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Your destination is on the right in one mile.

Finally.

I had spent the last day and a half traveling from Dallas to Silver Creek, driving straight through, only stopping for the essentials. At this point, I was surviving off Red Bulls and McDonald’s french fries alone.

“Look at me now, Mom and Dad, running from my problems instead of facing them head-on like you tried to teach me to growing up,” I said in my empty SUV as it inched closer and closer to my final destination. “Some lessons are harder learned than others, I suppose.”

Even though my parents weren’t in the car with me, I knew they could still hear me. At least that’s what I chose to believe—that when people die, they are still here with us in spirit.

And that’s what my parents were—dead .

The entire way here, I could feel my chest tightening, my anxiety peaking at an all-time high. That was pretty normal for someone in my situation, though.

But I was finally crossing into Silver Creek. The moment my tires passed the city limits sign, I could finally breathe again.

It was almost eerie how everything looked exactly the same as the day I left two years ago.

The endless stretch of blue sky still arched overhead, framed by the familiar rise of mountain peaks, the sun hanging high in the afternoon haze.

But I wasn’t the same na?ve girl who once tried to outrun this town and my family tragedy, clinging to dreams and blind hope.

I was different now—bruised, battered, and broken in ways both visible and not.

Life had a funny way of doing that to you.

My hands tightened around the steering wheel as my SUV rattled down the familiar weather-worn two-lane highway. Welcome to Silver Creek, the sign to the right of the road read as I pulled into downtown.

As I continued driving, I thought about the events of the last forty-eight hours. All the emotions inside me were trapped, like a can of biscuits ready to bust at any second.

I wanted to cry, maybe even scream. It would probably make me feel better if I let it out, but I was sick of crying. Sick of shedding tears that no one gave a damn about.

If there was anything I learned during my time away from Silver Creek, it was that I couldn’t count on anybody but myself. Nobody else was going to save me.

My car’s GPS came to life, pulling me from my very own pity party.

“Your destination is on the right in four hundred feet,” it announced.

Gravel crunched beneath my tires as I turned into the parking lot. The sun-faded sign on the front of the brick building said Maggie’s. It was Silver Creek’s only diner.

I parked, opened the car door, and slowly turned my stiff body, stepping out onto the gravel lot. I took a deep breath and stretched my back, rolling the tension from my shoulders. Hours on the road had left me aching, but I was here. That was all that mattered.

The bell above the door jingled as I pushed through the entrance. When I stepped inside, the scent of blueberry pancakes and freshly brewed coffee wrapped around me.

The diner looked like something frozen in time: checkered floors, red vinyl booths, and a counter full of regulars clutching their coffee mugs like they held the secrets to the universe. Familiar faces filled the space, one in particular turning my way.

Maggie Holt—diner owner and town gossip extraordinaire—stood behind the counter, her eyes widening. A heartbeat later, she was rushing towards me, wiping her hands on her apron as she closed the distance.

“Well, I’ll be! Ellie Brooks, back in Silver Creek! I never thought I’d see the day. ”

A real smile—the first in a long time—pulled at my lips as she wrapped me in a warm hug, the scent of syrup and coffee grounds surrounding me.

“Hey, Maggie.”

Before I could say anything else, another familiar voice broke through the buzz of the diner.

“Well, if it ain’t Ellie Brooks.”

I turned to see Jace McKinley, all easy grins and mischief, sliding into the booth across from where I stood like he owned the place.

Jace had a reputation around Silver Creek—a little reckless, a little wild—but underneath all that charm, he was as loyal as they came. He was like the little brother I never had.

“Didn’t think I’d see you back here so soon,” he mused, stretching an arm across the back of the booth he was sitting in.

Sitting right across from him was Liam Carson, the town sheriff and Jace’s lifelong best friend.

“Town’s been dull without you,” Liam joked.

The old Ellie would’ve engaged in their playful banter, even shot back a joke maybe, but I wasn’t that girl anymore. I was quieter, more beaten down than the person I was when I left two years ago. I tried to return his smirk, but it felt brittle.

“Didn’t think I’d be back either,” I said with a half laugh, shrugging my shoulders. Oh well, here I am—ready or not .

Liam studied me. Curiosity sprawled across his face as if he could tell I was hiding something.

“What brings you back after all this time?” he asked .

The question hung in the air. I hesitated, gripping the hem of my sweater and tugging it down over my wrists, making sure neither of them saw the secrets hiding beneath the fabric.

“Oh, nothing,” I answered lightly. “Just a change of scenery.” I forced a small, humorless laugh. “Turns out city life isn’t for me after all.”

It wasn’t a complete lie.

My parents died when I was a senior in high school.

Watching a casket that held both of your parents as it was lowered six feet into the ground changes a person.

It changed me.

The second I got the chance, I packed up and left Silver Creek, certain I was destined for something different.

Dallas had been my fresh start—a new job, new apartment, new life—1,500 miles away from everything I knew in Silver Creek, Montana.

And for a while, it had been exactly what I needed.

Then I met Jason.

I was out one night at a bar with friends when he walked up and started flirting with me. We hit it off instantly. He asked me out on a date, and the rest was history.

Shattered, chaotic history, but history, nonetheless.

At first, he had been perfect—charming, attentive, the kind of man who seemed like the real deal. Looking back now, he definitely love bombed me.

But little by little, that illusion cracked .

First, it was the sharp words and the way he isolated me from my friends. Then came the control. The bruises followed not long after.

For a long time, I told myself that leaving wasn’t an option. That things would eventually get better.

But two nights ago, Jason came home drunk— very drunk.

Staggering around the apartment, he searched for his cell phone.

Violently, he pulled out drawer after drawer, all their contents crashing loudly as he flung them to the floor.

After a few minutes of destroying our apartment with no luck, he set his sights on me.

“Give it back, you stupid bitch! I know you have it!”

“I didn’t take your phone, Jason. You probably left it at the bar.”

But he wouldn’t listen. He grabbed my wrists and slammed me into the kitchen wall, my head cracking the drywall.

A few moments later, he found his phone in his coat pocket—surprise, surprise. Then he passed out on our bed as if nothing happened.

In that moment, I knew. If I didn’t leave, I would die.

They said lightning couldn’t strike the same place twice, but I was starting to disagree.

My parents were strike one. Jason was strike two. I was certain strike three would be it for me and I wasn’t waiting around to find out.

The next morning, after he left for work, I packed everything I could fit in my car and drove away without looking back .

With nowhere else to turn, I decided to come to the only place I could call home. I drove through the night, only stopping for the necessities.

“So, what’s Ellie doing on her first day back in Silver Creek?” Jace asked.

His voice pulled me back from where I’d drifted off into my own painful memories. I straightened, focusing my attention back on Jace and Liam.

“I guess I need to find a place to stay for a while,” I said nervously. In a town this small, rentals were few and far between.

“You know,” Jace said, glancing at Liam, “if you need a place to stay, the guesthouse out at the ranch isn’t occupied right now.”

My stomach twisted. McKinley Ranch.

The ranch where I had spent most of my summers, falling in love with a boy who didn’t love me back.

Jace must have noticed my hesitation because his usual teasing softened.

“The ranch is always open to you, Ellie. You’re family, you know that.”

My throat tightened. Of course, I know that .

The McKinleys were the first to take me in after my parents died. I was just a few months shy of my eighteenth birthday. The state didn’t have room to take me on as a foster child, so basically, they said you’re on your own, kid—good luck .

The McKinleys gave me a place to stay for as long as I needed it—no questions asked.

Liam placed a hand on my shoulder, his fingers grazing my bleached-blonde hair. I tried my best not to jump out of habit .

“Plus, I bet Colt will be glad to see you,” Liam added.

Will he, though?

The last time I saw him was the night I left. I could still see him standing on the front porch of the main ranch house, arms crossed, his jaw set in a hard line.

“You’re really leaving, huh?” His voice had been even, unreadable. I had gripped the strap of my bag like it was a lifeline.

“Yes, Colt. I am.”

He had searched my face for a long moment, like he was trying to find something.

“Are you coming back?”

I hesitated too long before answering, and he noticed. He always noticed.

“I just… feel like there’s more out there for me, Colt,” I had said, forcing myself to look him in the eye. “Something bigger than this town.”

A saddened look had flickered in his blue eyes, but all he did was nod. That’s all he ever did.

“Then go, Ellie.” His voice had been quiet. “Go spread your wings.”

No grand declarations. No arguments. Just that one simple sentence.

I exhaled slowly, the reality of my current situation starting to settle. I was homeless, broke, and broken.

I quickly slid on my sunglasses, hoping neither Jace nor Liam would notice the tears welling in my hazel eyes.

My can of biscuits was about to bust—again .

“Well, it was good seeing you both,” I said, clutching my purse as if my life depended on it. “I should probably start my hunt for a place to stay.”

Jace leaned forward. “Ellie, come on. No need to go looking for some rundown rental when the guesthouse is open. It’s yours if you want it.”

I hesitated. “I don’t know. I don’t want to overstep…”

Liam nodded. “It makes sense. You don’t have to stay forever. Just until you find something permanent.”

I looked between them, my heart going back and forth.

Yes, no.

Yes, no.

“Okay,” I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper. “Just for a few days.”

Jace grinned. “Great, it’s settled then,” he said, clasping his hands together as if he had just sealed a business deal.

And just like that, I was heading back to McKinley Ranch—ready or not.