I stare down at the ticket in my hands, unable to find the words. The paper crinkles where my fingers dig into it, the edges soft from how long he must’ve been holding onto it. The letters blur until all I see are smudges of black and white. I blink hard, trying to bring them back into focus again.
Is this real?
It feels too late.
I let her leave. Let her walk away from this place—fromme—without a single word. I fucking stood in the window andwatchedher get into my brother’s truck and drive away. My fists clenched at my sides, jaw tight, every muscle screaming at me tomove—but I didn’t. I couldn’t. I couldn’t endure her pushing me away again.
I didn’t stop her.
Didn’t chase after her.
Didn’t beg her to stay.
I didn’t even say goodbye.
What kind of man does that?
The ticket is heavy, as if it were cut from lead instead of paper. I look up at my dad, the weight of it burning into my palm.
“I can’t just leave. There’s still work to be done. Horses to train, cattle to work, the new hands need—”
He cuts me off with a wave of his hand. “We can survive a few damn days without you. Lane’s back, Emmett can pick up a little extra slack, and Landon’s been itching to prove himself. We’ll manage.”
“I don’t even know what I’d say,” I admit, voice low.
He sighs, softer this time, the kind of sigh that carries more understanding than words ever could. “You’ve got a whole flight to figure it out on the way.”
I look back down at the ticket, tracing the LAX with the pad of my thumb.
The thought of seeing her again—of hearing her voice—strikes me like a bolt of lightning in my chest.
Of course I want her.
I’ve never stopped wanting her.
I just hope I’m not too late.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
SADIE
Thesuniswarmon my skin, but it’s only surface level. Inside, I’m cold and empty.
I’m lying on a towel, toes buried in the soft sand, rereading the same sentence from my book over and over again.
Mia’s scrolling through her phone next to me, ranting about Robyn’s persistence about…something. I’m not really listening, but I nod along like I am.
My mind drifts somewhere else. Somewhere tucked in the mountains, sprinkled with wildflowers. Somewhere with a porch swing and a dream.
Somewhere I could envision myself living my own happily ever after.
Somewhere with him.
He’s taken root in my thoughts and I can’t stop it. I think about him constantly.
It’s pathetic, really—how every sunset reminds me of him. The way the light caught his eyes, golden and warm, like honey. The kind you never want to forget. I could’ve gotten drunk off his gaze alone.
Every time I drink a shitty, overpriced iced coffee, I long for mornings on the porch, sipping from my favorite mug.
