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“Not everyone likes rolling around in horse manure,” Glen said, laughing a little.
“Right. But it was more than that. I think she resented how much I loved it. I loved the work so much that I didn’teverwant to take time off. My work consumed me, and I didn’t have time for her. Heck, I didn’t have time for anything except those horses.”
“That’s a tough life.”
“I didn’t mind it.”
“I meant forher.”
Trent nodded. He was so damn selfish, he thoughteverythingwas about him. “Right. She did everything she could. Tried to convince me to take time off, to take a damn vacation. I said no to all her ideas, until finally, she saved up and bought tickets to Vegas.”
“So you went?”
“We did,” he sighed. “During the vacation, a fire broke out in the stable. We lost several animals.” His voice trembled, haunted by the memory. “I wasn’t there when they needed me most.”
Glen leaned in, a furrowed brow showing his concern. “And Erica? What happened?”
“Erica blamed herself,” Trent whispered, hands clenched into fists. “She couldn’t bear the guilt so she left.” The pain of her departure was still raw, like an open wound. “I never told my brothers the truth behind the accident. I carried that guilt and shame alone. Not only that, they don’t even know that Erica exists. I never told them about her.”
“Ah Trent, you’ve been shouldering this burden for far too long,” Glen said softly, his eyes full of empathy. “Is there someone new in your life?”
“Since then, I’ve avoided relationships,” Trent admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m afraid that my personal life could interfere with my responsibility to the ranch, and now... I’m scared that history might repeat itself. There is someone special to me. Deeply special. But I can’t help but feel like my love for her could destroy everything.”
“Love doesn’t destroy, Trent,” Glen said, placing a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It only creates. You’ve got to find a way to forgive yourself. Happiness lies in acceptance.”
Acceptance. Easier said than done.
The wide expanse of the night sky stretched out above Trent as he drove back to the ranch, his thoughts consumed by Glen’s words. As his truck rumbled along the dirt road, Trent pondered the notion of love creating rather than destroying. He allowed himself to imagine a future with Patti, one where they shared both the joys and burdens of life together.
“Maybe happiness does lie in acceptance,” Trent whispered to himself, gripping the steering wheel tighter as if trying to hold onto that glimmer of hope.
Who could be behind the selenium poisoning? He had to get to the bottom of it, or it could mean the end for the ranch. Maybe it was just a mistake, a faulty batch of feed. Benjamin had said that he’d changed suppliers recently because of market fluctuations. Maybe it could be that.
As he approached a bend in the road, Trent’s heart lurched in his chest. A plume of smoke billowed on the horizon, casting an ominous shadow over the otherwise serene landscape. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the wheel even harder, and his breath caught in his throat. The memory of the fire from years ago rushed back to him, threatening to consume him once more.
“Please, no,” he muttered, pressing down on the accelerator, urging the truck to go faster. “Not again.”
With each passing second, the smoke grew larger and darker, clawing its way into the heavens. Trent’s mind raced, thoughts tumbling over one another like a stampede of wild horses: the ranch, his brothers, the animals, and Patti. All the Littles. Fear tightened its grip around his heart, squeezing the air from his lungs.
“Come on, come on,” he muttered under his breath, urging the truck forward, praying that whatever awaited him at the ranch wasn’t as catastrophic as his worst fears.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Pattididn’tseethefire until it was too late.
She’d been in the barn with Duke and Chuck for an hour, making sure that the lambs were as comfortable as she could make them. She even played music for them. Fortunately, they didn’t have any of the more worrying symptoms that Thunder had had before he passed. Their breathing was even and their blood pressure was normal.
The wool loss was the most sinister of their symptoms. Of course, when she’d seen it, Patti’s anxiety had spiked like mad. But, whatever it was that had caused the lambs to fall sick, it obviously wasn’t having quite the same impact on them that it had on Thunder.
Duke gave her a pat on the back. “You’ve dealt with this admirably,” he said, his voice reassuring and even. “You stayed calm and took control perfectly. Looks like the lambs are gonna be just fine — at least until Trent gets back from Butte. Then it’s up to him.”
“Thanks,” Patti replied, her heart fluttering at the praise. “I couldn’t have done it without you two.”
Chuck grinned, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “That’s what family’s for. We stick together through thick and thin.”
Family. Is that what she was? What she was becoming?
“That means a lot,” Patti had said.
