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“That’s fine. Thanks for the ride, but where’s Blake?”
“Headed home. I just had some things I wanted to talk to you about.” He opened the passenger door for her and waited.
“Um, good things or bad things?” She wasn’t eager to get trapped in a vehicle when bad news was coming, but surely Blake wouldn’t have left her to face bad news alone.
“Neither. Just some things I’ve been thinking about.”
That was a good enough answer. Everly hefted her bag into the seat and climbed in.
When Ridge had gotten comfortable behind the wheel, Everly was ready to get the ball rolling. “So, what’s this stuff you’ve been thinking about?”
Ridge swallowed hard. “Do you like your new job?”
“Yes, I love it. Now, get to you,” Everly rushed.
“Fine. I’ve just been thinking about moving on, and I wanted to see what you think about the idea.”
“Moving on? What, like after a breakup? Moving on from what?”
“Nothing. I just might need a change of scenery.”
Everly narrowed her eyes at her brother. He wasn’t the type to beat around the bush. “Why?”
“There’s really not a reason. We’ve been here for five years, and it’s been great.”
“Then why would you want to leave? Something had to have happened to make you want to go. You love it here.”
“I do. I just–”
Everly waited two tense seconds before sucking in a breath to tell him to hurry up, but he finally went on.
“I feel stuck here,” Ridge said.
“You’re not stuck. Nothing is keeping you here.” Everly’s voice cracked on the last word. Ridge wasn’t stuck here, but she selfishly didn’t want him to go. She didn’t want to leave Wolf Creek, and she didn’t want to miss her brother.
“I know. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. You seem to be doing great here. You got a promotion, you have friends, you’re looking at houses–”
“You have the lowest paying job on the ranch because that’s what you chose. You also have friends here–plenty of them. And you already have a house. One that Blake and I are living in too.”
“You also have Blake,” Ridge said, his tone low and steady as if revealing a secret.
Everly glanced at Ridge before turning to look out the window. “You have Blake too. He’s always been there for us.”
“Yeah, but now he’ll be there for you in a different way.”
Everly turned to Ridge and assessed his expression. What was he getting at?
“I know, Ev. Blake told me you two are together.”
“He did? We haven’t even had the define the relationship talk yet.” Everly took a deep breath. “What did he say?”
Ridge shrugged. “I don’t know. He just assumes you two will be official once you move out after the wedding on Saturday.”
Everly tried to calm her racing heart. It was happening. She’d be moving out on Sunday, and she’d been torn between eager and reluctant for weeks. She liked living with Blake and Ridge, but she wanted Blake. She wanted all of him, and it couldn’t happen soon enough.
“You okay?” Ridge asked. “Don’t hyperventilate. I don’t know CPR.”
Everly rolled the window down an inch and leaned toward the crack. “Yes, you do. We renewed our certification last year.”
