AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tess’s cheeks heated. He must’ve gotten a few good laughs watching the video. She was lucky he hadn’t posted it on social media. “No. I didn’t get hurt. Just a few bruises.” And a wound to her pride. “I’ll pay you for the window though.” Traffic started to move again, but the cars behind her easily got around her.
“No need to pay. My father is the one who started this whole mess anyway.” The man’s smile faded. “I should’ve told you at the meeting, so technically it’s my fault too. When you described the UTV, I knew who it was right away. But I was trying to keep him out of trouble.”
“I understand why you didn’t say anything.” Talk about an uncomfortable position, deciding whether or not to turn in your parent. “What’s Natalie going to do to them?”
“They’ll have to pay a steep fine and do community service.” Irritation flared through the words. “Honestly, she let them off easy. I’m disgusted by the whole thing. I mean, growing up on a ranch, my parents taught me to respect animals, and then my father goes and does something stupid like shoot at a herd of wild horses.”
“That doesn’t make a lot of sense.” At least Brad wasn’t involved. She was glad they could still be friends. “Did he say why they did it?”
The man shrugged. “The three of them feel like the herd is threatening the cattle. They’re worried there won’t be enough food to go around, I guess.” He straightened, taking a step back from her truck. “Dad said they were only trying to scare the herd off the land.” His expression remained skeptical. “Either way, they needed to be held accountable. And I’m sorry I made trouble for you by keeping quiet.”
“Well, I didn’t exactly handle the whole situation well either.” That was clear. “I could’ve simply asked you about the UTV instead of proving what a terrible criminal I am.” Breaking into his garage hadn’t been one of her finest moments.
“We’ll put the whole thing behind us.” His smile returned. “And just so you know, I suggested that their community service should revolve around helping you turn the ranch into a wild horse sanctuary like you were talking about. And I’m more than happy to help too.”
“That would be great.” She was going to need all the help she could get installing the fences.
A car honked behind her.
“I’d better get going,” she told Brad. “But bring Callie by this weekend. The girls would love to hang out with her.”
“Will do. Thanks.” He gave her a wave and then Tess drove off.
Instead of going home, she found herself driving to Silas’s small craftsman only a few blocks from Main Street. Seeing his truck in the driveway brought on a rush of adrenaline.
She parked along the curb, hesitating only for a moment before she turned off the engine and climbed out of her truck. The few times she’d been to Silas’s house, she’d been struck by how bare the place was. He had nothing out on his front porch—unlike most people in town who at least had a few chairs or a bench to sit on. And the lack of comfortable personal touches continued to the inside too.
Silas had never put down roots. But he’d never had a reason to. She had no idea what he was thinking after the scene at her house. She had no idea how he felt right now, or what he planned to do. She only knew she had to see him. She had to kiss him. And she had to tell him that she didn’t care how long it took Morgan and Willow to come around. The waiting would be worth it.
Footsteps sounded behind the door and either the porch shifted or her equilibrium did. He answered within a few seconds, before she could brace herself, before she could right her balance.
“Hey.”
How could he speak? Didn’t he feel the same chaos she did when he looked at her? Words were swirling in her brain, tangling and rebounding off each other, but none of them seemed right for this moment. She wanted to tell him she was sorry for what Morgan had said, and she wanted to tell him he was wrong, they could make anything work. But instead she stared at him.
“You want to come in?” He stepped aside, making room for her to move past.
She walked through the door, holding her breath when she caught sight of the boxes stacked on the outskirts of his living room. “Are you packing?”
He shoved a large box away from the front of the couch. “Just going through things and getting rid of a bunch of stuff.”
Tess’s heart deflated. “Are you leaving?”
“I haven’t talked to Fletch yet.” He hadn’t made direct eye contact with her since she’d walked in. “I just don’t know what else to do, Tess. If I go, it’ll give the girls some space. I don’t want our relationship to make things so hard for you.”
A sudden desperation pushed her to him. Things should not have gone this way. They’d been so close to having something. So close. And now he was giving up. “I’m sorry for how the girls acted toward you yesterday.”
“I’m not upset with them.” His gaze finally held hers and his jaw softened. “Not at all. They were surprised and they had every right to react.” His voice quieted. “And I’m not upset with you either. I couldn’t be.”
Then why hadn’t he come to see her? Why hadn’t he called or texted? “I thought you would stop in at the house. When Aiden brought you to pick up your truck.”
Silas took her hand and prodded her to sit with him on the couch. “I don’t want to force anything on Morgan and Willow.” He let go of her. “They’re not ready to let someone else in. And that’s okay. It just means I have to take a step back right now.”
But it wasn’t okay. This was frustrating and difficult. All she wanted to do was sink into his arms, but he didn’t open them for her.
“They don’t want me to be a part of your life.” Silas stood. “And I can’t go back to being your friend. Not after knowing what it’s like to be with you. I can’t go back, and I don’t think we can move forward together right now.”
He’d made up his mind. She saw the resolve. But she couldn’t leave things this way between them. The girls might not be so sure about Silas becoming part of their lives yet. But they would come around. She had to believe. He may have given up, but she wouldn’t.
