4. ZANE
ZANE
Our eyes meet in the rearview mirror once again, and she quickly looks away, avoiding my gaze. Ella is chatting up a storm in the backseat, and I can tell Ava is trying to stay engaged, but she’s affected by my presence. She’s not the only one—this is not an ideal situation for me either.
I never leave the ranch; I can’t remember the last time I was out of Iron Stallion’s vicinity, so my whole system is out of sorts for being forced into this. And to make matters worse, it’s to deal with skeletons from my past.
I do not get paid enough for this.
Ava is still the angelic pale beauty I remember her to be, but a few things are different about her.
Her hair is shorter—it was always long, almost to her waist, but it’s now cut down to a shoulder-length bob with bangs that fall over her eyes, hiding the sea-green orbs away.
Her eyes, for the fleeting moment I’ve seen them, seem dead and without the spark I remember them to have.
Or maybe I’m reading too much into things.
I shouldn’t even be looking at her at all, but I can’t help myself.
“Ava, are you listening?” Ella asks her a bit forcefully.
Ava, who was distracted by something out the window, turns to her with an apologetic smile. “Yeah, sorry... I am. What’s up?”
She was definitely not listening. I wasn’t either.
“I hope you’re hungry. I had Flora make all your favorites,” Ella announces.
“You didn’t have to,” Ava replies gently.
“I did. We have to celebrate you being back. It’s been far too long, and we also need to fatten you up. You’re far too skinny.”
Ava doesn’t answer, which means Ella is onto something. I noticed the same from the moment I saw her. Ava has lost a significant amount of weight. Given it’s been five years, things are bound to change, but she’s like a shadow of her former self, and for some reason that doesn’t sit right with me.
But no, I shouldn’t care about her. She didn’t care about me back then, so why should I?
She’s only here for three months, and I need to make sure to keep my distance until she leaves.
I’m not a huge fan of the radio, but I switch it on just to find something else to focus on, other than the 5‘5“ distraction in the backseat with eyes of the sea and hair as dark as night.
I’m able to stay sane for the rest of the drive and manage to get us back to Iron Stallion without having a mental breakdown.
“Welcome home, Ava,” Ella invites as soon as the front gates come into sight.
“Thank you,” she replies in a whisper, her eyes trained outside.
Security at the gate waves us through, and it’s still quite the drive to the main house, but it gives time to enjoy the wonderful view of the ranch.
Lush endless fields, tall trees far and few between, rolls of hay that look like scattered tissue paper rolls, and then there are the animals.
There are horses grazing on one side and bulls on the other.
Each masters of their own universe—majestic, powerful, and enigmatic.
We have more animals on other sections of the property, but cattle and horses are our main focus.
The main building comes into view, and Ella lets out a delighted squeal. You’d think she’s the one who hasn’t been here in five years.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Ella gushes.
“Even more than I remember,” Ava affirms.
The house is a three-story, lakefront farmhouse with ten bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, wrap-around porch, a 20‘ x 40’ rectangle swimming pool with a slide, ten-foot diving board, its own pool house, and three separate two-bedroom cabins, each with their own amenities.
It’s been in the family for generations, but it’s been renovated many times over to fit into each era.
We have servants’ quarters on the property as well, but they’re a bit further away from the main house.
It’s a pretty impressive property that’s home to the Morgan family and, over the next three months, a certain pop star as well.
“I didn’t initially notice in all the excitement, but why all the bags? Are you moving back?” Ella questions Ava as I unload her bags.
I had the same thought, but I assumed that’s how most girls travel. Ella is the same, so I don’t know why she’s probing Ava.
“Ha, I wish. Most of them aren’t for me.”
Ella gasps, clamping her hand over her mouth as she shuffles from foot to foot, dancing in excitement. “You didn’t?!”
Ava nods with a smile. “I did.”
Ella screams excitedly, nearly turning me deaf.
What did she do?
“But there’s stuff for everyone else too, so don’t be selfish,” Ava warns.
Ah, so she brought gifts for everyone. That was thoughtful of her.
Ella brushes her off with a mischievous smile. “We’ll see.”
“El!” Ava scolds.
“I make no promises,” Ella giggles.
I’ve done my part and don’t wish to be part of the girl talk, so I get back inside the truck, intending to take it back to the garage when my sister stops me.
“Zane, will you join us for dinner? We’re all gathering to celebrate Ava’s return.”
“No,” I decline quickly.
There’s nothing to think about. I rarely join them for meals, and Ava being here is an even better excuse to stay away.
“C’mon, please. Everyone will be there.”
“No.”
She gives me a disappointed look, perching her arms on her waist. “Don’t you have any other words in your dictionary besides no?”
“Nein?” I answer with a slight smirk.
“You smartass, that’s no in German,” she reproaches.
I can see Ava trying her best not to look at me, and I realize that at some point she will cave and try to talk to me, which is the last thing I want.
Knowing this, I beckon Ella closer with my finger.
She rushes over with a smile, thinking I’m about to give in to her request, but I’m about to do the opposite.
“Change your mind?” she grins at me.
I shake my head, make eye contact with Ava for a moment before lowering my gaze to face Ella. “Keep her away from me.”
Ella’s smile drops in an instant. “Zane!”
“I mean it, El. Don’t put me in this kind of situation again,” I grit out and start the truck.
More than anyone, she knows what went down between us, so I have no idea why she thought dragging me into this was a good idea in the first place. I can’t do anything about Ava being here, but I can make sure that we don’t interact.
Ella bows her head in shame. “Okay, I’m sorry.”
I don’t bother answering her and instead drive off, leaving the two best friends to sort themselves out.
Instead of taking the truck back to the garage, I decide to go for a drive around the ranch to clear my head. Usually a ride with Jaz does the trick, but I already have the truck out, so I might as well put it to good use.
I have no idea if Ella will listen to me and keep her best friend away, but she better do so unless she wants to see a side of me even I’m not a fan of.
Ava is different from the person she once was—I kind of already knew that—but so am I.
That accident changed a lot of things for us, stole my dreams and ambitions from me, and turned me into the bitter recluse that I am.
The sensible thing would be to let go of my pain and focus on the positive, but I guess I’m wired differently. The pain is what keeps me going; otherwise I’d have given up long ago, so I’ll clutch onto it.
I end up at one of my favorite spots on the ranch. It’s a sunset spot at the edge of a cliff with a river at the bottom. The other side of it is still part of the ranch, but it’s the lumber farm—another Morgan family investment.
I sit on the hood, lying back on the windshield, letting the scorching sun rays burn away my frustration.
I’m emotionally exhausted, so I end up dozing off. When I come to, the sun’s rays are much softer now than when I dozed off, meaning I’ve slept most of the afternoon away.
“Time to head back home,” I mutter to myself as I roll to my side and jump off the hood.
It’s dark when I make it back to civilization, dreading the human interaction awaiting me. I was right to feel anxious as I nearly turn around when I find Ava leaning against the door of my cabin. What is she doing here? Didn’t I ask Ella to keep her away from me?
I don’t say anything, just stalk up to her, nearly running through her. She jumps back in fear, but there’s nowhere to go as she’s trapped between me and my door. She holds her hands up to stop me, placing them over my chest.
Fuck, she’s touching me. It burns, but not in the way I expect it to. It’s excitingly dangerous, and I crave more of it, but no... I need her to stop. I glare at her hands, and she quickly drops them to her side.
“Sorry,” she mutters, her eyes looking everywhere but at mine. She opens her mouth to speak, but I cut her off...
“No.”
“But I haven’t said anything.”
“I don’t care... no.”
“Ella told me you asked her to keep me away from you, but I just want to talk,” she pleads.
“You’re about five years too late.”
“But...”
“Stay out of my way, and I’ll do the same. Enjoy your stay, but away from me,” I grit out. “Now get out of my way,” I demand.
“No,” she defies.
Her green eyes light up with a fierceness I find myself enjoying, but this is not the time.
I don’t have the patience to keep doing this with her, so I pick her up by her waist, making her squeal, turn around, and place her on the front steps.
“Stay! Away!” I assert as I unlock the door, let myself in, and slam it behind me.
I watch through the window as she stands there for a few minutes, contemplating, before she turns around and walks away.
I sigh in relief, hoping that this is the first and last time she’ll try to pull such a stunt.
I just want her to stay away from me, and I’ll do the same. It’s not too much to ask, is it?