Page 7 of Outlawed

“But then you met some of the people, and now you realize not everyone is an asshole?”

“Something like that.” I huff out a laugh. I lean into him as he wraps his arm around me.

“Truth is, I could happily live out on the ranch as long as I have you, Shepard, and—” I suck in a sharp breath, realizing who I was about to say. Riggs holds me tighter, refusing to let me fall apart. I take a deep, steadying breath before I continue. “I want more than that for Dawn and Hannah. For Sarah and Jackie, too, you know?”

“I get it. So…”

“So I think it’s time to move on from healing and start living, thriving even. This place would make a great store to sell my stuff from.”

“It would also give people who are willing to travel for your stuff a place to come to. And when they’re here, they might want to eat too, or even spend the night.”

“Exactly. This town can’t recover on its own. I know that now. I’m as much a part of it as it is a part of me. But there won’t be any big investors wanting to plow money into a town that looks like it’s about to fade off the map. I’m in a position to change that, or at least start a change.”

“Why stop at just that store? If you want to guarantee you like your neighbors, why not buy the other two buildings, too? You could keep them all or lease them to your friends.”

I look up at him with a grin, warming to the idea. The thought of being out here alone in semi-hostile territory wasn’t all that appealing, but having friends here with me…that changes things.

“If we made the one next door a florist, that would help with the basics for the more simplistic products, and also, who doesn’t love flowers?”

“True. Births and deaths are guaranteed even in a town like this, so flowers will always be popular.”

I nod.

“What about the third one?”

I bite my lip before a grin spreads across my face. Riggs catches it and chuckles before we both answer at the same time. “Pies and tarts.”

“You think she’d be up for it? I mean, she looks like a spring chicken, but running a store is demanding as hell,” I ask.

“I think she’ll jump at the chance. She’s always lived her life for others, first for her husband, then for her children,” Riggs explains. “I think it’s time she got to do something for herself, and that woman loves to bake. The beauty of that is that people need jobs. I don’t think she’ll have any trouble finding people to hire who can help her out. Same with you and any renovations you might want to do.”

“It feels impulsive,” I admit, wringing my hands together.

“But does it feel right?”

I smile and nod. “Yeah. It does.”

“Then fuck it. Life’s too short, Opie, to worry about the small shit. Live.”

I get up on my tiptoes and kiss him before pulling back. “Let’s head to the bank before the meeting and see if we can catch anyone who can help.”

“Probably a good place to start. Alright, let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into before the meeting begins.”

Turns out quite a lot. By the time we left the bank, Jen, whom I called during said meeting with the bank manager, was wondering if I’d been body snatched.

“This is the same town you took me to? The one filled with empty shops and assholes?”

“One and the same. But if I do this, there will be fewer empty shops, and if I’m lucky, that will lead to fewer assholes.”

She huffs out a laugh. “Alright, as long as you’re sure. I’ll head over with all the paperwork as soon as I have reviewed it all.”

“Thanks, Jen. Sorry for springing it on you like that. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.”

“I figured, but hey, some of the best decisions I’ve made have been spur-of-the-moment. That’s how my one-night stand became my husband, after all.” She laughs as she hangs up.

“All good?”

I look up at Riggs and nod. “Yep. She’s going to go over all the paperwork when she receives it, and we’ll go from there.”