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The look on Brielle’s face confirmed everything Sarah had just said. She had to break up with Dax not only to keep him safe from himself and from Kenneth, but to help her family. And now Brielle understood.
Together, they sat in silence, the weight of the quiet pressing down on them. Not even Brielle could come up with a solution to this predicament.
“How did you—what did Dax say—”
Sarah cringed. She knew what Brielle was trying to ask. What had happened between herself and Dax today? Were they broken up? And how did it happen?
There was no way for Sarah to tell Brielle any of it. Not AA, not the accident. She settled back onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. “I told him I’m going home and I don’t love him.” Her voice was flat, void of emotion. For the most part, her statement was true. Dax wouldn’t dispute it. And by the time he vented to Brielle, Sarah would be long gone.
She turned her head and stared at Brielle for a long moment. “You have to promise me you won’t say anything to anyone. Don’t tell anyone about my family, and definitely don’t talk about Kenneth. Not to Dax, not to the sheriff—no one.”
Brielle frowned. “You can’t be serious. You’re part of the family, Sarah. We are supposed to lift up and help our family.”
Sarah’s heart twinged, tearing at the seams. The people here on this ranch were far more like family than the people who had raised her. She offered Brielle a weak smile. “I appreciate everything you have done for me while I’ve been here. But it’s time for me to leave all of this behind and move on. I wasn’t meant to stay longer than a few months anyway.”
Her friend moved closer to her and patted her forearm. “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m going to miss you too.”
“Will you come back and visit? There’s no way I’m going to find a guy to marry without someone who can tell me when I’m being too picky.”
Sarah snickered. “The entire time I’ve been here, you haven’t needed my help at all.”
“Exactly. I’m not any closer to finding a beau.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “You don’t want one.”
“So?” Brielle laughed. “You know my dad. He’s not going to let Constance date until I find someone. I can’t make her wait forever, can I?”
“Since when have you cared about your dad’s rules? You’re just trying to get me to stay.”
Brielle sighed, crawling onto the bed beside Sarah and scooting close so she could share the pillow. They remained side by side, both gazing at the ceiling overhead. “Maybe I am. I’ve grown accustomed to having you here. You’re like a sister to me.” She twisted her head and offered Sarah a smile. “I think it would be fun if you were to stay.”
“I’m sure it would,” Sarah mumbled absently. “Do you think you could take me to town tomorrow? I need to meet with the sheriff.”
“What about?”
“I’m going to see if he can get approval for me to end my community service early.”
Brielle went so still that Sarah wasn’t sure if she would agree. It probably didn’t matter. Sarah could catch a ride with someone else if it came to it. Brielle was just her first choice.
“We could get a coffee or go to lunch.”
Brielle nodded, still not saying anything.
That was all the answer Sarah needed. If everything went smoothly, she’d be on her way back to the city. She’d call her parents tomorrow as well, asking about the job they’d been holding for her when she was ready. Everything was aligning.
Just not in the way she’d wanted it to. This could very well be one of the last nights she spent at Slate Rock Ranch.
28
Dax
Dax stabbed the hay bale with his pitchfork and tossed the contents with a vengeance. His tongue and throat were dry and begging for just one drop of the elixir that would satiate his craving. But he refused. He wouldn’t walk down that path again, not even if it meant he’d get some reprieve from his heartbreak.
His muscles pulled beneath his shirt as he tossed more hay into a stall. Sarah had been gone for almost a month. Onelongmonth and the pain he felt was still fresh. The path to healing would be long and arduous, but he’d done it before, and he would do it again. Sarah was just a girl.
Except she wasn’t. She was the girl that he’d fallen so far in love with that there was no going back. No one would come close to making him feel the way he did when he was with Sarah. No one could have hurt him this bad.
