West of Forever (Heartstone Ranch #1)(71)

Another option is to lie to everyone.

I turn my gaze back to Tristan, to his strong jawline, beautiful face, and perfect nose. His warm eyes meet mine.

That’s the only option for me, if word gets out. To lie, keep him as long as I can, and pray we are never caught, so I don’t have to give him up.

“Okay,” I say, and rest my head on his arm, holding the tears at bay.





“Can you go in the other aisle and grab snack options for Carter? I need to get some produce, and I saw Claribel bringing in her bushels,” Momma says.

Claribel is my mother’s favorite produce vendor. She definitely won’t want to miss getting first dibs.

“Sure thing.”

The last two days have passed by without incident. When I first got back, I literally felt like I was on the edge of a cliff. Each time the phone rang, I worried it was Mrs. Canta, calling to tell my mother she saw me kissing some guy, and that guy happened to be a Stone.

I didn’t realize just how much it was making me sick until this morning, when she did call.

I answered, and she was her normal, talkative, and inquisitive self, but she didn’t say a word about Tristan or ask if I was in Utah when she was.

The breath of relief I let out was probably heard across town.

We weren’t caught.

Now my whole family’s in preparation mode for Carter to come for a visit. Which is a whole other type of stress.

I’m in the grocery store’s snack aisle, looking for options, not having a clue what the hell he likes. What does someone who hates everything, thinks this town is dumb, and believes he’s smarter than all of us put together eat?

“Stay away from my niece,” I hear a feminine voice, cold as ice, say from beside me.

I glance up, confused at who the hell could be saying some stupid shit to me, and then I see who. Well, there goes my day. “Hello, Fallon. I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, fuck right off, Lark. Stay away from Sadie.”

I sigh and clear my throat. “I literally don’t know what you’re insinuating. I’m not doing anything to Sadie. I barely speak to her.”

Now, if we were talking about Tristan, that would be a better argument. When it comes to Sadie, I’m not doing anything wrong.

“Clearly that’s a lie. Enough that my father is out there rebuilding a damn chicken coop, adding lights and wallpaper. So you’re obviously filling her head with things.”

That’s so far from the truth. I would never do anything to Sadie. I really like her, and I’m falling—well, I’ve already fallen —for her father. The idea of ever hurting a child is ridiculous. I understand why Fallon hates us, but this is really unfair.

“Look, I would never hurt Sadie.”

She laughs once. “Please. You forget who I am, don’t you?”

I know exactly who she is. I know exactly why she’s standing here, spewing her hate at me. It’s not completely unwarranted, but at the same time, it’s misguided.

“No, but I think you’re forgetting who I am in all of this too. Mary Lou is my best friend. I loved Emmy Jo, and I would never, ever do anything to Sadie.”

Fallon scoffs. “Let’s not play games here. You and your family destroy things. That’s what you do. I will not lose my niece to…to a Gatlin.”

I’m not exactly sure how she’s making this leap, but I work really hard to control my anger at being yelled at in the damn grocery store.

“I’m not my brother,” I say without any waver in my voice.

At the mention of Maverick, her entire body stiffens. “It doesn’t matter.”

“That’s not fair. I understand why you hate him, and there’s a reason none of us talk to him, either, but…I’m not him. Sadie is sweet and a child. Say what you want about my brother. He deserves your hate, but I don’t, and neither does my family.”

I promised the same thing to Tristan, and I mean it. I may be the enemy or whatever to them, but I wasn’t to Emmy Jo. She was like a sister to me in some ways. I wouldn’t do anything to her child. Not that I would ever intentionally hurt anyone, but that’s beside the point.

My worry now is that my mother will overhear any of this. There’s a reason we don’t discuss Maverick around her. It literally eats her alive.

“Save your shit for someone else. Stay away from her. She’s already lost so much, and my brother has lost even more. She has her aunts, her father, her family, and she doesn’t need to be talking to you at the fence posts.”

I could rage at her, tell her all the things about how unfair and ridiculous this entire conversation is, but it doesn’t matter. Fallon has been hurt, and that’s what this is: her fear, anger, and frustration at the situation she’s in. I get it.

Instead, I take a different route. One that can maybe start to build a bridge. One that might be able to mend the hurt our two families have faced.

I place the box of crackers back on the shelf and turn to her. “I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. I’m sorry that it was because of my brother. I’m sorry that your life has been so deeply affected. I wish I could change things. That I could bring Carrick back or go back in time and alter the decisions that Maverick made. I’m truly sorry.”