Page 52 of The Mountain Echoes

“Oh, cut the act, Celine. He didn’t leave you the ranch house, and God knows you tried to make him.”

“Moving on…,” Mac grumbles, silencing anyone else who thinks they want to give Hudson a piece of their mind. “All remaining assets—including the farm, equipment, vehicles, livestock, accounts, and debts associated with the Longhorn Ranch operation—are to be divided equally between my two daughters, Aria Soledad Delgado and Celine Frances Delgado-Williams, in equal shares.”

Celine sobs again. “No! How could he? I’m the one who’s been here, takin’ care of him and?—”

“I don’t have time for this.” Mac cuts her histrionics off.

Nadine huffs out a laugh.

He glares at Nadine, who gives him a ‘what can you do’ shrug.

I don’t even peek at Maverick. I don’t care that he’s with Celine. More power to both of them. Two awful people getting together means that they won’t be ruining someone else’s life.

Excellent!

“They are also,” Mac raises his voice, “equally responsible for any remaining debt, liens, or tax liabilities incurred by the estate.”

I start calculating—inheritance tax, asset value, and what this split really means.

“Aria and Celine,” Mac’s tone softens, and I give up the numbers swirling inside my head to listen to my father’s last words. “I have made mistakes, and I know them now, even if I didn’t always admit them when I should have. Celine, I promised your mother I’d always protect you, and in doing so, I failed to protect your sister.”

The gasp from Celine is loud, and is followed by some loud crying.

Mac sighs but doesn’t stop. “Aria, I never stopped loving you, even when pride kept me from saying it. Your ability to feel, your sensitivity, your empathy—I once called those your weaknesses. I was wrong.”

I hold the tears back—years of practice at work. Theache inside me is enormous, and regret is like poison running through my veins.

I should’ve come back earlier.

I shouldn’t have stayed away.

I didn’t do it out of pride. I did it because I was afraid he’d reject me.

I was a coward. I wish I’d been braver.

“Aria, Celine, I hope Longhorn remains in the Delgado name as it has for five generations, but I do not bind you to it. What matters most is that you live with purpose. I hope you both live full lives, learn the right lessons, and it is my fondest wish that you come back to each other as sisters.” Mac pauses, looks at me intently, and holds my gaze. “Aria, my cowgirl, forgiveness is the hardest thing I’ve ever asked for, and I ask it now of you, with hope, not expectation.”

I put my hand on my heart because it’s about to leap out of my body.

Silence settles over the room like dust.

I look around the room, feeling like a lost child once again.

The last time was when Papa demanded I leave. This time it’s because he’s asking me to forgive him and stay.

My eyes fall on Celine, who is sobbing, her face buried against Maverick’s shoulder.

He doesn’t hold her.

His blue eyes seek mine. His jaw tightens. He looks like a man for whom something important just clicked into place.

There’s none of the judgment or irritation I’ve cometo expect in his expression. He’s looking at me like he’s seeing me for the first time.

I want to gloat, but I can’t. So, I look away, my throat thick.

Because what just happened is not a victory; it’s a reckoning.

And it’s only just begun.