Page 4 of Before You Can Blink (Rust Canyon #4)

Not knowing what to do, I tugged on the back of my neck. “I’ll just, uh—” My eyes landed on the shattered remains of our living room. “Clean up in here.”

Annie shook her head, eyes softening in sympathy.

“Don’t you worry about that. Carly, Beth, and Tori are on their way over, and we’ll take care of everything.

Why don’t you step out for a bit, get some fresh air?

I can’t imagine you’ve had much time to process with how unexpected and sudden all of this has been. ”

She didn’t give me time to argue or protest, turning her back on me as she guided Ma toward the master bedroom and closed the door behind them.

The silence was deafening, and that’s when it sank in that I would never hear my father’s booming voice echoing off the walls of this tiny house ever again.

My chest constricted when I realized I had brushed him off this morning when he’d barked at me to take out the trash, because I was late for school, telling him I would do it when I got home.

Those words would be the last we ever spoke to each other .

Fuck, if I had known . . .

Regret washed over me, making it so I couldn’t draw in a full breath. Black spots danced across my vision as I stumbled outside. I didn’t make it far before my knees gave out, and my ass landed on the top porch step. Desperate for oxygen, I dropped my head between my spread knees.

How the hell had this happened? He was too goddamn young!

Forty years was all God gave him on this earth, while others got upwards of eighty. It wasn’t fucking fair. Not by a long shot.

Something I’d once heard tickled the back of my brain.

“Every day you wake up, you have no idea if it could be your last. Gotta make the most of what time you’re granted on this earth.”

I stood with renewed purpose. It was time to take charge and live my life. When the Grim Reaper came for me, I was determined that it would be on my terms, no one else’s.

Upon arrival at Livingston Ranch, I made a beeline for the bunkhouse. Skidding to a halt, I raised a shaky hand and knocked on the door.

It opened quickly to reveal a freshly showered cowboy standing on the opposite side. His brows drew down as he surveyed my disheveled, breathless form.

“What can I do for you, kid?”

Kid.

I was a little over a year out from my eighteenth birthday, which would mark my entry into adulthood, but I had a feeling that after today, I’d be forced to grow up in a hurry. My childhood was officially over .

“Murphy around?” Shit. Now that I said his name aloud, it struck me that he might not even work here anymore. For all I knew, he could’ve been a summer seasonal hire the last time I’d set foot on this property two years ago.

The cowboy cocked his head. “You’re here to see Murph?”

“Yes, sir.” Heart in my throat, I asked, “He still work here?”

My question was met with a chuckle. “Guess you could say that. He’s married to the boss’s daughter.”

Well, that was a twist I didn’t see coming.

“Think you could point me in the direction of where I might find him?”

He hummed. “I can give him a call, but it’s coming up on suppertime. Might be a while before he’s free.”

“That’s fine.” I wasn’t in any hurry to return home to face my new reality.

“You hungry? We can fix you up a plate if you are.”

I shook my head. “Mighty kind of you to offer, but if it’s all right, I’ll wait out here.”

“Suit yourself.” He dipped his chin before closing the door.

Restless, I walked around a bit before dropping my ass to the dirt. Facing west, I folded my arms over my bent knees and watched as the sun sank toward the horizon.

The first stars could be seen in the sky when boots became visible in my peripheral vision.

“Been a while,” Murphy remarked as he sat down beside me.

Voice thick, I confessed, “My dad died today.”

Murphy sucked in a sharp inhale. “Shit. That’s rough.”

Blowing out a heavy breath, I agreed, “Yeah.”

“You’re probably gonna hear this so many times it loses meaning, but I’m sorry, kid. ”

I grunted in response. Accepting sympathy wouldn’t come easy.

There was a beat of silence. “So, what are you doing out here? This some kinda running away from home type of thing?”

My shoulder lifted in a half-shrug. “Not exactly, but close.”

“If you’re lookin’ for work, I might be able to put in a good word.”

Shifting my body, I turned to face him and raised an eyebrow. “’Cause you’re all cozy with the owner’s daughter, right?”

A smirk crept onto his lips. “Heard about that, did ya?” His smile grew, and he let out a laugh.

“She’s a rebellious little thing. Married me to piss her daddy off.

Just the other night, she suggested I start competing again, and the idea of his precious baby girl slumming it on the rodeo circuit with some half-washed bronc rider almost made his head explode at the dinner table. ”

My ears perked up. “Are you gonna do it?”

Murphy’s head tilted from side to side. “Thinkin’ about it.”

Swallowing, I prepared to shoot my shot. “That’s actually why I came out here.”

His brows shot sky-high. “Oh yeah?”

“That offer to train me still stand?” When Murphy merely blinked at me, I began to backtrack as I pushed off the ground. “You know what? Forget I asked.”

I made it all of two steps before he called out from behind me, “Hell yeah, I’ll train you.”

Stopping dead in my tracks, I spun around slowly, eyes wide. “Really?”

Murphy rose to his feet and flashed me a grin. “If anything, a young, naturally talented training partner is just what I need to get my ass back into shape.”

The burst of laughter that bubbled up from my chest was so unexpected that I slapped a hand over my mouth .

Holy shit, I was really doing this.

Today might’ve been the last day of my father’s life, but it marked the first day of the rest of mine.