AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jack turns to me. “I know what you did.”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t watch you suffer.”
“We can’t accept it.”
“It’s only for a couple of months until Lance pays me back.”
“We don’t do well accepting charity around here.”
“I’m aware. But it’s a loan. I swear. Once he gets paid for his first fight, he’s going to reimburse me.”
“This is a deal you made with Lance?”
Jack weighs my expression as I do my best to keep a straight face.
“It’s a deal we made a long time ago.”
“You’re bullshitting, Harper, but I appreciate it. You should know we’ve endured a lot out here over the years. This is just a hard time.”
“I admire you for it. Both of you. It’s amazing what you’ve built. I’m sorry for overstepping. But please take it.” I don’t look away because something tells me he would appreciate it more if I confronted his condition the way he’s been forced to.
“All right. Thank you. It’ll be nice not to be a human blender for a while.”
Jeannie laughs as Jack chucks my chin with shaky fingers, another Lance trait I adore. “It’s all right to smile, it was a joke.”
Jeannie winks at me as she sets our plates down. “I hope you like rib-sticking food, that’s all we serve around here.”
“I’m a fan of it, thank you,” I say, feeling relieved. “But please don’t feel like you have to cook for me.”
“Happy to, darlin’.”
“You are welcome here,” Jack adds, “no matter what my boy says. He’s going through something right now, hard to get through.”
“I know. Thank you, sir.”
“Jack,” he says, picking up a piece of bacon.
“Thank you, Jack.”
After breakfast, I make the trek out to where Lance is on his tractor. He’s rolling out hay on the frozen ground for the cattle. I flag him down to join him, and he ignores me, driving past as I fume, freezing where I stand.
“If you want to help him, grab a rake and spread it out some,” Jeannie calls to me from the side of the fence where she scatters corn around for the chickens.
“Thanks.” I make my way toward the barn and come back armed. I spend the better part of an hour thinning out the hay as Lance expertly lays it out in a trek for the herd. The sprawling estate looks gorgeous in the early morning light, the frost hitting the trees. When Lance is done, he hops off the tractor and stands next to it, watching me for a few seconds before walking toward the barn.
Lance
“Another one,” Tony barks as I flip the tractor tire over. Four days. She’s been here for four days, and from what I can tell, has no plans of going anywhere. She’s done the one thing I swore I wouldn’t let her do, weaseled her way into my world, and into my family’s heart. Trevor is head over heels, at her beck and call, while my mother fawns over her nightly at the table, and Dad remains stoic, painting the best picture he can of his health. It’s all for show, as far as I’m concerned. Everyone seemed to have remembered their manners the day after she arrived here, but as soon as she leaves, she’ll take the light she brought with her. I’m refusing her help at every turn. Only looking at her when she addresses me in polite conversation. She’s letting me do my thing, showing up to every workout without fail as silent support while biting her tongue. I know her tactics. She thinks I’ll come around and eventually we’ll work it out.
She’s wrong.
I have a life-changing fight a little over a week away, and I need to win, regardless of the payday. I have a family to support. I’m not a fly by the seat of my pants kind of guy. Every move I make matters. New York was my first whim in years. Despite her attempt at showing my reflection in a statue, it was no big epiphany. I’m very much aware of the weight on my shoulders, and I’m doing everything in my power to keep my head up, to keep that weight from crushing me.
I’m done pretending sticking a bow on it will pretty up this life of mine. I need to think about my future in the realistic sense. And so, she can stay as long as she wants, but it won’t change the facts.
I have to admit, it’s been nice to have the help, to be able to concentrate more on my training than the daily duties at the ranch. But I know what’s coming, and I dread the fact that I’ll have to turn her down. Where she’s concerned, I’m resigned. Love solves nothing. It’s just another catalyst for shit that can go south. I need to protect us both from more heartache, especially since she’s too blind to see it. I’ve been chewing on the truth since I left New York, and since she arrived here, I just can’t bring myself to swallow the fact that when she drives away from this ranch, it will be the last time I ever see her. With her talent, her future is unlimited.
“Good,” Tony says as I get the tire over again. “Get in a few more, and I’ll see you ringside in about thirty.”
