Page 42 of The Mountain Echoes

We met in California. He’s studying business at UC Santa Barbara. I’m working on a degree in agricultural sciences at Cal Poly, so I could come back and support Longhorn, work with Papa.

Hudson says he wants me to do what I want. I tell him I want to live and work at Longhorn. He says he’ll follow me, be with me. I’m so excited.

I was such a fool.

I take a bite of the biscuit and look out onto the porchthat wraps around the house through the large glass windows of the dining room.

The past plays like a movie in my head—one I remember all the lines of.

I wipe sweat off my brow and lean against the railing of the front porch, the wood hot against the backs of my thighs. I’ve been working all morning with Earl, hauling salt blocks and checking tanks. Hudson was supposed to help, but he never showed.

He’s been off for the past couple of weeks—distracted and distant—but I keep telling myself it’s just the newness of being here, even though it’s been two months. He’s just not used to the ranch rhythm.

He’ll settle.

He loves me.

The door from the dining room that leads into the porch opens. I smile when I see Hudson. The smile freezes when I see the thundercloud on Papa’s face, who’s right behind him. Celine follows, her head hanging, one hand resting lightly on her stomach.

I know it even though they haven’t told me.

It’s been staring me in the face.

“Aria,” Hudson says, and then looks at Celine. He holds out his hand. She takes it with a tentative smile.

Everything inside me stills.

I stay where I am on the edge of the porch, my weight now being supported entirely by the railings because my legs are shaking.

“What’s going on?” I whisper.

Hudson looks at me somberly and then turns to Celine. She smiles at him.

I hold onto the railing.

The past comes flying through.

The time the boy I had a crush on came out of Celine’s room.

My prom date, who dumped me to take Celine to prom even though she’s two years our junior.

Celine lifts her chin, all sweetness and poison. “Hudson and I are together.”

My ears start ringing.

Hudson steps toward me like I’m fragile and he’s the good guy. “It just happened, Aria. We didn’t plan it.”

I stare at him, the sun pounding down on the crown of my head, making everything feel too bright.

Too loud.

“We didn’t mean to fall in love,” he says. “But we did. And we’re getting married as soon as possible.” He turns to Papa. “We’re pregnant.”

Time stops.

Papa’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t say anything.

I look between them—Hudson, who was in my bed just last night, and Celine, whose face is glowing with victory.