Page 4 of Unbroken (Poplar Springs #2)

THREE

ELI

“ H e said my car won’t be ready for another forty-five minutes,” Fiona said, pointing over her shoulder at the garage. “Sorry, I didn’t think it was going to take so long.”

It was the day after we’d discovered we’d be working together, and I had offered to drive her into town to pick up her car while I ran a few errands.

I thought we could start hashing out the details of how we were going to make our new partnership on the trail rides work, but Fiona only seemed to want to catch up on life around Poplar Springs, and it was getting on my nerves.

“Okay, I’m going to run an errand, then head back to the ranch. Good luck with the car.”

“I’ll come with you,” she said brightly. “I want to see what’s changed around town. Where are you headed?”

I sighed. “I need to pick up my blazer. I had the tailor mend a rip on the shoulder.”

Fiona acted like she hadn’t heard me, pointing just beyond me. “That’s a cute new coffee shop. ”

“Yeah, there are a couple of new restaurants, too. The area’s been getting more tourism lately, which has led to new businesses—and of course, it’s been bringing in more riders for the trail program.

Speaking of, I was thinking about which horse you should ride.

I’m not sure if Josh has kept you up to date about who’s in the stables but?—”

“Wait a sec,” Fiona interrupted, her face screwed up in confusion. “You said your blazer ? Since when do you wear a blazer?”

I huffed out a breath. The more I told her about what I was up to, the more questions she was going to ask.

“I usually don’t—that’s the problem. When I pulled it out from the back of the closet and tried it on, I, uh, tore the shoulder seam.

I guess I’ve gotten a little broader since the last time I wore it. ” I purposely left out why I needed it.

I could tell by her expression that she wasn’t going to drop it. “Yeah, but why were you digging it out in the first place?”

I knew the second I told her about the wedding, she’d be off and running with a new line of questioning.

Who was getting married? Who else was going?

Where was the venue? How many people were attending?

Would she know anyone that was going to be there?

All I wanted to do was walk in silence, but instead, I was opening myself up to more of her chatter.

But Fiona was like a bloodhound—she wouldn’t let this go. Might as well give in. “I’m going to a wedding.”

“Fun!” She paused and peered at me out of the corner of her eye. “Do you have a date?”

And there it was, the beginning of the inquisition.

“I did . My friend Anna was going to be my plus one, but she had a last-minute work thing come up, and she has to travel over the weekend. So I’m going alone. ”

“Do I know the bride and groom?”

I shook my head and tried not to smile at how predictable she was.

“Nope, they moved to town a few years ago. The guy manages Flying Aces Farm, and his fiancée is the assistant manager at Carly’s Coffee and Treats.

They’re great people. A solid couple.” I regretted saying it the second it came out of my mouth.

“Speaking of couples …” Fiona said softly, sounding unusually hesitant. “I’ve been meaning to ask, are you okay since your divorce? I was really sorry to hear about it.”

The concern in her voice seemed genuine, and I could feel her staring at me as we walked toward the tailor. “Yeah, I am now. It was rough for a while. Hard on Patrick, as you can imagine. But he and I make a good team, and we’re doing fine.”

“I heard … what happened. What she did.”

I let out a joyless laugh. “I bet you did. Gotta love the Poplar Springs gossip machine.” I frowned. “I’m curious, what exactly did you hear?”

Fiona’s cheeks went pink at being put on the spot. “Uh, just that Charlotte … uh, was unfaithful.”

“Yup, that’s right,” I replied, staring ahead with the same unsmiling expression I’d been wearing since I’d come upon Fiona stuck on the road. “No details, though?”

She shook her head. “No, just that you split up and why. But honestly … I’m curious about it. Did you know it was going on? Was it a long-term thing?”

I clenched my jaw. On the one hand, I absolutely did not want to talk about it.

On the other hand, it was kind of refreshing to have someone straight-up ask instead of whispering behind my back, digging for whatever sounded juicy and scandalous rather than giving a damn about the truth.

“Yeah, I knew”—eventually. “And it wasn’t a onetime thing. ”

“How did you find out?”

“I caught her.”

Fiona’s jaw dropped. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!”

“Twice.”

I wasn’t about to tell her where I’d caught her.

Fiona had been a wreck on the day of her parents’ funeral.

She definitely didn’t need to know that while she’d been crying over her sandwiches and potato salad during the post-funeral luncheon, my wife had been fooling around with another man in the Caffertys’ mudroom.

Fiona slapped her hand against her mouth. “Eli! That’s awful.”

I looked down at my boots. “Listen, I really don’t feel comfortable gossiping?—”

“It’s not gossip if it’s about your life. And if you don’t want to talk about it, I totally understand, but I’m here if you ever want to vent.”

I glanced over at her, expecting to see the look I hated most. Pity .

The same look I’d been getting from everyone around town the past two years, ever since Charlotte and I had finally split, following the second time that I’d caught her cheating.

Everyone seemed to think I’d “won” the divorce because no one felt that I was at fault for my marriage falling apart.

But I sometimes thought I’d be fine with losing if it meant that everyone would stop looking at me like they expected me to break down in tears at any moment.

And coming from Fiona, the pity would feel even worse because she’d always considered me a worthy adversary, on the same level.

Looking at her now, though, I was surprised to realize I didn’t see pity.

No, what I was seeing was outrage. For me?

It was as unexpected as it was refreshing .

Charlotte’s affair had knocked me on my ass.

It wasn’t like we’d ever had a true you’re-my-everything love match, but we’d had Patrick and made a good life together.

Thanks to my parents, I knew that marriages weren’t always perfect, and I was content with a stable, companionable relationship.

Charlotte wasn’t. She needed something that I couldn’t give her, and she went trolling until she found it. At least twice. Possibly more.

“Yeah, let’s change the subject,” I said not wanting to delve into how much I appreciated Fiona’s lack of pity.

“Okay,” she answered quickly. “Ummm … you were mentioning horses. I went down to the stables and saw a few I didn’t recognize, so I’m not sure who I should ride. I’ll probably get Josh’s input since he knows my style.”

I could barely hear what she was saying because the figure heading straight toward us looked way too familiar. I squinted at the blonde in sunglasses, and my heart sank when I realized it was her.

Had I summoned my ex by bringing her up?

Why now , when I had Fiona with me? I knew that Charlotte was in town for the wedding too, but I hadn’t thought I’d have to deal with her until the ceremony itself.

I watched her getting closer and realized that Colt, the guy she’d cheated on me with the last time, was a few steps behind her.

There was no way to avoid them. Within a few seconds we’d be face-to-face with the woman who’d upended my life.

I glanced around to see who else was going to witness this and was relieved to see the street was mostly empty.

“Eli!” Charlotte shrieked when she finally spotted me. She picked up the pace.

I glanced over at Fiona, who was looking confused. “That’s my ex,” I said under my breath and saw her mouth drop open again.

“ No way ,” she whispered .

“I’ll make it quick,” I promised before plastering on a fake grin. “Hey, Charlotte. Colt.”

Colt gave me a tight smile back. I saw his eyes travel quickly up and down Fiona’s body.

She was wearing a simple V-neck T-shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots, but the outfit couldn’t hide her curves.

It certainly didn’t hurt running into them with Fiona by my side.

Just the same, I didn’t like how he looked at her.

And judging from the frown on her face, Fiona didn’t like it either.

Charlotte was in her typical cowgirl chic get-up, which was pure theatrics because she was from Boston.

Her blonde hair was curled into perfect ringlets, and her white eyelet sundress made her look like she was trying too hard for midday.

She was pretty, yes, but she didn’t hold a candle to Fiona, and from the sour look on her face, it was clear that she knew it—and knew that Colt had noticed, too, which didn’t do anything to sweeten Charlotte’s mood.

With fifteen years on Charlotte, Colt was handsome in a weathered way.

He’d probably been a good-looking man in his youth, but working in the sun had turned his skin dark and leathery so now he looked like he could be Charlotte’s father instead of her boyfriend.

“Oh my goodness, look at you !” she said in a sing-songy voice. “And who is this?” Charlotte had moved to Poplar Spring after college, then moved away after the divorce, so she and Fiona had never met.

“This is Fiona Cafferty, my boss Josh’s sister. She works at the ranch too. I drove her into town to pick up her car from the shop.”