Page 10 of One Reckless Moment

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IT’S FROWNED UPON TO KILL YOUR FAMILY

PAIGE

“No.” I crossed my arms and stared into my father’s eyes.

“Paige, this is an amazing opportunity for you,” he pleaded gently.

“No.”

“You can practice what you love while promoting Cash and the ranch on social media.”

“No.”

“It’s only for the summer. It’ll be fun.”

“No.”

“You’ll get to shoot the rodeo events on the media staff. I know you’ll love it.”

“Not a chance.”

My dad let out a breath and rubbed his temples. “I’m not asking, Paige. You’re going tomorrow.”

My jaw dropped as my eyes darted between my mom and siblings who were all casually looking around the room, avoiding my eye contact.

Fucking wimps.

He simply could not be serious. My father had the bright idea that I should accompany Cash and the two ranch hands going with him this summer, as they drove around the state on their dumb rodeo circuit.

I would be stuck traveling the entire summer with the one person who made my life a living hell on a daily basis.

“You all suck.” I pushed my chair back and stood abruptly before storming out the back door, leaving my half-eaten breakfast abandoned on the table.

“Where are you going?” Axle yelled after me.

“To pack for my funeral!” I shouted back, slamming the door behind me.

Was I being dramatic? Probably. But my father just dropped an absolute bomb on me that was going to ruin my summer plans of doing anything to avoid Cash Leonard. On top of that, I had less than twenty-four hours to pack for a trip that I hadn’t prepared for at all.

I walked down the hill, past the stables, and marched up the stairs to my apartment.

I lived above the old barn my mother had repurposed to occasionally host events on the ranch. The apartment was small, but it was perfect for me. The living room barely fit my tiny sectional couch and the kitchen was basically non-existent, but it had charm. I had begged my dad to let me move in here after college. It was a space I could call my own and an escape from the chaos of my family. A few days of bleach and some paint slapped on the walls, and the place was as good as new—er, well, lightly used.

When I closed the door behind me, I leaned against it and screamed at the top of my lungs. This was simply a disaster. It felt like my autonomy was being ripped out from under me once again.

I stomped into my bedroom and threw my suitcase onto my bed. Ripping hangers out of my closet without even looking at them, I started throwing them over my shoulder in a rage.

I heard a soft knock on my bedroom door which made me pause in my tracks.

“Now, what did those dresses do to deserve that kind of abuse?” Reid chuckled.

“Don’t start with me,” I snapped.

Reid was two years younger than me and was usually the one tasked with talking me down when Lottie wasn’t around. Apparently I was scary when I was mad—a fact I happened to love about myself.

“Come on, P. This is something you would literally die for if Cash wasn’t involved.”