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“Five weeks.”
“Not long left then. Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”
“Nope, we decided on a surprise. Come on, I can breathe again now. Your room is just down here.”
I followed her down the hallway and through an open doorway, gasping as I entered the beautiful room. There was a huge double bed against one wall. The bed was dressed in a pretty, lavender-colored comforter, and there were matching cushions scattered at the head of the bed. A nightstand sat on either side of the bed, with a matching dresser on the opposite wall. The large picture window had beautiful drapes in the same fabric as the comforter. Walking over to the window, I pushed my nose against the glass, taking in my first full view of the ranch. The window overlooked the back of the house and I could just make out the roof of a building nestled between the trees.
“This room is beautiful, and the view is amazing.” Spinning around, I saw Savannah nodding.
“When I moved out, my parents redecorated and had all new furniture. You’re right, it is beautiful. I sometimes forget how lucky I am to live here.” She moved over to stand next to me. “That’s the cottage where I live,” she explained as she looked out of the window, pointing to the roof I could see. “My grandparents lived there after my parents took over the ranch. It’s tiny compared to the ranch house, but I love it.”
“It’s a perfect place to bring up a baby. I would have loved growing up here,” I told her.
“A bit different to Westwood then?” I nodded and let out a small laugh.
“Just a little. Don’t get me wrong, Westwood is a lovely place. But to have grown up with all of this space, the horses available to ride whenever you liked, must have been incredible.”
“Do you ride?”
“Oh no. I’ve never even been on a horse.”
“Well that has to change! You can take out my horse, Marley.” She grinned and her eyes lit up. “I’ll get Brody to take you!”
“No, no!” I protested. “I’m sure Brody will be too busy to take me out.”
“Of course, he won’t.” She winked at me. “Don’t think I didn’t notice how he couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
My cheeks flushed with heat and I squirmed uncomfortably, not knowing how to reply. Sensing my obvious discomfort, she quickly changed the subject. “Let’s get you some clothes sorted.” She walked across the room pulling open the set of double doors on the opposite wall to the bed. The open doors revealed a large dressing room with floor-to-ceiling hanging rails.
“The cottage is so small I wasn’t able to take all of my clothes. You’re welcome to borrow anything in here. What shoe size are you?”
“I’m a size six.” I looked around in awe at the amount of clothes in front of me.
“Perfect! The same as me then. I did take most of my shoes and boots with me. A girl can never have too many cowboy boots after all.” She winked at me before reaching up to a shelf and grabbing down box after box. “But these are the ones that never got brought over. Brody helped me move and refused to carry any more boxes of shoes. He doesn’t understand my shoe obsession.” She dropped the boxes on the floor and sat down as best she could with her baby bump in the way. Tearing the lids off she pulled out four pairs of cowboy boots, along with three pairs of flip-flops. Some of which still had the tags on them.
“Savannah, I can’t wear these. They’re brand new.” I dropped to my knees beside her, fingering the gorgeous boots she’d pulled from the boxes.
“Of course, you can! Someone may as well wear them. I’ve got plenty back at the cottage.” Overwhelmed by how generous everyone had been, I promptly burst into tears. “Hey, don’t cry.” She pushed the boots aside and put her arm around my shoulders, pulling me into an embrace.
“Sorry. I’m so emotional and overwhelmed by how kind everyone has been. I guess I just can’t quite believe it.”
“Don’t apologize for getting upset, Quinn. You’re bound to be emotional after everything that’s happened. You nearly died.” She reached for a box of tissues on one of the shelves and handed me one. I quickly dried my eyes and blew my nose.
“Thank you. You and your family have been so kind,” I told her as I pulled myself together.
“No need to thank me… so, what brings you to Marble Falls?” Her eyes drifted to my bruised cheek, which was now displaying a rainbow of colors.
Pausing, I met her eyes, the concern evident on her face. “I just had to get away.” I knew I wasn’t giving much away, but I also wasn't lying.
“Why Marble Falls? Do you have family here?” She picked up the boots and began to put them back into their boxes.
I shrugged my shoulders. “No, no family, and no reason really. I had a friend at school who moved to Westwood from Marble Falls. She’d told me about it and I’d always wanted to visit.”
Biting down on my lip, I considered telling her the real reason I was in Marble Falls, and who I was running from. It had been a long time since I’d had a girlfriend to confide in. Although I’d only just met her, she seemed like the kind of person I could trust. Something held me back though, and I decided against it. I didn’t want to bring all my troubles to her door. A small part of me was worried that once everyone knew the truth, they might ask me to leave.
She nodded, and I could see she wanted to ask me more. “Well, if and when you’re ready to talk, I’ll be here to listen. You’ll be safe here though, Quinn.”
“That’s what Brody said,” I told her with a small smile.
