AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Can you believe it? It doesn’t even feel like my family’s ranch.” Led by Mona, he and Cassidy, along with a team of volunteers, had spent all day setting up the ranch and transforming it into a dazzling wonderland. The finishing touches—lights, sunflowers on every table, food, music—had all been added after Cassidy had gone home to change for the event. The best part was that almost 100 percent of the items had been donated by local vendors.
“The band sounds great, doesn’t it? I can’t believe Tug agreed to do this free of charge.” Cassidy was swaying back and forth to the beat. It made him want to take her by the hand and pull her onto the dance floor. It made him want to place his arms around her and gently glide her across the floor to the rhythms of Tug Matthews and his band.
“He’s just a homet
own boy who wants to help out,” Tate said, a smile splitting his face wide open.
A thoughtful smile hovered on Cassidy’s lips. “Where you’re from never leaves you. You can try to outrun it, but it always catches up to you in the end.”
He felt worry gnaw at him. Would Cassidy always be outrunning her past in West Falls?
“Is that what you tried to do, Cass? Outrun it?”
“In some ways,” she answered thoughtfully. “But you can’t run from something that’s already lodged so deeply in your heart. It would be pointless.” Was he being self-absorbed or was Cassidy talking about more than West Falls now? Was there also a permanent place in her heart for him?
One of the teenaged servers walked by carrying mini beef sliders. Both Tate and Cassidy helped themselves to the appetizer. Cassidy nibbled at it delicately while he popped the whole thing into his mouth, letting out a groan at how good it tasted. She laughed out loud at his exaggerated eye roll and the way he rubbed his belly in appreciation. The sound of her laughter nudged at his heart and filled his soul with joy.
His parents appeared out of nowhere, instantly wiping the smile off Cassidy’s face. Her complexion looked pale. The expressive green eyes radiated panic. Although she must have been prepared for this moment since she was standing on Lynch property, it had clearly taken her by surprise. After shooting Cassidy a look of disgust, his mother let go of his father’s hand and stormed off toward the house.
His father stared after her and let out a great sigh. Considering his father’s over-the-top personality and no-nonsense manner, the moment was fraught with peril. It didn’t take much to imagine his father castigating Cassidy about ruining his son’s life and breaking off their engagement. A dramatic scene would ruin the event they’d all worked so hard to plan. It would also further alienate a community that was just beginning to accept Cassidy.
“Cassidy,” his father said in a gruff voice. “It’s been a long time.”
“F-Frank.” All she could do was stutter his name. She was scared, Tate realized. Her hands were trembling. It took every ounce of will he possessed not to place his arm around her, pull her into the crook of his arm and shelter her from his father’s wrath. But he knew that Cassidy didn’t want his protection. Not now. Not in this moment. This moment had been years in the making. He knew it was part of her journey to face it down on her own, without him shielding her from it.
“It’s been so long I’m surprised you still know my name,” his father chided. “Eight years is a mighty long spell to be away from home.” His father’s unwavering gaze was locked on Cassidy.
“It’s been a long time,” Cassidy said with a nod of her head. “I left for the wrong reasons, Frank—the same reasons that kept me away all this time. I’d like to think that coming back was the right thing to do. It’s allowed me to try and repair some of the damage I did.”
Frank chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment, his eyes narrowing to thin slits as he sized Cassidy up. “You were like a member of our family. It cut like a knife when you ran off like that.”
“For what’s its worth, I’m truly sorry for everything. And I’m grateful to this day for the fact that you opened up your home and your hearts to me.”
For a moment they all just stood there as Cassidy’s poignant words hovered in the air.
“Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to give an old man a hug?” his father barked. A huge grin split his face wide open. His blue eyes were glassy with emotion.
Cassidy reached out and wrapped trembling arms around his father, receiving a tight bear hug in return. He heard his father saying in a low voice, “I missed you, girl,” as Cassidy openly wept. He didn’t consider himself an emotional person, but the sight of them showing each other so much unconditional love reached down into a sacred place inside him. It tugged at him hard, cracking his heart wide open.
Even though he’d steeled himself against it, armed with the knowledge that Cassidy would soon be nothing more than a memory, he found himself surrendering to the heady pull of emotions that only she could evoke.
* * *
“I’m having so much fun.” Holly’s face was flushed from taking a spin on the dance floor. Her gold cowboy boots looked like something a famous country singer might wear for a photo shoot. A pair of glittery earrings dangled from her ears while her sleek chignon was a departure from her usual wild mane of hair. She was wearing a sparkled tank top and a pair of dark jeans.
“This is shaping up to be a night to remember,” Cassidy said as her eyes roamed over the large gathering of people. She hadn’t seen Tate in what felt like an hour, although she knew it couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes. After the reunion with Frank she’d needed to use the ladies room to fix her eye makeup. When she’d returned to the festivities Tate was nowhere to be found. Where was he?
“Looking for anyone in particular?” Holly asked, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief.
Her eyes met Holly’s piercing gaze, and she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. Her friend had just busted her in the act of scanning the crowd for Tate.
“No one in particular,” she said, unable to keep a straight face when Holly narrowed her eyes and gave her the once-over. She’d never been able to fool her best friend, not a single time. And more than anyone else, Holly had always known the strong love she’d felt for Tate. “Okay. You caught me. I was looking for Tate,” she admitted. She shook her head when she saw the flash of interest in Holly’s eyes. “Don’t get the wrong idea. We’re just friends. Or at least we’re taking steps to rebuild our friendship.”
“There’s a lot of water under that bridge.” Something in Holly’s voice sounded wary, skeptical even. Although Cassidy tried to brush it off, her feelings were slightly bruised. Perhaps Holly didn’t think she was good enough for her brother.
“You’re right,” she acknowledged. “We’ve got rushing rivers between us. I did a lot of damage when I left him and he’s still carrying around some of those scars.” Although it pained her to think of strong, proud Tate as scarred, she knew it was the truth.
“Just tread carefully. Tate is one of the strongest men I’ve ever known, but his tender side makes him vulnerable, especially when it comes to you, Cass.”
