Chapter 4
PRESENT DAY
FOUR YEARS LATER
Iwish I’d never met Ellie Donovan.
Lies.
Well, maybe not, depending on the day.
After years of knowing her, the woman is nothing but a complete mystery.
She’s ruthless, unkind, and downright mean.
But only to me. She’s halfway pleasant to everyone else.
And I haven’t a single clue as to why.
Since the first day we got introduced, she’s had it out for me although I was nothing but nice to her. Hell, I ran with her five days a week for three months. All while listening to her sing Taylor Swift songs and giving me the cold shoulder.
Not once during our runs did she speak to me or thank me for coming along in case she passed out or needed encouragement. She did make me hold her water bottle, though. And like the sap I am, handed it over every time she reached for it.
I was basically her butler running buddy. The only thing left would’ve been to bow at her feet and chant Long Live the Queen.
She qualified for the National Final Rodeo after her first full year and placed third after the ten-consecutive-day competition but didn’t take home the win. Overall, I think it was a great experience for her after winning the Southeast regional championship. Once the next season started, she traveled on and off for ten months, but I went to a few with Noah to watch her race in the local pro rodeo circuit events.
She’s now in her fourth year and training harder than ever to win first at this year’s NFR. The past few years, she’s consistently been in the top three but lost first place by mere microseconds. Since then, she’s had more media press and sponsorship opportunities, which has only helped get her name out there more.
You can’t walk through downtown without seeing an Ellie Ranger poster or banner in the windows of several small businesses. Every little girl I see under the age of twelve wears a sparkly pink cowboy hat to support their favorite local barrel racer. So many damn reminders of her.
It’s fucking torture.
I don’t see her in person much, only in between competitions when she’s here to train. Even when she’s around, her dislike for me has never faded, which brings me to today.
Wishing I’d never met her.
Because even after all this time and her obvious hatred for me, my heart reacts the same every time I see her. And that pisses me the fuck off.
Even when she’s somewhat nice, I’m instantly suspicious about it.
Last summer, I ran into her with one of her 4-H friends as they were walking out of Millie’s Ice Cream Shoppe. I quickly stopped to say hi and the girl recognized me from the ranch, so after a few minutes of constant flirting, I asked her for her number.
Ellie smiled at Clara like she totally supported the idea, and she hadn’t shot me any murderous glares, so I figured it was fine. We made plans for that following weekend, and since Ellie had a race, I ended up taking Clara to the rodeo with me.
We had a fun time and seemed to find things in common. But then after Ellie’s race and we went to congratulate her on the win, she barely acknowledged her friend, or me—but that was normal—so it was easy to assume she didn’t like that we came. Considering I was already on her shit list, I didn’t want to get in between her and Clara, so I never asked her out on a second date.
The following weekend, I ended up drunk at the Twisted Bull and took some chick home. It wasn”t my finest moment, and I felt like shit about it afterward. But then the next morning, still hungover, I walked out of my house to find a knife in my truck”s tire. Every single one had been slashed.
I drove my dirt bike to the barn, and when Ellie saw the knife in my hand, her face split in two. Before I could even ask her about it, she thanked me for bringing it back to her. I was so shell-shocked that she openly admitted to doing it, I couldn”t even form words to ask her what the hell her problem was or why she did it.
If it was for dating her friend or hooking up with someone else after not continuing to date her friend, I hadn’t a fucking clue. She was confusing on a normal day.
But this really took the cake.
During Noah and Fisher’s wedding, I asked her to dance, but she claimed to have broken her toe. I offered to bring her some ice and instead of using it, she left it on the table to melt. Because there was no broken toe.
I should get over her and escape the delusion that she’ll someday feel the same or at the very least, give me a chance. It’s clear there’s a one-sided hatred situation going on between us. There’s no reason I should be as infatuated with her as I am, and still, here I am—unable to get her out of my stupid head.
It also doesn’t help that as I go through roping techniques with my new trainee, Antonio—a fifteen-year-old little shithead—who won’t shut up about her. It’s torturous enough seeing her around the ranch, but now I have to listen to him give me shit while he watches her practice.
“Goddamn, she snatched that.”
“She’s fire out there.”
And then, whenever he catches me staring, he loves to put me in my place.
“Nah, you’re too mid for her. You got no rizz.”
“Stop simpin’, bruh. You’re too old for her.”
I swear to God if he calls me bruh one more goddamn time…
Leave it to some punk teenager to humble me like I’m some creepy old man. I hate that at twenty-nine, I’ve turned into my dad, who can’t understand the younger generation’s slang.
In a lot of ways, he reminds me of Tucker’s daring personality. It’s probably why even though Antonio drives me up a wall sometimes, I can’t help but want to push him to do his best. Tucker was smart and fearless, but it didn’t come easy. He worked for everything he had.
“You think six years is that big of a deal?” I ask him, looking above his head to stare at Ellie, who’s across the training center. “Because it’s not.”
When I look back at him, he’s making a disgusted face. “Cringe.”
“Wait till I tell you my sister’s husband is twenty-two years older than her.”
“Ew, gag. He could lowkey be her dad!”
I can’t even conceal my laughter because if he only knew her husband is also her ex-boyfriend’s dad. The whole thing is fucking hilarious to me. She dumped Jase and then three years later, made him her stepson. Oh, and a big brother.
“They just had a baby last year, too.”
His jaw drops, and I laugh.
“I bet six years ain’t lookin’ so bad now, huh?”
He rolls his eyes and then continues practicing with the roping dummy. Although I manage the breeding operations, Noah once again talked me into signing up to help the local 4-H Club so they can participate in the fair’s junior rodeo event the following weekend.
Ellie climbs on Ranger after setting up the barrels and runs a lap in front of us. Her blond hair is pulled back into braids underneath her cowboy hat. Although she usually leaves it down for the races, both looks are sexy as hell. She has this crazy curl to it when it’s untamed. The polar opposite of her. Ellie wouldn’t know how to let loose if her life depended on it.
“Hi, Ellie!” Antonio waves obnoxiously like the lovestruck teen boy he is.
“Hey, lookin’ good over here.” She slows down, flashing him one of her flirty smiles I’ve only ever seen a few times. Never at me, though. Always for someone else.
Antonio takes that as his cue to show off and whip his rope in the air, nearly smacking me in the face in the process, and then throws it over the practice steer. He tightens up the slack and lets out a loud yeehaw.
Ellie’s eyes brighten with pride. “So incredible! I can’t wait to watch you win first place.”
“No cap, you gonna come?” he asks with way too much enthusiasm.
“Of course!” She beams, adjusting her tank strap that fell down her shoulder. “I’m racin’ there before I leave for the Franklin Rodeo. It’s gonna be a fun time.”
Antonio’s smile widens. “Period.”
“Well, good luck. I’m gonna do some drills with Ranger for a bit.”
Antonio’s so lovestruck, I swear I see drool on his chin.
She gives him a cute little finger wave before glancing at me. The high curve of her lips turns into a frown and her wide, bright eyes narrow into slits as soon as our gazes meet.
Just to further piss her off, I shout, “Nice seein’ ya, Ellie!” Then I wink before she takes off to the other side of the building.
Antonio chuckles. “I don’t think she’s feelin’ ya, bruh.”
That’s an understatement.
“Now who’s giving cringe, bruh.” I roll my eyes and then check the time. “You only have twenty minutes until you get picked up, so stay focused.”
He shakes his head at me. “You’re weak.”
The fuck does that even mean?
As he continues practicing, I only manage to glance over at Ellie twice before Antonio’s ride shows up. Watching her anytime she’s here is an obsession I can’t seem to kick. I probably look like a creep, standing and staring while she practices, but I’m mesmerized by her talent and how much she’s excelled over the past few years. Although she hates it when I interrupt her lessons to give advice or tips, she usually applies them anyway and they end up helping her—which of course she hates because then that means I was right.
“Holy…motherfucking…shit.”
My eyes scan over my phone screen as I reread the email attachment from Tucker’s mom. We don’t stay in contact much anymore, but we’ll exchange hugs whenever we run into each other in town. I could tell seeing me only made her sadder because she used to call me her second son when Tucker was alive.
The letter she forwarded is from the attorney who helped Talia’s family win their case in the wrongful death lawsuit. It states that Angela is scheduled for her parole hearing in a month and that due to her good behavior and getting a bachelor’s degree in psychology, they may approve it. It sounds like she’s going to play the I’m a better person now and the I can help others based on my experience cards.
I don’t care if she shapeshifted into Jesus himself. She doesn’t deserve to get out early. She never would if it were up to me.
Tucker’s mom writes in the body of the email that Talia’s family lawyer suggested that everyone who testified against Angela should write letters to the parole board on why she shouldn’t be released early. Considering Tucker died after the trial, it only leaves five witnesses—me, Rhett, Addie, Warren, and Maisie. They deserve to know that she’s technically responsible for two people’s deaths and should stay behind bars to serve her full sentence.
I always knew there was a chance she could get parole, but I hadn’t realized it’d already been eleven years.
Sometimes it still feels like yesterday when I dived into that cold water. I can still smell the fresh mountain air mixed with pine trees. For months after Talia’s death, the crashing sounds of the waterfall haunted me in my dreams as I recalled every minute of that day. Losing Tucker made me spiral more than I wanted to admit. At the time, I couldn’t see how much I was struggling. Nonstop partying, drinking to numb the pain, sleeping with women to forget.
It was a dangerous road I was on but then quickly realized I had to deal with the grief instead of pushing it to the side. When Tripp lost his best friend, Billy, during his senior year in high school, he became a shell of the person we knew and loved. I watched him put all his energy into work and instead of talking about it, he silently drowned in his guilt. It happened two years after we lost Talia, and I knew I had to manage my grief to help him get through his.
I didn’t want him to go down the same wrong path I had.
After work, I take a shower and change into clean clothes, then form a group text with Warren, Rhett, and Addie. I talk to my cousin at least once a month, but I haven’t spoken to Rhett and Addie in a couple years, though I see their life updates on social media. After they got married, they moved an hour south and now have three kids.
Landen
Did y’all get the email about Angela?
Rhett
We’re reading it now.
Addie
Absolute bullshit! I’ll be writing a letter and making sure they know everything about Angela and the type of person she is.
At Angela’s criminal trial, we could only answer questions based on the incident and character witness testimonies when asked, but during the wrongful death lawsuit, we had the opportunity to speak out about our personal experiences with Talia and Angela.
Addie made a compelling testimony about Talia that had most people in tears. She spoke about her with such grace and kindness that even the jurors were fighting with their emotions. She expressed strong opinions about how Angela’s actions weren’t out of character based on the several years of knowing her, so I have no doubt she won’t hold anything back on expressing her thoughts on keeping Angela behind bars.
Landen
Me too. Changed or not, she deserves to serve her full sentence.
My testimony focused on the emotional abuse that revolved around our past relationship, including how she wasn’t even invited on the trip but always manipulated people to get what she wanted. I mentioned how her lack of self-awareness hurt everyone around her. And now, I’ll include the repercussions of her actions that led to Tucker’s suicide.
He was so distraught that he could hardly speak at both trials. Looking back, I wish I’d been able to be there for him more. He shut down, and I thought I was doing the right thing by giving him space to grieve. It’s been nine years since we lost him, but I can still hear his rowdy laughter in my head.
Warren
Just read it. I’ll do whatever I can to help!
Since Warren didn’t know Angela nor Talia very well, just from the few times they hung out during our spring breaks, his testimony focused on what he witnessed and Angela’s lack of remorse after the incident.
Warren and Maisie got married once she graduated from college in New York City, but when she got a job at a Big Five publisher, she moved back there. Warren didn’t want to leave his hometown and she didn’t want to sacrifice her career. He doesn’t talk about her or everything that he went through, but I know it fucked him up. I’m not even sure he’s dated since then because his only focus has been on his family’s ranch and resort.
Landen
Maybe we should get together and write a joint statement for either outcome. You know as soon as news about it gets out, journalists will come looking for our comments.
Rhett
Not a bad idea. Plus, it’s been too long since we’ve hung out.
Addie
Agreed!
Warren
You know y’all are always welcome up here.
Rhett
We’d love to come! Let us check our schedules and we’ll get back to ya.
Warren
Sounds good!
Landen
I’ll make time to come up whenever y’all are available.
After our text convo ends, I text our sibling group chat and update them.
Wilder
Want me to seduce the parole board members? It’d be a hardship, but I’d do it for the cause.
I roll my eyes and shake my head. Give it to Wilder to make it weird.
Waylon
We better start saving up for his bail now.
Wilder
Huh, why?
Tripp
Google is free, man.
Noah
Do you even know who parole board members are made up of?
Wilder
Uh…hold on.
Landen
Anyway…while he utilizes the internet, I’m probably gonna make a trip up to Willow Branch Mountain in a month or two. If anyone wants to catch a ride with me, let me know so I can tell Warren to book us a cabin.
With Warren being the oldest of his siblings, he took over a lot of the management duties for the ranch and resort. My aunt and uncle still stay plenty busy with other tasks, but as their kids get older, they get more responsibilities and will eventually take over when the parents retire.
Wilder
Hell yeah! Count me in.
Noah
Depends. This is my busiest time for traveling to rodeos with clients and training. I’ll have to check with Fisher, too. But I’d love to go if I can.
Tripp
Yeah, I’ll have to ask Magnolia if she wants to get a sitter for Willow or take her with us.
Noah
Take her with you so Poppy has a friend!
It’s funny enough that Noah and Magnolia have been best friends since they were in elementary school, but then Magnolia started dating Tripp a year and a half ago. Shortly after, she found out she was pregnant with her ex’s baby. Noah announced her pregnancy at the same time and they ended up giving birth on the same day. The babies are only ten months old, so I laugh at Noah trying to push Tripp to bring along an infant to a couple’s resort.
Although Willow isn’t Tripp’s biological daughter, he loves her just the same. Magnolia tried to give Tripp an out to walk away, but he was determined to stay and be there for both of them. I’m glad they finally got together after all the years of back and forth. I’ve never seen Tripp as happy as when he became a dad and husband.
I hope to have that someday, too.
Ever since meeting Ellie four years ago, my dating life has been nearly nonexistent, except for a drunken time or two, so the chances of me getting married and having kids anytime soon aren’t likely.
But I’m still not ready to give up.
Tripp
You wanna take her overnight so I can get my wife alone for once?
Noah
We’ll see.
Wilder
Wait a damn minute…the parole board members are all old people from various white-collar jobs?
Tripp
Congrats on figuring it out.
Wilder
Well good thing old ladies love me!
Waylon
Love or tolerate?
Noah
I’d pay big money to see you try.
Landen
Don’t encourage him…he doesn’t need any more incentives.
Wilder
About to go on a deep dive to find out who their granddaughters are…I’m sure I can work my magic somewhere.
Tripp
That sounds like a threat…should we warn them first?
Noah
How about no one commits a felony trying to alter their decision and we just let the justice system do its job?
Landen
Assuming they do this time…
Yeah, I guess after eleven years, I’m still bitter.
Angela deserved way more prison time. I’ll never be satisfied knowing she’s the reason Talia and Tucker are dead and she won’t be rotting in a cell for the rest of her pathetic life.