By the time I got to my truck, I felt sick to my stomach.
I climbed in, slammed the door, and sat there for a second, gripping the steering wheel. “Fucking hell,” I muttered, chest rising and falling like I’d just run a mile uphill.
The truth was out. I had the answer. Hudson wasn’t pretending. He had no idea that he’d never married Heather.
I started the engine and pointed the truck toward the town square to do something—anything—to distract me from the lingering taste of that office, that man, his goddamn lie. I still had to confront my mother and find outhow much my father knew about the part she’d played in my breakup with Hudson.
My gut wanted me to drive back to the ranch immediately, but I couldn’t leave town without collecting our mail, and since we had a box, the trip to the post office would be quick anyway. I pulled onto the side of the road, jogged up the short steps, grabbed the ranch’s mail from the letter box, and left while checking each envelope. We were supposed to get a check in the mail to support our Reins of Hope Foundation to gentle and rehome abused horses.
I bumped into someone and dropped the letters. “Fuck.”
“Whoa—” Grant steadied me with a hand on my arm. “Matty, gotta be careful where you’re walking.”
I stepped back quickly, my spine snapping straight as alarm bells went off inside my head, the way they always did when I ran into Grant. Goose bumps took over my skin, and my heart thumped hard.
“Sorry.” I grunted and bent to pick up letters, then walked around him.
Grant grabbed my arm. “Really? That’s everything you have to say?”
“You and I have nothing to say to each other, Grant.”
“It’s been several years, and this is the most words you’ve said to me since.”
“Just fuck off already. No one in town likes you anyway. Why don’t you just pack up and leave with your two-bit whore?”
“Is that jealousy I sense still?”
“Keep dreaming. Now let me go if you don’t want me to cause a scene. I’m sure everyone will be curious why I knocked you out cold in the middle of the street.”
He dropped his hand instantly. “It’s been years. Why do you still resent me?”
My boot hit a loose stone, and I almost tripped. If he’d been anyone else, I’d have punched him clean in the mouth. But Bristlecone Springs was too curious for its own good, and it wouldn’t be long until someone poked beneath the dirt and discovered things that were best left buried. If he’d left town, things would’ve been simpler. Instead, his face was a splinter under my skin, and every glance dragged the old hurt up like it hadn’t been tamped down at all. At least half the town hated him for his loan practices. He stuck to the bank and skipped the socials, so I didn’t run into him that often.
I kept walking.
“You wanted it too, you know. Would I have done it if you didn’t?”
Didn’t look back.
Climbed into the truck, slammed the door, and hit the gas a little too hard as I pulled out of the lot. My tires squealed as I peeled off toward the ranch.
Fucking Grant. I had enough on my plate to deal with his bullshit, so I pushed him from my mind as easily as I’d been doing over the years. My brain spun with thoughts of Hudson. Of how he’d sat on that battered old couch last night and begged me to forgive him. How soft his voice had gone when we were kneeling on that floor and he told me he loved me.
And now I knew it was true.
I pressed a hand to my chest, over the thud of my heart. He and Ivy deserved better. From what I understood, he’d been a wild child, had a prison record, and was trapped in an unlawful marriage for four years. He deserved so much more than the life he had, but would he let me give him that life?
They couldn’t keep living in that little cottage. Thewiring was old, the plumbing creaked, and I was sure the roof leaked. All the furniture was well loved but outdated. His kitchen could use a refurbishment, and the walls needed fresh paint and wallpaper. Ivy deserved a bedroom with mermaid motifs and all the toys she could play with.
But would Hudson ever agree to move to the ranch?
Doubtful.
He was too damn proud. Wouldn’t even let me stock the pantry without making a fuss. I’d have to find another way. Subtle. Quiet. Maybe start by fixing the small things around his house. Preferably, when he was at the ranch, so he couldn’t say no.
I’d always planned to build my own house on the ranch eventually. Carter and I had both picked out our spots years ago, though I doubted he’d ever use his. And I just hadn’t felt the urgency until now. But with Hudson and Ivy in the picture… I couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
Maybe I was moving fast, but dammit, when you met the right person, you knew he was the one.
