Page 67

Clearing her throat, she looked up from her hands and out to the horizon, where the mountains basked in the moonlight. “You could say that,” she began, her voice softer. “Axel and I dated. He was my longest relationship, so I’m still a bit bitter about it ending.”

A warmth crept up my face as I swallowed hard. “How long?”

“Not long—six months. We broke up right before he came out here. I didn’t know he took a job here until last night.”

“Okay…” I replied, my tone still demanding more answers. I wasn’t satisfied. Why go through all that to embarrass him? Why did it matter if I met him or not?

“I thought things were going well, that we were both happy. But one day, he came to my apartment and told me he felt I wasn’t invested, that I didn’t love him like I said I did.” She paused, biting the inside of her cheek. “I am bitter,” she admitted, her tone hardening. “I am still pissed off, and you know what, that’s okay. The bastard told me my word wasn’t enough, which shows he knew nothing about me because my word is the one thing I’ll always have.”

She kept going, her emotions pouring out, unfiltered and raw. “He said I had to be ‘more loving’ and ‘softer,’” she emphasized with air quotes, her voice laced with sarcasm. “That isn’t who I am. I’m not soft, nor gentle. I’m a bit prickly. And when I do love, I love hard. If accepting who I am wasn’t enough, then nothing would ever be because I refuse to change who I am.”

My anger flared, hot and uncontrollable. If I had known Axel had made her feel this way, I would’ve laid him out flat in my office and made him clean up his own damn blood. PR mess be damned. No one had the right to make Eleanor feel less than she was.

“Good,” I replied, my voice tight with restrained fury. I had more I wanted to say but didn’t have the balls to voice it out loud. That Eleanor deserves to be happy, to be cherished and loved for who she is, not who someone wants her to be. She’s perfect…breathtaking the way she is.

My jaw tensed, my body heating at the thought of that asshole still working under my roof. The petty part of me wanted to fuck Eleanor in the kitchen, just to show Axel what he had lost and to prove to him that she deserved a real man. The anger burned, feeding my desire to make it clear she was more than enough, just as she was.

“Seeing him again? It’s bringing up some odd feelings,” Eleanor admitted, her voice soft and introspective. “I don’t miss him, but it’s making me reflect a bit on my life. Like, what am I doing? Am I really happy?” She rolled her head to face me, her eyes searching mine. “I love the city, but I don’t know if it’s where I see myself anymore.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, leaning in slightly.

“It doesn’t have what I’m looking for. When I was in my early twenties, straight out of college and ready to take life by the horns, it was the place to be. As I get older, I’m finding that I’m wanting less. Does that make sense?”

I nodded because I understood exactly what she meant. When I started Stone Ranch, I was living life to its fullest potential, but as the money kept coming in, my mood shifted.

Young, naïve, and rich was not a great combo. I’d let it get to my head, used it as a power trip. You learn one way or another that it isn’t always sustainable to be on overdrive all the time.

“It does. I can imagine the city takes a lot from you,” I said.

She nodded, tucking a piece of stray hair that had fallen from her top knot behind her ear. “Oh yeah. The hustle in the city seems to never stop, and being out here has shown me a new way of life, one I’d never known.”

“Have you always lived in the city?” I asked, eager to know more about her. Any bit of information she was willing to share, I found myself devouring it, soaking it into my mind for the future.

“Mm-hmm, it was my dad and me. We lived in a small, one-bedroom apartment. The memories weren’t the best, but the city never failed me—just the one person who was supposed to take care of me. A kid's first experience with learning to trust is with their parents, and both of mine broke that. I know that’s why I am the way I am.”

“And what way is that?” I asked.

“Guarded. Icy. My emotional walls being so high that it’s hard to find a ladder tall enough to climb over.”

We could bond over that. I knew what it was like to have a shit road map of trust. My example thought physical force and threats were the answer to everything.

“And you decided to stay in that city? Why not someplace new?” I had taken my chance to leave the town I grew to dread, but it took me a while to make peace with spreading my wings.

“The city was my savior. As a kid, I’d crawl down the fire escape after my dad would drink himself stupid and wander the streets to escape my reality.”

Her words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of her past. The confession ignited something inside me—a warmth that spread through my chest. I leaned in slightly, compelled by the vulnerability in her voice. “You’ll always have a place at Stone Ranch,” I replied gently. “Whenever you need to get away, escape.”

Escape with me.

The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I held them back, letting the sentiment linger in the air.

Eleanor offered me a soft smile, her eyes glimmering with unspoken gratitude. She nodded, and in that moment, I knew she understood. Stone Ranch would always welcome her, and so would I, no matter how much I thought about erasing her from my life when she left.

“Do you have your phone with you?” I asked, breaking the silence.

Eleanor reached into the pocket of her sweats, pulling out her phone and unlocked it—its screen cast a soft glow in the darkness. I held out my hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, she placed the device in my palm.

I entered my personal number and called myself, ensuring I had her contact too. Handing it back, I teased, “Don’t abuse the privilege. That’s my personal number.”