Page 5 of Wildest Forever (Lovelock Bay #3)

CHAPTER THREE

MORGAN

I paced up and down the hallway, I had no idea what to do.

I could run? Pack my bags and start fresh, but let's be honest, it would break my grandfather’s heart.

He has arranged for me to marry a Rivera.

It could be worse, I mean, it could always be worse.

He wasn't bad looking, but the family had a reputation... and not a good one.

They've been so wrapped up in the land scandal and murders for a while and now my hand was being given to him.

The sheriff of Lovelock Bay.

“Morgan,” I hear the sound of my pops’ voice, and my heart shatters inside my chest, the aching makes it cave in on itself and I find myself catching my breath as I stop, turning to face him.

I let my eyes roam over his tired face. Wrinkled, pale skin and dull eyes. Hated it. Hated that the only man who ever loved me and I have loved back is getting old.

“I am doing this for you,” his voice trembles and I know his words are meant to make me feel better, but they don’t.

“I can manage by myself,” I snap at him and look out of the window at the low sun and the rolling green hills that wrap around the bottom of the mountains and I sigh.

“What about the horses? The heifers? What about all of this?” I stammer.

“Sheriff Rivera will take care of it all, you don't need to worry.”

I laugh.“Oh good, so because you said I don't need to worry... I shouldn't worry!?” and my stomach knots almost instantly as the words leave my lips.

“Morgan,” his tone is gravelly, and I shake my head from side to side.

“Just tell me why...” and my voice cracks just as a knock on the front door pulls my attention but I ignore it and focus on my pops.

I know it's just Dusty, my fellow cowboy.

“Tell me,” and that's when I see his eyes shift before he focuses on me and I see the tears that threaten to fall and my heart can't take it, it throbs inside my chest, the ache presenting itself.

“I'm dying, Morgan.”

And his words slice through me like a knife, splitting me in two but before I can even try and soothe the pain, the air from my lungs is knocked from me and I find myself gasping for breath, begging for air and I feel like I am suffocating whilst the knife is lodged and twisted deep within my windpipe.

“It's okay,” he moves closer to me and I see the trail of tears that stain his cheeks and I feel like my whole world has been turned upside down with three words.

I’m dying, Morgan.

“It's not okay,” I choke, my eyes brimming with my own tears. “I have lost everyone, you're my whole world pops.”He continues moving closer to me, his hand cupping my cheek.

“I know my sweet girl, but these are the facts... hence why I am trying to get all of this into motion. You won't be able to do this on your own.”

My bottom lip trembles, chin wobbling and I blink and that's when the tears spill.

“Don't leave me,” I throw myself into him as he wraps his arms around me.

“I'll hold on for as long as I can,” and I hear the way his voice cracks.

“I'm twenty-three pops, I've already had so much loss in my life, I can't lose you too...”

He just holds me as my tears soak through his shirt.I wasn't lying.

He was my whole world.

And now my whole world was about to implode into nothing but dust.

The evening soon creeps around. I am laying on my bed, eyes pinned to the ceiling and I have no idea what to do, but the truth was, I couldn't do anything.

I had to honor his wishes.

He was doing this for me. For the ranch. To save us from the suits.

But I was worried that it was too little too late.

A handsome, suited and booted guy turned up three months ago selling my pops the dream, he ate it up.

Why wouldn't he?

He needed to pay for his treatment somehow.

I knew he was ill.

Just never knew how ill he was.

My intake of breath shudders from all the tears I have cried, and I know I have dried myself out.

Turning on my side, I look at my ajar bedroom door.

The house is silent and in darkness apart from the glow of the bathroom light.

I didn't want to live here without pops, but I knew I had no choice.

He was leaving me.

I was going to run the ranch with Dusty and Pacey.

I had no idea if Pacey even wanted to run a ranch when he not only had his own ranch to run but he was also sheriff for the whole of Lovelock Bay, why would he want to help us out too?

No idea what my pops promised him, no idea if he paid him money to take my hand, but the deal was set.

Paperwork was to be sent over tomorrow, the ranch being put into mine and Pacey's name.

Better than just mine apparently.

It would be safer with the Rivera name dotted on the line.

Sighing, I roll back over so my eyes are pinned to the ceiling.

It could be worse.

I could have been married off to Dusty if he didn’t already have a wife.

My nose crinkles.

Not that there is anything wrong with Dusty, but he isn't my type.

Pacey on the other hand.

Feel like he is a sunshine boy, a good boy, the kind that still opens doors and kisses you on the forehead. The kind that would still give you butterflies ten years on.

I always thought I would meet someone and fall in love slowly, letting everything seep beneath the surface.

But that wouldn’t happen.

A quickie marriage before my pops takes his last dying breath.

My mind drifts back to Randy’s, the night I saw him sitting with his brothers, nursing a whiskey.

The brazenness of me as I walked towards the bar, my eyes were set on him from the moment I walked into that room.

I met him a few months back, we were invited to Riggs and Aspen's wedding.

Didn't know them, but my pops was invited. Kind of keeping peace between the neighbours and all that.

I rocked up, spotted Pacey from a mile off.

Something about him drew me in. He seemed haunted and I always seemed to gravitate towards the boys who had been through stuff.

Not sure why.I don’t even have experience, kind of liked the flirting then backed away.

Maybe because my life hasn't been perfect and I find myself gravitating to the ones who are in similar situations to me.

He seemed like a loner.

Like he has been hurt before and maybe it was because I thought I could fix him.I liked the challenge, and he seemed like he would keep me occupied for a while.

Tapping my fingers on my stomach I ponder what my life may be like in the next coming months.

As long as he made me happy and kept me safe, this would be fine.

Once the initial threat is done, we could get a quickie annulment and be on our way with our lives.

Pops’ ranch would be safe and so would Rivera Ranch, plus having the sheriff in my pocket didn't seem like a bad thing.

Inhaling heavily, my chest rattled.

It was all going to work out the way it was supposed to.

I believed in all of that.

Everything happens for a reason. Your path is laid out in front of you... but sometimes you have to take the dirt track or hit a few speed bumps along the way.

This is all this was.

A speed bump.

A minor inconvenience.

Swinging my legs off the bed, I nodded to the empty room and padded towards the bathroom.

It was late but I needed to wash the day off me, then hopefully, sleep would come before I was up at four, starting my day.

I wake, groggy as hell and my eyes feel like they have grit in them. I dropped off about one, woke at three.

I thought I always had a plan, and honestly, I was never sure a husband was in that plan.

I wasn't even sure that I wanted kids.

Just wanted to keep the ranch running enough that I could keep a roof over mine and my pops’ head, as well as keep Dusty on and not turn him out of work.

He was only young, well, a bit older than me maybe but still. He had a young family and the last thing I wanted to do was to take food off his table. Turning the faucet on, the old pipes banging through the house as I cup my hands under where the water spurts out before splashing my face.

I had no idea if it was going to wake me up, but I needed something and I wasn't even sure coffee was going to hit the spot that it needed to. I was grouchy and I was ready for the sun to set behind the mountains so I could soak my tired body into the tub and try and relax my muscles.

But I knew that wasn't going to happen. The day was going to be full on. We had the vet, and the farrier, Conrad coming along with some buyers to potentially take a few of the calves.

Hated getting rid of them, but knew it had to be done.

We were haemorrhaging money and even with a Rivera linking us together, I still don't think I would be able to keep us afloat.

They had money, they were one of the richest ranches this side of Montana, but since Jorge died, well, I have no idea what kind of state it is in now.

Turning the tap off, I curl my fingers around the edge of the off-white sink and look at myself in the small mirror.

My eyes were hollow, my once sparkling greens were dull and lifeless and my skin looked pale.

I needed to get my shit together.

Let's rationalize this.

No, I didn't want to marry Pacey Rivera.

No, I didn't want to have to be reliant on a man.

No, I didn't want my pops to die.

But those were the facts.

He was dying.

I was going to be left alone.

In this broken-down farmhouse and a pretty poor excuse of a ranch, but it was all we had.

All I had.

This is where I grew up.It's all I knew, and as much as I hated what was about to happen, it was my job to make sure I kept the ranch going.I would not let this break down. I would not let the suits come in and take everything from me.

This was my home.

It was my legacy.

I wasn't about to screw it all up now because of my pride.

The only man I truly loved was dying.

He was doing this for me.

His last gift before he leaves me forever.

I watch as my throat bobs, swallowing past the lump, the thickness evident and I swear if I had food in my stomach I would have thrown it up by now.

Running my toothbrush around my teeth, I clean them then scrub my face with my cleanser before wiping it from my skin with a damp cloth then patting it dry.