AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’d barely spoken to my father more than had been necessary, burying myself in my work and taking care of my parents’ home to avoid both guilt and sorrow. My mother never mentioned Cassidy or Weston, even during a lunch date we went on. She merely wanted to make sure I was okay. Which I wasn’t, but there was nothing left to do. I was too tired of fighting.
Even Elena and Carly noticed something was off, but I didn’t know where to begin or how to explain it to them. So we went shopping instead. There was no point in saying anything. It wasn’t worth risking Weston being arrested simply because my father had some false idea about him. I asked Doc about him several times though, wondering why so many people thought that about Weston. He said it was because of fear—fear was such a powerful manipulator.
Weston’s family obviously had tried to keep the rumors at bay, but until Weston was willing to confront them himself, there would always be suspicions that aroused. Yet, I couldn’t blame Weston for keeping to himself. Even my father had called him a monster to his face. I couldn’t imagine how it would feel to be treated like that constantly. And yet, the man had still held his head high when he’d left. Everything Weston had done up to that point hadn’t earned the amount of respect from me that his calm composure had then.
And no matter how hard I tried to bury it, I missed him.
“Tenley, dear,” my mom said from the front seat. “You remember Tommy from high school?”
I glanced at her. “Yes?” My voice was short.
“He will be there, and he’s single. Your father and I both contacted him to invite him to enjoy your company while here.” She grinned widely in the mirror.
All I did was stare blankly at her, and then turn away. What a horrible way to spend what could be the last little bit of my father’s life, but I was so angry. They had pushed me to date, to find someone, yet ripped away the one man that I’d developed my own organic relationship with.
And for what reason? Why was Weston off limits but every other guy was okay? What was it about him that my dad hated so much? Because it was not like my father to believe so strongly in something that he had no proof for.
“Tenley, you can’t stay mad forever, it’s not healthy,” she added, glancing at my father in the passenger seat.
“I’m not mad. I’m disappointed with how you treated Weston. And hurt,” I replied, staring out the window once more.
“It was only to protect you, Tenley.” My father’s faint voice brushed against my ears.
“Weston is not someone I need protecting from.”
He sighed and returned to staring out his window, ending the conversation. It was going to be a long weekend. Tommy and I had already been on a date once in high school. He was everything I didn’t want in a man: loud, obnoxious, and stuck up. Yeah, he was funny once in a while, but that was about it. I liked how powerful Weston was without needing to be the center of attention.
My heart broke again, my mind fighting with memories of him, and I closed my eyes. Hoping that sleep would rescue me from the rest of the two hour drive.
Chapter 22
We pulled off of the road and entered the dude ranch that Trixie and her fiancé had booked for the weekend party. It wasn’t that this place was ugly, but after seeing the Duke Ranch so many times tucked away in the mountainside, this didn’t quite do it anymore. A massive lodge loomed into view as we drove along between perfectly spaced pine trees that were dusted in a hint of snow.
Beyond the trees were pastures, the wooden fencing dark and perfectly stained. Horses meandered about to the right, and some cattle bellowed to the left. Nothing extreme, no cowboys riding down a mountainside or a tall, dark, and handsome mysterious figure scaring me as I got out of my vehicle.
What there was though, was a nice parking lot to the right side of the large lodge, already filled with several vehicles. A small road continued past the lot, and then two other smaller buildings that looked like miniature cabins were placed in front of a large red barn. More pastures spanned behind the lodge, sparkling with untouched snow from the most recent storm.
My mom slowed the truck and then pulled into an empty parking stall before killing the engine. I silently climbed out from the back and yanked my suitcase from the bed of the truck. The wheels scraped against the pavement as I wandered towards the front door of the lodge. Before I managed to tug on the golden handle, it burst open wide and there she was.
A loud, high pitched shriek rang in my ears as Trixie wrapped me in a massive hug. We jumped around for a moment, I fawned over her ring, and then she slung an arm around my shoulders, dragging me inside. It was warm in here, a fire lit to my right in the dark brown sitting room. A lady sat behind the front desk on my left, also in the dark brown wooden coloring. Deep reds and oranges mixed in along the rug that sat between the fireplace and two couches that faced each other.
A long similar rug spanned the hallway that stretched forward in front of me, passing beside stairs that wound upwards and a door at the end of the hallway. “We are staying upstairs! Your parents have their own room, but you’ll be with me and the girls!” Trixie squealed in glee, guiding me towards the stairs. “There’s a big kitchen and sitting room with pool tables and fancy couches through that door. We will probably go on a horse ride tomorrow or something and just enjoy our time!”
“Sounds wonderful,” I replied halfheartedly, and began climbing the stairs after Trixie. She had on black leggings and a thick, cream sweater that still looked marvelous on her even though the shirt drowned her. Carly and Elena had helped me update my wardrobe a little. I currently wore the new pair of square-toed boots I’d been working in the past week, with my own high-waisted wranglers and a nice beige, long-sleeved T-shirt that I’d tucked into my pants.
“You look super cute by the way. I’m loving the western look and the fact that your hair is down!” she added as we emerged at the landing. A wide sitting area stretched before me, with a hallway going to the left and right. Trixie turned left and twisted the handle to the second door before pushing it open.
Squeals met my ears and three more girls crashed around me. Girls I hadn’t seen since high school. They all looked so similar. Leggings, a baggy sweatshirt, and hair pulled into a tight ponytail.
Marsha was the first to greet me, her bright brown eyes raking over my body. “So, Simon has a cute brother that has like two cute friends, who areallsingle.” Of course, that was her greeting as Trixie pointed to the far twin-sized bed on the left. There were five beds in here, one beneath the window at the opposite end of the room, two on the left, and two on the right. A large, square wooden room with the stereotypical handmade quilts. Absolutely gorgeous and gave a home feeling to the room.
There was no television, no bathroom in here. Only a large closet that was open and already stuffed full of clothes on the right side of the entrance. I shook my head and then wandered towards the last empty bed.
“What are you saying, Marsha?” I asked, setting the suitcase down beside the bed and shrugging off my Aztec-print coat.
“That because none of us are single like you are, we want to help you get a date.” She grinned, plopping down on her bed that was on my side of the room.
“Tommy’s been telling us about how your parents called him because you are single and refuse to date any of the men they’ve set you up with,” Dakota added, her blonde, short hair draping over the white pillow as she leaned back on her bed across from me.
