Page 129 of The Mountain Echoes

“Where is she?”

Earl jerks his chin toward the barn, jaw flexing. “She’s running the final checks before we start loading cattle.”

I exhale, staring out at the hills. “All okay with the herd?”

“So far.” Earl’s voice is sharp. “Let’s hope we can keep it that way.”

I nod wearily. “I’ll talk to Hugh. If Wes is running, I want him found before he buries whatever evidence we might still get.”

Earl’s gaze hardens. “You think he’ll come back?”

“Only if he’s stupid.”

Earl puts a hand on my shoulder. “No matter what, you’re goin’ to take care of her, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, Earl, I am.”

“You won’t let her break.”

“No.”

He nods slowly. “Good. Good.” Then he pulls his hand off me. “Alright, you go tell Aria about the situation with Wes; I’ll go kick Tomas’s ass.”

CHAPTER 29

aria

Iignore my phone. Let it buzz like a gnat in the distance.

Speaking of gnats. I don’t want to talk to Maverick.

Not now. Not ever.

“I don’t think she’s goin’ to succeed.”

His words won’t stop echoing in my head, a sharp-edged blade slicing through everything I thought we were building.

I refuse to cry. I’ve cried enough over men who say one thing and mean another.

I went to Kincaid Farms to borrow a set of halters and sorting flags. Ours had been chewed up, frayed to hell, or flat-out lost over the years. We used to take pride in the condition of our gear. Daddy used to have everything labeled and organized—like he was running a damn showroom. But now we look held together by stubbornness and duct tape.

I thought borrowing from Maverick was a step toward partnership. Not dependence but trust.

Instead, I came back empty-handed and gut-punched.

Because I parked behind the greenhouse.

Because I went looking for Zane.

And because I heard Maverick’s voice, slow and easy, and Celine’s, syrupy and venomous.

And what I heard…God, what I heard?—

“I’m doing what I said I’d do. Watching her fail. And when she does, I’ll be there to buy Longhorn, just like we planned.”

I can’t imagine a version of Maverick that said those words, but he did. I heard him. I didn’t misunderstand a damn thing.

And now, I don’t know how to superimposethatman with the one who held me like I mattered. Who kissed me like I was the only thing keeping him grounded.