Heart of Integrity (Hearts of the West, #2)

Chapter 25

“Come on, Susan.We should go and get it now, before anyone sees.”

Susanturned to face her father,anger anddesperationchurning within her. “If you thinkI’m going to help youdo anything like that, thenyou haven’t got a clue!”

“Now, Susan, w?—”

“Da, don’t you care?Everything is ruined.It’s all hopeless!” She paced back and forth. “I’d actually started to believe that things could be different... But they’ll never be. And youdon’t even carethat I’ve just lost the two peopleI love most!”

“But you’ve still got me...”

She looked at him and shook her head,incredulous.“I don’t even know you! And you don’t know me! You’ve never wanted to.”

“Now, Susan. Don’t be starting...”

She choked back a groan. “All these years, I did what you wanted me to.I lied and stole. Distracted people so you couldrob them blind. Listened to you—and John Murphy. Did everything yous wanted. And where did it get me? Halfway across the world with a broken heart!”

“I know it’s upsetting to lose your wee houseand all, but?—”

“I’m not talking about the house, Da!I’ve lost far more than that! I’ve lost...me. And, now, I’ve lost any hope thatthings could ever be different.” Tears trickled down her cheeks. “You don’t even know him, butI love Ifor.I love him.And forthe first time in my life, I thought things could actually change.” She sniffed back a sob, her heart throbbing. “But they can’t.”

“That’s right, wee Susan. Everybody’s got their lot in life.We just have to accept it and do the best we can with it.”

Susan’s heartached more than it ever had. Something in herwanted to fight against her dad’s words—to kick them off like aheavy blanket.

But what if he was right?

What if there was no way—no actual hope—that things could be different for her?

“Come on, Susan.What do you say?We should stick to our lot inlife. We should go and get that money and start over. Go somewhere else, even. There’s a whole lot more of America out there.”

Grief clawed her stomach. Maybe she should justdo what he said. Maybeshe’d just done too much wrong to ever live a life that was right.

The memory of Opal’s facecrushed her. She’d looked so sincerewhen she’d claimed that God offered forgiveness to everyone—no matter what they’ve done.

But now John Murphy was dead. And everything else was—literally—in ruins.

She’d come here for a new start, butit had all screeched to a stop. All she had left was brokenness and despair.

“What do you say Susan?If we’re going, we should go now, while folk are stillbusy with everything.”

She looked at her father,and as she did, she realized one thing.

She had a choice.

Her father’s plan—the old, the familiar. The wrong.

Or, for once in her life,she could listen to her conscience and try to do what was right.

She swallowed hard. All she wanted to dowas find Ifor and explain—tellhim she wasn’t like that anymore.Or, at least—that she didn’t want to be. To askhim for the help he’d so lovingly offered not even half a daybefore.

But she suspected—from the look on his face before he left—that the offer no longer stood.

“Come on, wee Susan. If we’re going, we need to go now.”

Never had she felt so much like she wason the cusp of a knife edge. One choice would pull her lifeone way, and the other,an entirely different route.

“Come on Susan.What do you say?”