Page 3 of Where She Belongs

Inside?

She bristled.

Then she smiled as saccharinely sweet as she could. “My aunt doesn’t control my calendar, Alexander. I do that all on my own.”

His confidence appeared to waver. Whatever was coming, excuse or apology, she’d stopped being interested. There were other people in that suite. He could stand there and think about it.

Assuming he could go over her head! Ridiculous.

And yet the worst part was that her aunt would probably be on board with such a thing.

Rylee wanted nothing more than to escape to the roof again. Heck, she wouldn’t mind slipping off to her room if she knew she’d be successful at avoiding people for the rest of the night, but, alas, that wasn’t going to happen. She was bombarded by three men next, swarmed and corralled like the lost sheep she imagined herself to be.

This wasn’t where she belonged. There was something else out there calling to her. But figuring that out felt nearly impossible.

After enduring the brain-melting conversation from the trio, she managed to slip out of the room. Instead of escaping to her bedroom, she took a left and darted into her uncle’s study. Roxanne had left it alone after his passing. She only allowed the housekeeper to keep it free of dust. But otherwise, it remained frozen in the state her uncle had left it in. There was even an empty glass on his desk that had once contained his favorite kind of brandy that he only drank when he celebrated something.

She put her face down on her knees and breathed in, and it didn’t help. Birthdays were the worst of it. She wished he were here, and there wasn’t any more to it than that.

The office door clicked shut and her head came up. Then the glittery gown registered. “Okay, okay. I know. I shouldn’t be hiding on my birthday. I’ll go⁠—”

Roxanne held out an envelope. “I’ve dismissed our guests, dear. I think you’ve had enough.”

Rylee stared at the envelope then lifted her eyes to her aunt. “You… what?”

Her aunt’s smile went soft. “You weren’t enjoying yourself, however much I hoped you would. I think you need this more than I thought.” She wiggled the letter.

Taking it with shaking fingers, Rylee whispered, “What is it?”

“It’s from your father.”

That couldn’t be right. Roxanne wouldn’t have sat on a letter from her father, not through fifteen years of birthdays and every night in between when Rylee had needed him. Then again, there’d never been a better night to hand it over.

She hugged the letter against her. “Thank you.”

Roxanne nodded. “Let me know what you decide.” Before Rylee could ask her what she meant, her aunt slipped out of the room.

Rylee stared at it a long while, then worked her finger under the flap. The tearing was the only sound in the room. She unfolded the letter and read.

Ry-Ry,

If you’re reading this, then I’m gone. Know this, baby girl. I would never willingly leave you. You’re my whole world and my purpose for waking up every day. I have never regretted a single day being your father. I wish I could have been there for you, walked you down the aisle, and taught you everything you need to know to have a happy life. I guess we’ll have to trust that Roxy is up for the job. I chose her to be your guardian because I know she’ll do right by me. This letter is supposed to be delivered to you when you turn twenty-five. By then you’ll either have your life sorted out, or you might need a little push in the right direction. Either way, I know you’re going to do the right thing with the farm.

She blinked. The farm? Memories flickered across her mind like the film of an old movie. Snapshots and images of the two little boys, a treehouse, farm animals, and rolling fields that swayed in the breeze. Rylee closed her eyes, her heart thumping hard in her chest. She could almost smell the countryside where she’d spent her childhood. When she opened her eyes she had to blink again to clear them from the tears slipping through.

Ry-Ry, the farm is yours. It always has been. When I bought that property, I pictured you raising your own children on it. I pictured laughter, and a man who deserves you. But I can also see a reality where you choose the lifestyle your aunt has chosen. So listen well when I tell you that I only want you to be happy. Chase the dreams only you can create. A farm girl or a city girl. It doesn’t matter as long as you’re happy. Be happy, baby girl. I love you always. Dad.

“I take it you’ll need a plane ticket?”

Rylee jumped and looked over her shoulder. Roxanne stood in the doorway, smiling. She wiped her face and nodded. “Yeah. I think I do.”

CHAPTER TWO

Tate wrapped both hands around his mug. It wasn’t his first cup. That one he’d drunk in the dark, looking out at the property. His parents had left the whole place in his hands when they retired, bought an RV, and set off to see the country. They turned up here and there. The rest of the time the family was Tate’s.

It wasn’t terrible. The house was big enough for him and all four of his siblings to stay where they’d grown up. No one had moved into their parents’ room because that was just weird. Tate and his twin had started a business shortly after graduating from high school where they trained children and adults to compete in the rodeo.

His life was good. A house, a job he’d built, and a family that stuck together.