“What’s wrong?”
“Payton is fine.” That was the first thing she’d think anyway. “It’s… ugh….” I grimaced, feeling frustrated as fuck.
She made an understanding sound. “Take your time, honey.”
I blew out a breath and then blurted out, “Did you ever forgive Dad for what he did?”
There was silence for several seconds, then I heard her sigh. “No, honey. I didn’t.”
“It’s fucking me up still. Like…. Like I think his fuck ups rubbed off on me and I feel so fucking ashamed—”
“Okay, that’s three fucks in one sentence; maybe dial that back a bit, Malachi.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Sorry, Mom.”
“Go on.”
“I feel ashamed. Someone in town hinted at me getting my position because I slept with a Harrington or hell, maybe she was saying I’m with Crew only because I work here or maybe it’s some weird combination of both and….” I let go of a frustrated little yell that made Jaina snort. “Sorry, girl.”
“Give Jaina some pats from me,” Mom said in her gentlest tone. Then she hummed in the way I knew meant she was thinking hard.
I slowed us to a stop and gave Jaina the rein to eat if she wanted to. She began to munch on the tastiest leaves of grass she could find, and I smiled at her pickiness.
“First of all,” Mom started. “You’re away from the farm now. The town. Nobody over there knows your history. That has nothing to do with why some shitty woman is being a bitch.”
My eyes widened. My mom had fire in her, but it came out pretty rarely. This was scorching, though.
“Okay…?”
“So I feel like it’s very unfair to yourself to hold the past over your head just because someone is being an asshole, Malachi. None of your father’s mistakes were yours. If there had beenanypossibility for us to keep the farm, we would’ve. You know this in your heart of hearts, son.”
I sighed.
She wasn’t done. “Secondly, don’t you have enough to think about already? Enough on your plate to let some petty, potentially homophobic stranger ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to you? You have a son you adore, a job you love to bits. You have your heart horse back, and hell, you even have a man you’re in love withdespitethe fact that you haven’t even let your mama meet him.”
Ouch. I chuckled. “I’ve told you to head on over when you can, Mom. I’m not keeping anyone or anything from you.”
She snorted. “Excuses!” It wasn’t an excuse and we both know it, but she was trying to do the mom thing of being supportive while laying down some truths.
“Who said I’m in love?” I asked, because I was stupid like that.
“Your tone whenever you say his name, Malachi.”
Well, shit. I grinned and rubbed the back of my head, feeling sheepish despite being alone. “He told me he was falling in love with me today.”
The happy noise she made had my heart jump in my chest. “That’s excellent news, honey!”
We talked for a few more minutes, and she reiterated that I shouldn’t let the past ruin the future I had made for myself and Payton.
After I put my phone away, I nudged Jaina forward again. She took off in a happy little trot, and we were at the creek in no time.
I let her drink and contemplated on going to check some fence while I was there, but then the radio on my hip crackled with Ennis’s panicked voice.
I had Jaina turned around before I realized what was happening.
She felt the urgency and began to gallop toward the barns, her huge strides eating the distance.
Everything was calm by the time we made it back. Well, everything but me, obviously.
