Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 77936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Me?” I scoffed. She was far too perceptive, but I’d never come right out and told her Maverick and I were anything other than friends. “I’m fine.”
“Uh-huh.” She gave me a pointed look, so I busied myself with the faucet instead of meeting her shrewd gaze. Aunt Georgia didn’t take my hint, however, and stayed nearby. “Well, I’m pulling for Maverick and Hannah. Faith messed up big time, but they don’t deserve that kind of loss.”
“No one does,” I said softly. My heart pounded and my hand holding the wrench turned clammy. Perhaps Aunt Georgia was right to be concerned. Willow wasn’t the only one dealing with flashbacks to other losses. The official ruling on Betsey’s death had been distracted late-night driving, not intoxication, but I couldn’t deny similar feelings of rage and helplessness. Every time I glanced out at the girls playing arcade games, I saw another kid who needed her mom. And in Hannah’s scared eyes, I saw Maverick at fourteen, confronting his own loss. What about you? I inhaled sharply, not liking that thought one bit. But the truth was, I was in that club as well, missing my dad every damn day of my life. Family first, always. “Hannah has enough on her plate as it is. She doesn’t need to lose her mom.”
My voice, which was usually so strong and steady, legit wobbled.
“Still doing fine?” Aunt Georgia’s voice wasn’t unkind, and she came to place a hand on my back. “You know loss too, Colt. This has to be bringing up all sorts of feelings. Probably why you keep that heart of yours on lockdown.”
“I don’t…” I trailed off in favor of making a frustrated noise. “You’re one to talk.”
“You mean because I never married?” Aunt Georgia might as well have poked me in the back with a barbeque skewer for all the bite her words had. She was the nicest person I knew, and also, not someone to cross. “Maybe I was too busy helping raise my nieces and nephews.”
“Point taken.” I turned away from the faucet so she could see my remorse. “Sorry—”
“No, don’t apologize.” She waved for me to get back to fixing the sink. “You’re right. I keep my heart locked up every bit as tightly as yours. After all, I spent decades pining for my best friend.”
I dropped the wrench into the sink with a clatter. “You and Miss Minnie were a thing?”
“No, because I kept my mouth shut.” Aunt Georgia took on a mournful tone. “Didn’t want to ruin a friendship or shock the town. Fear is a terrible thing.”
“I’m sorry. I know you miss her.” Miss Minnie had run the Lovelorn Press right up until she passed a few years back from a brief illness. The whole town had been devastated, none more so than my aunt.
“I do miss her. More than I can ever express.” She stepped forward to lay a hand on my shoulder. “And all I’m going to say to you is don’t live life with one eye on your rearview, Sheriff.”
Aunt Georgia’s words echoed in my brain long after I fixed the sink and gathered the girls to head to the ranch. Was I holding back from Maverick? I didn’t trust him to stay, but how much of that belief was self-preservation? Going all-in only to lose him to bright lights and bigger dreams down the road would hurt on a level on par with only a few other deep losses in my life. Wasn’t it understandable to want to avoid that?
At the ranch, Hannah wanted to change clothes before riding horses, so we all trooped into the main ranch house. Without Faith or Maverick, the place seemed eerily quiet, but most striking were the many changes since I’d last been in the house some weeks prior. In the kitchen and family room area, colorful throw pillows and linens livened up the space, along with some modern Western-themed wall art.
The dining area and what had been the formal living room were even more transformed. The parlor had been dark and dreary, a place to avoid. Now, the room was bright and airy, the heavy drapery and dark walls replaced with floaty curtains and white paint. Live plants and lighter furnishings helped complete the look. The dining room still featured all the original woodwork and built-ins, but Maverick had managed to tone down the stiffness of the room with colorful chair cushions, new light fixtures, and brighter wall art.
“Wow.” I whistled low. “The place looks…different.”
“Yeah.” Turning back at the base of the stairs, Hannah shrugged. “Uncle Maverick’s been busy all summer. I helped.”
“I see.” I gave another appreciative look around. “You did good.”
Hannah went up to change, leaving Willow on her phone on the couch and me with more thinking to do. I’d known Maverick was famous for hotel renovations and flipping dated establishments, but I hadn’t seen firsthand evidence of his talents before. He was damn good at using some paint and updated decor to give a completely new vibe to a space. Could I really expect him to give up that work and be happy as a rancher? On the other hand, the changes signaled a sort of moving on from the past, letting go of old grudges. I had no doubt he would carry the pain of losing his mother and brother and of his father’s treatment for life, but this sort of processing was healthy. If Maverick could move on, why couldn’t I?