Page 44 of Hung Up (Shadow Ridge #1)

BILLINGS

can’t find my lucky charm

I find myself checking my phone to see if Faith is on her way yet.

We had left the ranch at the same time, but she stopped in town to check in at her hotel despite my protests and insisting she just come back to Aspen Creek with me.

She claimed the two days she spent there were enough and she didn’t want to overstay her welcome, but little does she know it’d be impossible for her to do so.

Or maybe she does know and she’s just choosing to ignore it, I don’t know.

Either way, it’s been two hours since we got to town, and she’s still not here.

“How’d it go?” Kai asks, plopping down on the bench beside me.

“How’d what go?”

He gives me an incredulous look. “Faith staying with you on the ranch.” My brows shoot up in surprise. “You really thought she wasn’t going to tell me?”

“I knew you were friends, but didn’t realize you were that close.

” And for the first time, that knowledge doesn’t make me envious.

“It was good. She and Stevie became, like, instant friends, which was odd, but they already have plans together, so there’s that.

Addie likes her, and they got along well, too.

She didn’t have a chance to talk to Nash much—he got called to pick up some horses that needed breaking and doesn’t trust any of the ranch hands with the checkbook. ”

“Mhm.” He studies me with an unreadable expression on his face. “So, she met your family.” I nod slowly. “Any particular reason?”

It dawns on me that she never told him what was going on with us.

I mean, I know she said she didn’t want anyone knowing, but I guess part of me assumed she’d have told somebody by now.

I know I ended up telling Colt—one of our ranch hands Faith will most likely never meet and definitely has zero connections in common with.

“Nope.”

He looks like he wants to push for more information, appears desperate to know what’s going on, but I suddenly spot Dean walking toward us—most likely heading to the stalls with the bulls—and flag him down. Kai grumbles under his breath, but I ignore him as Dean stops in front of us.

“What’s going on?”

“I might have some good news for you.” He just stares at me, not prompting for more information or showing any interest, so I clear my throat and continue. “There’s an opening for a veterinarian on my family’s ranch. I wanted to extend you the offer since I know you want to get away from all this.”

Dean simply nods. “What would that entail?”

“Well, we have a shit ton of cattle and a little over two dozen horses. Too many chickens, a few goats, and a llama that my mother begged my father to get. We also have about six dogs running around. The biggest thing though is my sister is desperate for someone to help her barrel racing horse. He sustained a suspensory ligament injury, and the last vet that came through was trying to tell her to put him down.”

Finally showing some emotion, a deep frown appears on Dean’s face. “What the hell? For a ligament injury? Those are definitely rehabable if you put in the work.”

“Would you be willing to?”

“Do I have to get a place down there?”

I shake my head. “Our old vet lived on the property. There’s a cabin near the bunk house that’s unoccupied now that would be yours.”

“Can I have a few days to think about it?” I nod. “Thanks, man. I appreciate you thinking of me.”

Dean walks off without so much as a look back, and Kai and I exchange a look that has us both chuckling. With a slap on my back, Kai gets up, trailing behind Dean to most likely pick his bull for the night, which means I’m left alone with my thoughts once again.

Having Faith at the house with me, on my family’s ranch, felt better, more natural, than I could ever put into words.

It felt right. The way she moved and acted with my family, it was like she was meant to be there.

And the best part of all that is that she seemed to really enjoy her time.

Faith has definitely loosened up since we first met, but she’s never let her walls down completely.

Here at the arenas, she’s in work mode—focused and trying to get the job done.

At the bars, she’s a little on edge, constantly scanning her surroundings.

And at the hotel, she’s either writhing beneath me and clearly trying to keep that last boundary between us, or she’s rushing to get going to the next thing.

But on the ranch? There was a calmness about her that had me stopping to take notice.

It wasn’t until I caught her on the front porch, staring off at the mountains in the distance, that I realized just how tense she’s been.

She seemed at peace, and that piece of knowledge has wedged itself into my mind and set off another spark of hope within me.

Maybe our story might turn into my mother and father’s—maybe she might realize that peace is something she desperately wants, and she’ll want it with me.

It seems like the universe is playing some kind of trick on me because as I pace before the bullpen, Faith still hasn’t shown up.

Thankfully, I’m in a better headspace where I know I won’t get hurt—as long as this wrap around my ribs does its job this time—but her absence is concerning.

And not just to me. Kai has called her three separate times now, and even Wyatt sent her a couple of texts.

It’s not like Faith to be late for anything, let alone miss it altogether.

Especially when it comes to her job.

“You’re up, Hayes.”

My ride is a better one than last time. Someone must be looking down on me because I manage to last for the full eight, but not without some immense discomfort.

My ribs will definitely take longer to heal with the exertion I’m putting them under, but I’ll just have to deal with those consequences when that time comes.

Staring up at the screen, it takes everything in my power not to break into a massive grin and throw my hat up in the air in elation.

I’ve just climbed back up four spots in the standings.

I’m walking down the hallway, heading toward the locker room to grab my phone, hoping I’ll find a text from Faith waiting for me. But as I turn the corner, I spot Kai, Stetson, Wyatt, and Rylie standing in a small circle, huddled in the hallway.

“You hear from her yet?” I ask, drawing their attention to me.

Kai shakes his head. “Nope. Still nothing.”

“Are you talking about Georgia?” Rylie fidgets with a notepad and what appears to be a tape recorder in her hands.

“No, Faith,” I tell her, and her eyebrows raise, but a knowing smile tugs at her lips. “I can’t find my good luck charm. Any chance you might know where she is?”

Rylie nods. “Her father made an impromptu appearance, so she got roped into spending the afternoon with him. Much to her displeasure.” I’m about to inquire about it when she continues. “So you’re stuck with me, Pretty Boy. Come on, time for an interview.”

“Only if you promise never to call me that again.” Hearing that nickname come out of someone else’s mouth feels incredibly wrong. “That one’s reserved strictly for Faith.”

“I get it,” she states as we peel off from the other three and start to head toward the media room. “Of course the woman you’re sleeping with has dibs on calling you that.”

I stop dead in my tracks, my eyes widening in surprise. She takes a couple more steps before she stops and turns, looking at me with a satisfied smile. “You know?”

“Of course I know,” she tells me like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. I knew she told somebody . “Although it took a lot longer than I thought it would for her to share that information with her best friend.”

“Don’t be too upset about it,” I say as we resume the walk to our destination. “She’s the one who said we couldn’t tell anybody about it.”

“Yeah, well, there’s certain things you don’t keep from your best friend.

” Pushing the door open, Rylie lets me walk inside first, but she leaves the door open.

I plop down on the couch, kicking my feet up on the small rectangular coffee table while she sets the recorder near my feet before pulling a chair over and sitting opposite me.

“Alright, this will be a quick and easy one. I don’t have very many questions for you since she’s almost done with her article. This is basically just filler.”

I shrug. “Hit me.”

“How has it been coming back from your injury?”

“Difficult but manageable. Thanks to my sister, I was able to take some extra precautions so it hopefully won’t happen again.”

She hums. “Your ride tonight seemed to be the one you were looking for last weekend. What happened in Sioux Falls?”

“Truthfully?” She nods. “I was overthinking my injury, and that got me too in my head. Unfortunately, that resulted in my being unable to read the bull and predict his movements like I normally do. It happens to everyone about once a season.”

“An injury?”

“Being stuck in your own head.”

She leans forward, clicking off the recorder. “Did any of these thoughts happen to regard Faith and the fact that she refused to watch?”

“Possibly.” My eyes narrow ever so slightly. “Why?”

“I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on.

” She sighs, sinking into her chair and placing the pen she was writing with against her chin.

“She’s never kept anything like this from me before.

Part of me thinks it’s because of how I handled things with Adam and she doesn’t want me ‘going off the rails’ as she so-called it, but I also wish she knew I would’ve been happy for her.

Have I been a bad friend? Is that why she didn’t tell me? ”

I sit up and reach for her wrist, pulling the pen away from her mouth to give her hand a squeeze.

“You’re a fantastic friend, Rylie. Her best and only friend, from my observation.

I truthfully think she wanted to keep it a secret just because of how much animosity there was for her toward me at first, and she was embarrassed.

That or she thought if anyone found out she was sleeping with me, it’d damage her reputation.

Sleeping with someone you’re working adjacent with isn’t a good look, I imagine. ”

“You make a good point.” She relaxes a little, so I let go of her hand. “So, can I ask what’s going on from your end? Because in true Faith fashion, she was very avoidant about talking about how she feels.”

I sigh, running a hand through my hair as I lean back. “I mean, I fear it’s pretty obvious where I’m at. It didn’t take long for me to start falling for her. Despite what she believes, it’s very easy to catch feelings for her.”

“I’m sure you already know this,” she starts, a conflicted expression on her face—almost like she’s worried she’s betraying Faith’s trust. “But she’s so worried about hurting you that she’s been using that as a crutch to avoid whatever it is she might be feeling.

It’s actually infuriating, although I get why she’s built up so many walls. ”

“Even brick walls can be torn down.” Huh, who thought I’d be sitting here quoting my mother?

“If anyone can do it, I believe you can.” Rylie grabs the recorder and stands, tilting her head toward the door. “I want to get the hell out of here and go take a nice, long soak in my bathtub. The jacuzzi in my hotel room is to die for.”

I chuckle, trailing behind her. “Do you know where Faith might be?”

“Probably back at the hotel.” She hesitates, turning to glance up at me. “Just as a heads up, she might be a little confrontational when you see her. Whenever she has to spend time with her dad, she gets a little…worked up. So, just be prepared for that possibility.”

“Please.” I laugh fully and genuinely this time. “If there’s one thing I’ve grown great at over these last couple of months, it’s handling Faith.”