Chapter 34
CHAPTER 34
CASSIDY
I sat across from Ginny, gnawing on the last bit of my sandwich. I barely tasted the thick slices of ham and cheese. My thoughts were all over the place. Things were off. It was unsettling to feel things were off but not be able to pinpoint what it was that was off.
I knew what it was.
Karen .
She’d been dodging me for days now. It was getting on my nerves. She was acting like I had the plague. She was cordial but she was treating me like I was an associate. Like I was the guy delivering her pizza or something.
At first, I figured she was sick. Hell, I even offered to bring her soup or medicine from town—anything she needed—but she wouldn’t have it. The polite kind of brush-off but still a brush-off.
It stung more than I liked to admit. How could we go from hot and heavy to this icy existence? My fucking horse was friendlier than she was, and I hadn’t kissed my horse.
Ginny was eating her sandwich and scrolling through her phone. She was looking at various balloon arches, trying to get an idea for the party.
Ginny was being awful distant as well. I couldn’t help but feel like they had a secret, and I wasn’t allowed to know it. My instincts were screaming at me. Something was going on. I had a feeling she wasn’t sick at all. She was actively avoiding me. I wasn’t the sensitive type who took everything personally, but this was strange.
Karen and I had been something. And whatever that something was, it felt like it was heading somewhere real. Now, all of a sudden, she didn’t want anything to do with me? It didn’t make sense.
Even if she didn’t want something romantic, she was acting like she didn’t even want to be friends. Once again, it all came back to knowing something was off.
“Ginny,” I said, tearing off a chunk of bread. “Do you think Karen’s been acting weird?”
Ginny froze, mid-chew, her eyes going wide. “I wunno ut hee’s eyedin,” she mumbled, cheeks puffed up with food.
I squinted at her. “What the hell did you just say?”
She swallowed hard and looked away. “I don’t know what she’s hiding. Why don’t you ask her?”
Her tone was evasive, too evasive. She wouldn’t look me in the eyes. Ginny was never one to beat around the bush unless something was up. I knew her well enough by now. And that only made me more suspicious. Ginny was one of the most honest people I knew. Some would say honest to a fault. And just a little blunt.
I narrowed my eyes. “You sure about that? Because it seems like you know more than you’re letting on.”
Ginny busied herself with her sandwich, taking another huge bite. “You’re reading too much into it,” she said around another mouthful. Her nervous glances toward the door weren’t helping her case.
“Ginny, what did Karen tell you?”
“About what?”
I put my sandwich down. “You know we hooked up.”
“I suspected, you dog.”
“Did she tell you she regretted it?”
“I’m not talking to you about this,” she said. “That’s just weird.”
“Well, she told you something. I can tell.”
Just then, Kenny walked in. He got himself a sandwich and joined us at the table. He slumped into the chair next to Ginny, sighing deeply.
“Rough day?” Ginny asked him. “Shoot anyone with a nail gun?”
“No. Got into a bit of a tangle with one of the steers. That dude is an asshole.”
I didn’t care about the steer. I had only one thing on my mind. “Kenny, have you noticed Karen acting different lately?” I asked him, hoping for a straight answer.
He nodded without hesitation. “Yeah, overheard her and Don talking earlier. She’s thinking about heading back home to Dallas. I don’t think the ranch life is working out for her.”
Ginny’s head snapped toward him. “What?” she barked, her sandwich forgotten. There was a dangerous edge to her voice. She looked like she was ready to start throwing punches.
Kenny blinked, clearly surprised by her reaction as well. “Whoa, Ginny. Relax. I’m just saying what I heard. Don’t shoot the messenger.”
“When did you hear this? Did she say why? Did she seem upset? How sure are you?”
Kenny threw his hands up defensively. “I don’t know. I didn’t get all the details! Just caught a bit of it. I didn’t know I was supposed to go all James Bond.”
Watching Ginny go off like that was odd. Why in the hell was she so invested in the situation?
“Why are you asking him all of that?” I asked.
Ginny looked at me. “I was just curious.”
“You sounded a lot more than just curious.”
She shrugged and took a bite. “Why aren’t you curious?”
Karen wanted to leave? The thought was a punch to the gut. Everything had been going so well—at least, I thought it had. What the fuck was happening? Why was she bailing without even talking to me?
I pushed my chair back. “I’m going to talk to her,” I said and got to my feet.
“Cassidy, maybe you should wait for her to come to you,” Ginny said.
“I’d like to know what’s going on,” I said. “And I’m going to find out. You know something and you’re not telling me, so I’m going directly to the source.”
Ginny watched me, like she wanted to say something but didn’t. Whatever was going on, I was going to get to the bottom of it.
I left the dining hall and ran into four women standing by the front desk, looking lost and out of place. They were dressed like they’d come straight from the city. One of them looked like she might have just hopped off a motorcycle. Another one looked like a librarian. None of them looked like they belonged on a ranch.
I forced a polite smile. “Can I help you ladies with something?”
One of them, a petite woman with dark hair stepped forward. “We’re looking for Karen.”
I looked them up and down. “Karen?”
The biker chick stepped forward. “Are you going to pretend she’s not here?”
I raised an eyebrow. “No.”
The librarian stepped up. “We’re here to surprise her.”
“Surprise her?” I echoed, feeling a little thrown. “With what?”
The biker one frowned. “You seem very confused. Is Karen here or not?”
“I’m not sure where she is right now,” I said.
“You lost her?”
I gave the woman a dry look. “I never had her.” That was an understatement. “She’s an adult. I didn’t think I needed to keep tabs on anyone. Karen knows her way around the ranch. She doesn’t run off or get lost.”
“We’d like to wait for her,” the librarian said with a sweet smile.
“Sure.” I shrugged. “Have a seat. I’m sure she’ll be around soon.”
As I walked away, I heard one of them muttering under her breath about how unhelpful I was. I rolled my eyes. City folk .
I headed toward Don’s office, where Kenny had said Karen was. Yes, I could have told the city girls she was in Don’s office, but I didn’t feel like it. I wanted to talk to Karen first.
I knocked once and then stepped inside without waiting for an answer. Sure enough, there she was, sitting across from Don, sniffling and wiping her eyes with a tissue. Don’s face looked equally rosy, like he’d been emotional, too.
My heart sank. “Is everything okay?”
Don stood up quickly, a forced smile on his face. “Everything’s fine, Cassidy. Just having a chat.”
I wasn’t convinced, but Don was already moving toward the door, trying to steer me out. Before he could push me away, I turned to Karen. “Karen, there are people here asking for you. Said they’re friends of yours.”
Karen’s eyes widened, and she quickly stood, wiping at her face. “Friends?” Her voice was thick, like she’d been crying for a while.
“Yeah, they’re in the lobby,” I said, stepping aside. “Look like city girls.”
“No way!” Karen bolted out of the office, leaving Don and me alone in the awkward silence.
“Is everything okay?” I asked him.
“Fine, fine,” he said. “It’s all going to be okay.”
That implied there was something, but he wasn’t going to tell me.
What the fuck was happening?
I wasn’t used to being on the outs. It wasn’t my birthday, so it wasn’t like they were planning a surprise party.
I left the office and followed Karen down the hall and into the main hall area.
As soon as Karen saw the women, she ran toward them. The group erupted into a flurry of hugs, laughter, and emotions. Karen was crying as she hugged each of them.
I watched from a distance, suddenly feeling like I didn’t belong anywhere near this reunion. This was her world back in Dallas. I assumed she must have called them and cried on their shoulders. Now, they were here to pick her up and take her away. I was in absolute shock. I couldn’t believe she was leaving without talking to me about it. Had she called them to come and rescue her?
The women were fussing over her, hugging her close and peppering her with questions, but I stayed rooted in the doorway, unsure of what to do with myself. Watching her with her friends made me realize how little I knew about her life before she showed up here.
Ginny crossed the hall on her crutches. “What the hell is all that ruckus?”
“I’m guessing her posse is here to rescue her from the brutal life on the ranch,” I replied with a hint of sarcasm.
“Seriously?” Ginny asked.
Kenny approached, carrying his sandwich. “Who’re they?”
“I don’t know,” I said.
“Karen seems to know them,” he said.
“No shit, Sherlock,” I said.
“They’re pretty,” Kenny said. “Are they staying here?”
“I’m guessing they are here to take Karen home,” I said.
“Home?” Kenny asked before taking a big bite of his sandwich.
I shrugged. “Back to the city, I suppose.”
“She’s really going to leave?” Ginny asked with disbelief.
“Why do you sound so surprised?” I asked. “You seem really bothered by the idea of her going home.”
“What? Me? No reason. Dang, what’s with the interrogation?” She looked so guilty.
“What’s that supposed to mean, Ginny?” I questioned her, my eyes narrowing.
Ginny looked flustered. Her cheeks turned pink, telling me she was hot, but it wasn’t hot in here. “Nothing, I just thought she was settling in well here.”
“She was.” I sighed as I continued to watch the lively reunion occurring in the main hall. “But home is home, right? She’s been busting her ass doing shitty jobs. Why would she stay? She’s got the party planning almost done. If all goes well, the ranch will be out of the red. Her work here is done, right? She was never going to stick around.”
Ginny said nothing, but that guilty look was very prominent. Kenny just chewed his sandwich slowly, watching the city girls, completely unaware of anything going on.
I wished I could be as oblivious as he was. I wished I couldn’t feel at all.