I love Landry Vaughn so much.
But I love me, too.
“I’m sorry, Landry.” I shake my head. “If you can’t tell me what’s going on, I can’t stay here.”
He shakes his head, he reaches for me, he stumbles afterme, but he doesn’t explain himself, merely begs for me to understand. “Please, Quinn. Just… It’s not what you think it is.”
In the hall, I press my finger to my lips for Sadie’s sake, because she’s still in the house, now with Petunia and Alice.
“Hi, girls,” I greet sweetly, my heart hammering like crazy in private. They say hello, huddled on the ground with Big Bertha and a Ken doll. Landry follows me upstairs where he pleads with me as I pack my bag.
“Please, Quinn, this isn’t— You can’t go.”
I throw my camera bag in my suitcase and snatch the batteries off the dresser. My toiletries are in Landry’s shower, and I don’t care to go into our room right now. I’ll use whatever Mabel has.
“Where are you going?” The panic in his voice has tears pricking the backs of my eyes.
“I’m going back to Mabel’s.” I throw in the last few items from the dresser, zero care if I forget anything. I just need out. I can hardly breathe. Landry has a secret, and after all we’ve been through and shared, he’s choosing his privacy over me.
I zip the case and face him. “I’ll be at the rodeo next week. I have enough footage of everything, so I won’t need to film more until then, anyhow.” I tip my chin up, refusing to let the tears fall. If Jenna meant nothing, he wouldn’t be calling her in private and refusing to tell me why.
“Please, Quinn,” he offers softly, the rasp in his voice making me remember the way he gently washed me in the shower the other night. “I love you.”
I’m hurt, but I don’t subscribe to being cruel when I’m in pain, so I smile and offer what I can. “Goodbye, Landry.”
On the way out, I tell Sadie I’m going to the inn for a while to get some editing done, but promise I’ll be back for lunch to take her out every day on my editing breaks. Shedoesn’t question it, mostly because she’s sidetracked with her friends, and I say a silent prayer of thanks for that.
Landry follows after me on the porch. “Don’t go.” He follows me down the steps. “Quinn, please.” He stands at my trunk, preventing me from opening it.
“Don’t cause a scene or the girls will come out.”
He steps aside and I pop my trunk, tossing the suitcase inside. I have another bag but right now, I just don’t care. I need to get away from this feeling, and I seem to only really feel it right now, around Landry.
“What do I tell Sadie?” He sounds so lost, and I hate it. But I didn’t get us here.
I shake my head, because I hadn’t expected to run off. I never expected this. Quickly, I think of something, something for Sadie. “I will be by this week to have lunch with her. After the rodeo, we can talk about what to tell her.”
He doesn’t nod, because he doesn’t like that plan. As if I do. I thought I’d found my happily ever after, but I just found Devin in cowboy boots, I guess.
I get in my car and don’t respond when he asks me to stay once more, and instead, shift the car out of park and drive straight to Sable Sky Inn.
It’s where I started out when I came here, and apparently, it’s the last place I’ll stay here, too.
CHAPTER 34
BEST DAY OF MY LIFE (OR SHOULD BE)
The chute gate rattles,the metallic vibrations grinding on my nerves. My heart slams against my ribs, but my mind is ready, locked in, and focused on the ride. Twister, the big, rank sorrel with a reputation for destroying even the most seasoned riders, is drawn up for me again tonight, and I can feel his tension vibrating through the rails.
My right hand is jammed deep into the rigging handle, my fingers painfully locked around the thick, rawhide-wrapped grip like it’s my only tether to Earth. My left arm is up, ready and out, free hand high where it belongs.
Settling my butt right down on the rigging, I scoot forward until I’m positioned comfortably on the bolts. I take a deep, steadying breath as I cock my spurs high, rowelsgrazing Twister’s shoulders, my toes rightfully turned out. My mark-out position is perfected and locked, and I’m ready.
As ready as I’ll ever be.
The man at the chute gate sets his focus on me, spitting out a lump of tobacco before swiping his mouth, eyeing Twister one last time. “Ready?”
One sharp nod. “Let’s go.”
