Page 16

Riley

“ Y ou’re not telling me where we’re going. Why?” Jules asks as we climb into the utility vehicle parked just outside of my garage. Romeo jumps into the back, tongue hanging out, tail wagging, ready to explore.

Jules’s eyes are wide—untrusting. “I just thought you could use some fresh air. Tucker’s still doing some digging on the contract, so I thought it might do you some good to get out and see a bit more of the ranch. I find it always perks up my mood.”

“Oh, okay.” She relaxes. “That actually sounds great.”

“I’ll go slow, but it might be a bit bumpy.”

“I’ll be fine.” She smiles. “I’m not unaccustomed to pain.”

It breaks my heart to know she’s not just talking about physical pain. While I still have no clue what happened to her that turned her so cold to the world, I imagine it was horrible. Since I can’t chase those demons away for her, I can at least bring her a bit of peace while she deals with them.

“Just let me know if it gets too rough, okay?”

“Okay.”

I start driving, guiding the UTV down the road that leads away from my house and toward the creek.

I pass by my chickens then take a left once I hit the path that runs parallel to the water.

With it being summer, it’s not nearly as full as it usually is, but the crisp water still runs smoothly over the rocks.

Jules keeps her gaze turned out toward it, long enough that I can steal some glances at her profile.

She’s beautiful—anyone with eyes can see that—but right now, as she stares out at the water in the bright morning sun, she’s breathtaking. Her blonde hair is flowing softly as we drive, her piercing green gaze watching everything we pass.

Aside from the growl of the engine, the minutes tick by in silence until I’m pulling up to a closed gate. “Have you ever driven one of these?” I ask her.

“No.”

“Want to?”

Her eyes widen a bit. “Why?”

“I need to open the gate. You can pull it through, and I’ll close it behind us.”

She stares at me, obviously shocked that I asked her to do it. Given what I know of Odie, I can’t help but wonder if he ever made her believe she could do anything. “What if I mess it up?”

“You won’t,” I reply easily.

She continues staring at me for a moment, and I watch as she battles against the fear of making a mistake and the fact that she’s excited at the chance. Finally, she nods. “Okay. I can do that.”

“Great.” I give her a quick rundown of the controls then climb out and undo the chain wrapped around the gate.

After pushing it open, I watch with a happy smile as Jules guides the UTV through the gate and stops just on the other side.

After resecuring the gate— always leave them like you found them ingrained in my brain since childhood—I climb into the passenger side.

“You don’t want to drive?” she asks.

“Nah, you’ve got this.”

“Seriously? I don’t know where we’re going.”

“We’re driving. Find a place you want to stop and stop.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it,” I reply with a grin then turn to face the front.

Jules hesitates just a moment then starts driving down the path. The pasture we’re in now is the same one where the bulk of our cattle are at the moment, so when we crest the hill and Jules sees the cattle grazing around a large pond, she comes to a stop and gasps audibly. “That is a lot of cows.”

I reach over and turn off the engine. “This is about three-quarters of our herd. We rotate them through different pastures.”

“Are they going to come after us?”

“Nah. They’re all pretty friendly. Though, if they see us, they may think we brought them food.”

She turns to me, and for a moment, I see unshielded joy in her gaze. “This is such a great life, Riley.”

“It is. When I was a kid, I didn’t get the chance to fully appreciate the peace that comes from a place like this. Or the pride one feels when a day of hard work is over.”

“No one ever really had me do anything,” she confesses. “Aside from me taking over the cleaning of my grandfather’s estate. I remember feeling so accomplished after I cleaned it the first time.” Her smile falters. “That sounds ridiculous and incredibly stuck up.”

“What? No, it doesn’t.”

“I cleaned a house, Riley. You’re over here running an entire ranch.”

“It’s an accomplishment,” I reply. “Just because they’re different doesn’t mean they’re not equal.”

She smiles. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” The air around us shifts, and something changes between us again.

Maybe I wasn’t far off base and we could be friends.

But is that really what I want? Or am I just afraid to admit that, in the last couple of days, I’ve started feeling a bit more for her than I was prepared for?

“Okay, you ready? You haven’t even seen the best part. ”

“Absolutely. Show me.”

“What is this?” Jules asks as she turns off the engine and stares up at the large oak tree my siblings and I spent what feels like our entire childhood playing in.

“This is Fort Hunt,” I tell her. “A total secret to all outsiders.” I climb out, and she does the same.

Romeo, knowing we’re here to play for a bit, hops out too and starts trotting happily beside us. I stare up at the tree house our dad built us all those years ago. It’s held up against the test of time and all of the weather thrown at it.

The stained boards are a bit faded now, but it’s just as sturdy as it was back then.

I climb up on the steps leading to the lower level then reach down and offer Jules my hand. She hesitates just a moment before taking it but lets me pull her up onto the platform.

“Fort Hunt, huh? Aren’t I considered an outsider?”

“Not anymore. Now you’re bound by the secrets of the fort too.”

She laughs. “I appreciate being brought into the fold.”

“This is where I spent basically my entire childhood. My brothers, Lani, and I would ride our horses out here then let them graze while we played.”

“They didn’t run off?”

I shake my head. “They’d graze or run and play themselves. We’d whistle, and they’d come running back.”

She smiles again, her attention on the picturesque scene before us. “I can picture you guys out here. Playing and having fun.”

“Those were the years.” I grip the wooden railing for the second level above. “Back before we realized just how hard life could be.”

Her smile fades. “I can hardly remember a time like that.”

“Every one of my scars is a lesson learned. A reminder that I need God. And sometimes, when I’m struggling with things I’ve done or seen, I come out here and let myself remember what it felt like to be innocent.”

Jules swallows hard. “I wish I could go back to then. So badly. There are so many things I would have done differently.”

“I get that. But I also believe that we are forged in our pasts. That sometimes, we go through trials and come out the other side with the tools someone else might need to survive.”

“That’s an interesting way to look at it.”

I shrug. “It might not be right, but it’s what I think. Think you’re up for climbing a ladder? If not, we can stay down here.”

“I can try.” She smiles.

Gesturing toward the ladder, I let her go up first. Her movements are slow, careful, but she makes it to the top, so I follow her up while Romeo runs around, sniffing the ground below.

“This is beautiful.” Jules stands at the railing and overlooks the pasture ahead.

“My favorite spot on the entire ranch.” I take a seat, letting my legs dangle over the ledge.

Jules takes a seat beside me. Overhead, the clouds momentarily block the light, dimming the sunshine above.

“What’s your favorite childhood memory?” I ask her. “A happy one.”

She rests her hands in her lap and toys with the shirt she’s wearing.

“My sixth birthday. I can’t remember much, but I remember my parents taking me on a Ferris wheel.

My grandfather came, and it was just the best night.

There wasn’t anything in particular that happened.

I just remember feeling so happy. Like things couldn’t get any better. ” She sighs. “And boy, was I right.”

I long to reach over and touch her hand. To take it and promise her that the happiness isn’t over. That we’ll stop the killer hunting her and she can start the next chapter of her life. But since I sense that wouldn’t go over well, I keep my hands to myself.

“Mine was when my dad brought us out here. I was only seven or so, but I remember staring up at it in disbelief. I’d been so sure I was dreaming that I brought my horse out here first thing the next morning just to make sure it was still here.”

Jules laughs softly. “That’s great.”

“It was.” I sigh. “Look, I didn’t have the childhood you did. But I want you to know that it doesn’t have to end in misery.”

“You have no idea the weight I carry, Riley.” When she turns toward me, the pain is back in her emerald gaze.

“I know. And I’m sorry you feel as though you have to carry it alone.”

My phone rings, a shrill tone cutting through the silence. I pull it from my pocket and nearly groan when I see Odie’s name pop up on the screen. When I show it to her, those walls she’d been just starting to lower shoot right back up.

“Hunt,” I answer, putting it on speakerphone.

“I need you to deliver a message to my sister.” His tone is agitated. Curt. Good. Then maybe he’ll think twice before berating his sister again.

“What’s the message?”

“I’m burying our grandfather the day after tomorrow. She can either come or miss the funeral. Frankly, I don’t care either way. I’ll send you a text with the details.”

Jules’s expression turns furious.

“She was stabbed a couple of days ago and nearly died. You can’t wait for her to heal? We have an appointment with?—”

“I’ve waited long enough,” he interrupts. “I’ll be putting him to rest with or without her. Tell her I hope she comes, for his sake.” The call ends.

I’m even more furious at Odie for destroying the momentary peace she’d seemingly found. I take a breath and give her a moment after the call before I ask, “Are you okay?”

“I am going to that funeral,” she says. “With or without you.”

And the walls are back. “I’ll take you. You don’t have to do it alone.”

“When will we leave?”

My phone dings, so I check the text from Odie.

Odie Landers: The funeral will be at Wallace Funeral Home, followed by a trip to the cemetery. Closed casket. Service starts at two in the afternoon the day after tomorrow.

“We’ll leave in the morning. That way we can make the most of the trip and head to your grandfather’s estate too.”