***
The clouds had cleared overnight, leaving the morning crisp and bright. It was the kind of day that made everything look a little more hopeful. I came straight from practice, still damp with sweat and sore in all the usual places. After yesterday, I figured things were finally turning a corner with Riley. We hadn’t talked since, but it had felt like a yes.
I hadn’t seen Riley yet, so I figured I’d get started with the things I knew needed to get done. The barn was quiet. I grabbed a rake and went to the back, hoping to surprise her by doing something productive.
The scrape of boots against gravel hit before I saw her—fast, uneven, furious.
Something was wrong.
Riley stormed into the barn like a lit fuse, hair wind-tossed and eyes blazing.
The barn suddenly felt too small, the morning air too thin. My grip tightened around the rake handle.
I blinked. "Riley—what—"
"Did you know?" she snapped, barely stopping short in front of me.
"Know what?"
"Did you know your father is the one trying to buy out the land under Timberline?"
My stomach dropped. Hard.
"What?" I shook my head, completely thrown. "No. No, Riley—I swear, I had no idea."
She stared at me, breathing hard. "Vanessa just told me. Cornered me like she’d been waiting for this moment. Said it so casually, as if it were just another piece of trivia I should’ve known."
I stepped back, trying to process. My brain scrambled for something—anything—to explain or deny it. But it sounded exactly like something my father would do.
"Crap" I muttered. "That sounds like him. But I didn’t know. I really didn’t."
Riley folded her arms, still watching me like she wasn’t sure whether to believe me.
My thoughts raced. We’d just found our footing. We’d just started to get somewhere.
Why can’t something go right for me?
"I don’t know why he had to pick this place," I said, voice low. "Out of all the properties…"
Riley didn’t say anything.
And then I made it worse.
"I mean… I don’t know. Maybe the rescue could move—"
Her expression cracked—betrayal, hurt, disbelief flashing across her face like a slap.
I opened my mouth to backtrack, to fix it, but the damage was already done.
She recoiled like I’d struck her. "Move? Seriously? You think this is just about the building? The address?"
"No—Riley, that’s not what I meant. I just—"
"You just panicked," she said flatly. "You panicked and said the first thing that would make it not your fault."
I felt my face flush, throat tightening. She was right. I’d reacted, not thought.
"I was blindsided," I muttered.
