ever done to you?”
I stepped over the stones that marked off the gravel parking lot with a laundry list of what his family had done to me, but I was holding it back in hopes of salvaging at least my friendship with someone who had meant more to me than words could express. Not even my thoughts could do our friendship justice; you would have to listen to the beat of my heart to understand the breadth of it.
“Sawyer, I don’t think you’re seeing the full picture.”
“I just watched you accuse my brother and humiliate my mother,” he spat through gritted teeth.
“Don’t you know me well enough to know I wouldn’t falsely accuse someone?”
He blinked an inordinate amount of times. “You truly believe he’s guilty? What proof do you have?”
I took a deep breath, not knowing how to finesse my response. “Your dad and Bridget said some things—”
Sawyer’s eyes bulged while his face turned an ugly red. “You want to talk about cheaters and liars, there’s a pair. How could you believe them?”
I stood up tall, though I was wearier than I had ever felt. “You want to know why I believe them?” I shouted. “Because your father reminds me of you, and you are one of the best people I know.”
Sawyer’s eyes flickered for a moment with some pause. His face lost a shade of red.
It gave me courage to proceed. “Your dad and Bridget, unlike your mother, have treated me with nothing but kindness. You don’t even know everything your father has done for you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You need to ask him. And while you’re at it, why don’t you ask him why they got divorced. The real reason.”
His hands clenched. “Damnit, Emma, why can’t you just be happy that your dad has found love and happiness again with my mom?”
There was a loud ringing in my ears. Did he really just say that? “You know, for an eye doctor, you’re sure blind. If you think that’s what our parents have together then you don’t know what happiness is.”
The blood drained from his face while he stood stunned as if I had slapped him. Once he shook off the metaphorical slap, he rushed toward me and took me firmly by the arms. His eyes bore into mine, making me catch my breath. “I know exactly what happiness is.” He leaned in as if he was going to kiss me and, like this morning, I felt his breath so close I could taste it. Live off it. In an instant, though, it was gone. He stole the air from me. He dropped my arms and pushed himself away from me. “I’m just never meant to have it.” He turned and headed toward the barn, kicking rocks and swearing as he went.
