West of Forever (Heartstone Ranch #1)(77)

I sigh and nod. “All right. It’s very sweet of you.”

Tristan stands, helping me to my feet, and then he tugs me to his chest, where I rest against his heartbeat. The silence is comforting, and I don’t know that I’ve ever felt this way with another person. Where we can just be. No need to talk to fill up the space.

Maybe it’s because there are no expectations.

Maybe it’s because I know this will end here.

Either way, I know that this moment—his heartbeat against my ear, the warmth of his embrace, and the comfort he brings—is something I’ll never forget. And when he’s gone, I’ll miss him, but then again, I never really had him to begin with.









Chapter 31





Tristan




“Daddy!” Sadie smiles wide when she sees me standing by the truck.

It feels as though my world just righted itself when she comes barreling toward me. I pull her into my arms, my heart nearly bursting as I hold her.

She looks up at me, still hugging me tight.

I grin. “You got taller.”

Sadie huffs a laugh. “It’s been three weeks, Dad. Not possible.”

“And in those three weeks, you got taller.”

I release her, and she steps back. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Maybe so, but you’re stuck with me.”

“That I am,” she agrees.

I shake my head with a laugh.

I’ve missed her so much. The house has felt empty and devoid of any real life. Sadie is the glue that holds me together. I know she’s growing up, that I’ll have to let her go, but for now I’m glad I can hold on tight.

“Ready to head home?”

She nods. “I can’t wait to see Grandad and tell him about some new projects I want to do!”

I should be irritated, but all I can think is: Do whatever keeps him busy. No matter how much it’ll cost me.

“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled if it involves anything that drives me crazy.”

“Oh, it will,” Sadie agrees.

I grab her bag, hoisting it over my shoulder. “What did you pack, bricks?”

“Yes, Dad, I thought, What could I need at camp? Oh, I know, bricks.”

“If it was to throw at any boys who tried to talk to you, I’d support this.”

Seriously, I am perfectly okay with her tossing bricks or any other projectile at them. She and her friends are already boy crazy, always talking about how cute they are, which has me ready to pull my hair out.

“I only talked to five boys,” she says and then sticks her tongue out at me.

I’m not built for this. Being a girl dad is really hard. I know what boys think about. I’m all too aware of their devious little minds when it comes to girls. I need to build a fortress or maybe pay someone to follow her around and ward them off.

All of this sounds perfectly rational, right?

I need to focus on anything other than her dating. “Let’s not talk about boys. I’d like to remain happy on our ride home.”

We get in the truck, and she tells me about the girls she met, how she would prefer to never again sleep in a tent, and how much she can’t wait to see her aunts and grandad. The hour ride is taken up by her endless chatter, and I love every second of it.

“Sounds like you had fun,” I say when she takes a breath.

Sadie lays her head back and sighs. “I did, but I’m glad to be home.”

“We’re glad to have you home.”

“Hey, did you see Lark at all?” Sadie asks.

The question jars me so much I almost run off the side of the road. “Lark?”

“Yeah, Dad, Lark who lives behind us. I’m sure you’ve heard of her since we keep getting visits from the cops about her farm.”

I am more than able to play this cool and keep it casual. “Obviously, I know who she is.”

“Okay, did you see her?”

How the fuck do I answer this?

There is no reason in the world why I would see Lark while Sadie was gone. None. And yet I’ve seen her almost every day. Hell, I was with her this morning after we fell asleep under the stars.

“I mean, I’ve seen her in town.”

She nods.

“Why?”

Sadie lets out a heavy breath. “I didn’t want to bring it up, but a bunch of the kids from Infinity Ridge were talking, and a few showed me a picture of you and her. I said it was clearly photoshopped, because why the heck would you be dancing with her, but then one of the girls said her mom was there and that it’s true.”

For the love of God. Now they’re showing my daughter?

“First of all, that photo was taken weeks ago. She was at the bar when I was there, and a guy was being aggressive. I don’t think any girl, even a Gatlin, should be uncomfortable, so I stepped in. In order to make it not look awkward, we finished the fifteen seconds of the slow song,” I explain. “Secondly, why the hell was that even a topic?”

“Gossip is gossip, Dad. A Stone and a Gatlin together is big news. You can’t expect people not to talk about this. I mean, you guys were, like, dancing and together together.”

“Well, we’re not together.”