Page 93 of Rancher's Return

“You gave me life,” he said. “You were there for me when you could be.”

She reached into the pocket of the sweater she was wearing and took out a small picture. It was him. A school photo, probably from second grade. “I show everyone this. But I guess I need a new one. You’re grown-up.”

“Yeah. I’m all right.”

He stayed the whole evening. He ate Christmas dinner with her. And he made a decision.

He did love Lily. He had the whole time. He needed to get back to her. To hope. To love.

To that strange phenomenon he had tried to dismiss. Because sometimes it snowed on the beach. And sometimes a man really could get everything he wanted. Everything he needed most.

“Hopefully I’ll be back soon to visit,” he told his mom. “But...right now I have somebody I need to go see.”

“Thank you for coming to visit me. It felt like a Christmas miracle.”

“Everybody’s allowed to have miracles,” he said.

Even him.

Chapter Nine

The whole family arrived early the next morning. It was a beautiful, snowy day on the coast, a perfect white Christmas, and it was damaged because Colton wasn’t there.

It could never be perfect. Not without him.

“Why exactly did Colton leave?” her mom asked, leaning against the counter, while the two of them were in the kitchen by themselves.

“It’s complicated,” Lily said.

“Did something happen with him?”

“How did you... How did you know that?”

“Because you look heartbroken. And I’m not surprised that he still has the power to do that to you, even though... Obviously I hoped it wasn’t going to be like that with him. But... I always thought it was odd that the two of you broke up like you did. But you insisted everything was fine.”

“Well. I lied. And we were here by ourselves, and... Well, you don’t need to know the details.”

“You declining to give me the details tells me enough.”

“Well. At least I finished college. You don’t have to worry about me getting pregnant and not finishing.”

“But I have to worry about you having your heart broken.”

“It’s too late. So there’s that.”

There was a commotion in the other room, her half siblings were causing a ruckus, and she and her mom went to see what was happening. It was Colton. Coming through the door with a giant armload of gifts.

Lily felt dizzy. She could have been completely knocked over with a stick. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I’m here to fix things,” he said. “I’m here to tell you that I’m sorry. And that I’m an idiot. Also I brought gifts. Because I figured everybody else might be mad at me too.”

“Just me,” said Marigold. “Nobody else has heard.”

Buck came into the room then. “Heard what?”

“That I’m a dumbass,” said Colton. “And a coward.”

“Already knew that, bro,” said Reggie.