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She disconnected the call because the tears started to fall. And the crying jag she fell into was not a soft, silent one. But definitely a necessary one if she were to ever purge herself of the past year.
Sky avoided the inn. Reese agreed it was a good idea for her to take a week off, and she used it to find a support group in Austin where she could talk about her trauma in a safe environment that didn’t make her feel as though she were tormenting anyone further—Sam and Reese in particular.
Sam called regularly. She let it go to voicemail. He texted. She didn’t answer. What was she going to say, anyway? Sorry for the trouble didn’t even begin to cover it. Sorry you had to hear all the gory details of my life and get caught up in them was a total understatement. Sorry you were tempted to shoot someone on my behalf…
That one was just too painful to process. She’d put Sam in a very compromising position. Not wittingly, obviously. Although, she did take responsibility for being on the ranch when Mac decided to track her down. She’d invited a hell of a lot of trouble into all those people’s lives—not to mention her situation with Mac had put the horses in danger. Midnight, especially.
When she finally mustered the wherewithal to return to the inn, she made the rounds with her apologies, though no one batted an eye, instead telling her they were relieved she was okay and that she shouldn’t shoulder all the blame she harbored. They were just happy she was okay.
Before she headed to the stable, Reese told her Sam had gone off to pick up the horse in New Mexico. She was both relieved and disappointed she wouldn’t be seeing him for some time.
While her fingers skated over the stainless steel of her workstation, and her mind churned, Sky said to Reese, “You might want to think about finding someone to replace me. I still own that land in Luckenbach. I’m toying with the idea of building on it. Work on my cookbook.”
She felt safe returning to Luckenbach. Mac had, in fact, pleaded no contest to all the charges Sky had rattled off the night he’d been arrested, in addition to arson, breaking and entering, theft of her gun and extortion. The CD alone nailed his coffin shut.
The judge had sentenced him. He wouldn’t be getting out of prison anytime soon. Sky purposely didn’t check the papers or the Internet to see what might be written about her, though her publicist had contacted her to say he’d received numerous inquiries from the media for a statement. She went with the standard request for privacy.
Caleb maintained the additional security guards on the property, to make sure no reporters hounded her, but that didn’t fully keep them at bay. One of the reasons she thought it was time to move on, so the press didn’t hinder operations on the ranch. The other reason was equally glaring, what with the distance between her and Sam that she simply couldn’t imagine bridging.
“No one wants you to leave the inn,” Reese told her in a concerned tone. “Why do you want to quit?”
“It’s disruptive for me to be here.”
“The press is dying down,” Reese insisted. “In fact, Silver Monroe’s upcoming wedding is the headlining news now. You are still going, right?”
Sky turned away, organized a shelf that was already neat and tidy. “I don’t know, Reesie. I’m not much for being on public display these days. Lots of whispering behind my back. That sort of thing.”
“Skylar Travis.” Reese wedged herself between Sky and the metal counter the shelves hung over, forcing Sky to take a few steps back. “Silver Monroe is your friend. She sent a gorgeous bouquet to the inn for you, to tell you she was thinking of you and to wish you well. She wasn’t the only one.”
A lump of emotion swelled in Sky’s throat. She’d walked into a fully decorated reception area, the most amazing floral arrangements she’d ever seen set out on end tables, coffee tables, bookshelves…
“Your friends support you, Sky.”
“I know that, Reese. I’m not discounting that at all. I just haven’t gotten past how bad this all was. How I tried to sweep under the rug the fact that I was raped. How I thought I could handle this all on my own. How I didn’t see the bigger picture and what its impact might be on Sam…you…the ranch.”
Reese gently clasped Sky’s biceps. “Honey, there are people on this property and out there in the rest of the world who are deeply concerned about you and monumentally relieved Mac Willet is behind bars. Even Abby has been beside herself, pacing the dining room, asking me time and time again what we can do to help you. Sometimes, Sky, we have to look beyond our personal shame and see that others just want to be there for us. Help us through. And celebrate with us when we’re back on our feet again. I know this, Sky. From my own experience.”
Sky whisked away a few tears. Then she hugged Reese. “I hear what you’re saying to me. And I’m grateful for your support.”
“So keep talking to the ladies in Austin that you meet with,” Reese said. “Talk to me. Keep coming to the inn. And for God’s sake, talk to Sam.”
She let out a sharp laugh. “That’s impossible. He’s busy rescuing horses—as he should be.”
Sky already knew that after Sam dropped off the New Mexico horse for Caleb to tend to, he was driving up to Washington state to pick up another one. He’d be gone for a week, and then he was off to Nebraska.
“The two of you need to settle this, Sky.”
She pulled away and stared at Reese. “You think he’ll get past this?”
“I think he’ll realize he has no choice. He loves you.”
Sky’s misty gaze narrowed on her friend. “Is that mere speculation?”
“Yes. I mean, he hasn’t come out and told me that’s how he feels about you, but it’s not too difficult to see he fell hard and fast.”
She had too, but didn’t say as much. Instead, she got back to the original subject. “I’ll be sure to give you time to find someone new, if I decide to leave.”
“I sure hope you put a lot of thought into this. Everyone around here adores you, and you’re doing a great job. I’d hate to see you go, you know that. So would Sam.”
