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“Thank you,” Patti replied, gripping the woman’s hand firmly, with a semblance of strength she wished she genuinely felt. As she exited the clinic, she couldn’t help but think that no matter where she went or what job she found, nothing would ever fill the void left by her departure from Littlecreek Ranch and the man who had captured her heart.
It wasn’t exactly the Four Seasons.
The dim light of the motel room cast a melancholy glow on Patti as she lay on the creaky bed, clutching Chunky tightly to her chest. At least he was here with her. The last remaining man in her life.
“Chunky,” she whispered to her stuffie, her voice cracking, “I had no choice. I couldn’t stay at Littlecreek. If something happened to Trent because of me... I don’t think I could bear it.” It was so unfair. Her confidence had almost been back. She’d been so much better. And then, as Trent lay, almost dying, in her arms, the whole world had fallen away.
As if summoned by her thoughts, her phone buzzed, casting a pale light onto the worn sheets.
It was a text from Trent! Patti’s heart leaped in her chest as she read his words.
“Patticake, I understand why you left, but I can’t help but feel that it was a mistake. I need you. I want you here with me. Whatever you need, I’ll do my best to help. None of this was your fault.”
Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring the screen. She wanted nothing more than to be back at the ranch, in her Daddy’s arms.
No, Patti. You have to stop it. He’s not your Daddy anymore. You have to be strong, for him and for you.
Her fingers hovered over the screen, trembling, as she fought the urge to reply.
“Please, just let me go, Trent,” she murmured, her voice barely audible. With a heavy sigh, she set the phone face-down on the bedside table. This was it. She had to move forward, no matter how difficult it seemed.
“Chunky,” she whispered, her voice laced with determination, “we can do this. We’ll find a new life, a new purpose. I have to believe that there’s something better out there for us.” And with that, Patti held Chunky closer and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come and carry her away from the heartache that threatened to consume her.
But sleep didn’t come. Patti opened her eyes again, watching shadows, as they flickered eerily in time to the buzz of a faulty streetlamp outside.
Maybe sheshouldreply to Trent. It was awful to imagine him at the ranch, in pain, and no doubt worrying about her. She reached for her phone, hoping just to re-read his message, but before she could gather her thoughts, a brand new message appeared on the screen, causing her heart to race in her chest.
“Sorry to hear that you’ve left Littlecreek,” it read. “I won’t get to see your face as I buy the place.” The name attached to the message was like ice water in her veins: Brandon Grouse. With all the chaos of the recent fire, she hadn’t even considered the threat he posed.
“Leave me alone,” she typed back with trembling fingers, her anger momentarily stronger than her fear.
“Maybe,” came the swift reply. “If you pay me back the ten million you cost me.”
Patti’s breath caught in her throat as the weight of her past actions threatened to crush her. Her hands shook as she held her phone, the device feeling as though it were a ticking time bomb. The silence of the motel room suddenly felt oppressive, choking her as her mind raced through countless scenarios, each more nightmarish than the last.
Ten million dollars. That’s how much Brandon had lost because of her trading mistake.
“Chunky,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, “what am I going to do?”
The stuffed animal offered no answers, but its unchanging expression seemed to offer a small measure of comfort. Obviously, Brandon was behind all of this. There was no way he’d know details like the fact she’d left the ranch otherwise. No doubt he was behind the poisoning and the fire.
The idea had been to put the ranch behind her. To move on with her life. But she couldn’t, not when so many people might suffer because of it. She needed proof that Brandon had planned the whole thing.
Just then, she had an idea.
A good idea.
An idea so good that she knew—she just knew—that she had to follow her instinct. She thought about Trent, about what he would say to her. He wouldn’t even give her the option of not voicing her idea, of not following her instinct. And if she failed, no one would get hurt except her.
With a deep breath, Patti made a decision.
“Okay, Brandon” she typed, her fingers flying across the screen. “Let’s talk.”
As she hit send, her heart pounded in her chest. She knew this would be anything but easy. With the ghost of a smile, she murmured to her stuffie, “If we’re going to face this, we’ll do it together.”
But it wasn’t just Chunky that she needed help from.
And so, with Chunky nestled in her arms and her phone clutched like a lifeline, Patti braced herself for the storm ahead. She typed a message and hit send.
