Chapter Six
Diana
One week later. Hayden, CO.
As I swung my car in beside Thomas’ at the back of my office, anxiety took over, flooding my bloodstream. I was powerless to stop it. My gut felt like someone plunged a knife into it, twisting my insides. My heart was pounding, the sound thundering in my ears as I shifted the car into park. Thomas knew that I wouldn’t be coming out here today, and up until an hour ago, I had no reason to come into the office.
And yet, here I was, sweaty palms and all.
I’d been in another meeting with a client when Thomas called me, telling me I needed to get back to the office as soon as possible. My day was supposed to consist of client meetings and driving across the state to said client meetings.
Of course, I had to cancel my last meeting in the city, which also included dinner.
My cheat meal dinner.
Last week, it was my cookie, and now, my cheat meal.
I got up at five this morning to work out and drink the same protein shake I had every other day of the week. During my workout, I was fighting the urge to run harder and go faster. The soup Denver made me last week was too damn good, and I ate more of it than I should’ve. Now, I was trying not to make myself pay for it by constantly reminding myself I was allowed to indulge in food outside of my plan.
To say I was furious because I had to come back to Hayden to deal with the mess that decided to waltz back into my life was an understatement. I was beyond pissed, and not just about the food.
The urge to bang my head against my steering wheel was strong when the back door of my building swung open, and my paralegal stepping out into the sunlight, his hands in his pockets, a scowl painted on his face. I kept my eyes on him as I grabbed my things and got out of the car, closing the door with my hip.
“Where is he?” I demanded.
Thomas’ brow furrowed, his jaw tight with anger. “I sure as hell didn’t put him in your office,” he deadpanned. “He’s in the waiting area.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
As I was about to pass him and walk through the door he held open, he caught my arm gently. My eyes met his, and I knew right then that not only would Thomas go to battle for me when it came to this job, but he would do so in every other aspect of life.
“I don’t want you alone with him,” he said.
The hair on the back of my neck rose, and an old, familiar fear slithered down my spine, leaving goosebumps in its wake. The idea of being alone with the man I thought I’d left behind was a nightmare in and of itself.
I nodded. “Okay, Thomas.”
“The second he says some shit I don’t like, I’m calling Chase,” he warned, his blue eyes cold.
I put my free hand on his shoulder. “Deal.”
Then, we went inside to face the impending doom that was my past catching up with me.
I dropped my stuff in my office, not even bothering to fully step inside before heading down the hall towards the front of my firm. My breath caught when I spotted him, the knife in my gut sinking deeper, causing more damage. The man rose from his seat the second he heard my heels clicking against the floor, his eyes scanning me from head to toe, lingering on my mid-section, then my hips, which were wider since the last we saw each other. In fact, every single aspect about me had changed since the last time I saw him.
When his eyes finally met mine, he decided it was the perfect time to open his stupid mouth, a mouth I thought I’d loved once.
“You’ve gained weight.”
I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth and glared at him, waiting.
He scratched his scruffy jaw, laughing to himself. “You don’t have anything to say to me?” he prompted, his ego clearly still in control.
I heard Thomas move from somewhere behind me, but he remained silent. My ex’s eyes shifted over to my paralegal. “Is this the kind of man you fuck now?” he sneered.
Personal growth wasn’t a term he was familiar with, I see.
“The kind of men I sleep with is no concern of yours, Lucas,” I said, my voice steady despite the alarm bells going off inside my head.
My ex was the exact kind of man my parents wanted me to marry. He was tall and strong, had a decent job in finance to provide me with a home, and, last but not least, he wanted kids. Lots and lots of kids. He also wanted me to stay home with said kids and forget about my career altogether. He wanted me to cook, clean, and raise the kids while he went off to God knows were, doing God knows what.
There was a point in my life when all I wanted was to be the perfect little housewife for him, but that all changed the second he decided to sleep with his assistant. He didn’t see a problem with it, and that was how I figured out he was a textbook narcissist—and a sexist. He didn’t respect me.
He saw me as a maid and a womb, nothing more.
“What makes you think you can talk to me like that, Diana?” he asked with a furrowed brow and flat lips.
I laughed so hard, my head fell back, feeling my freshly blown out hair hanging down my back. “I almost forgot how ridiculous you were, how egotistical,” I said, looking back at him.
His eyes scanned my hair, something he’d always loved. It was the only thing he’d ever complimented me on. “I don’t know why you’re being rude to me,” he pushed out, trying to keep his cool. I took pleasure in knowing he was fuming now. “Get the hell out of my office.”
He took a single step towards me, and Thomas cleared his throat. “I have the Sheriff on speed dial. Just a little FYI,” he drawled.
Lucas peeled his eyes from me to focus on Thomas. “What I have to say to her is none of your business, boy.”
“Then say what you have to say, Lucas,” I cut in. “What are you doing in Colorado?”
He looked at me as if I’d grown three heads, utterly confused. “Your dad called and told me you’re ready to come home.”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head then, and the knife was pulled out from my stomach, leaving a gaping hole. “Excuse me?” I breathed.
Lucas nodded. “It’s time, Diana. We’ve let you have your fun, but with your biological clock ticking, we need to get a move on.”
Now I was the one looking at him as if he’d grown three heads. I opened my mouth, and nothing but a small sound of disbelief escaped.
Biological clock?
Lucas took this opportunity to keep talking, adding more gasoline to the hellhole of a fire he came here to start. “You’ve made your point, but now, it’s time to be an adult. It’s time to come home.”
“What the actual fuck are you talking about?” Thomas bit off as he came to stand beside me.
Lucas ignored him, pulling out a small black box and opening it to reveal the ring he’d proposed to me with years ago when I was about to finish law school. It wasn’t the ring I’d wanted, but he knew that. After showing him the one I’d wanted, he promised to buy it. That was a lie.
Everything about our relationship was nothing but a sugarcoated lie.
“Why are you still talking to my parents, Lucas?” I uttered, trying to wrap my head around the insanity flowing from his mouth.
He scoffed and threw his hands out. “Because they’re family to me, Diana, and when we’re finally married, it will be official.”
When we’re finally married.
I shook my head, fear coiling around my neck as the pit in my stomach stretched. “I don’t know what world of delusion you’ve decided to take up permanent residence in, but you and I are over, Lucas. I left you and moved on over a decade ago,” I said, each word gentler than the last, because narcissists didn’t take rejection well. I knew this would make him explode, and I silently prayed the blast wouldn’t be anything compared to the day I left him. The vein in his forehead began to pop and I looked over to Thomas, silently signaling him to call Chase.
Thomas gave me a slight nod, one Lucas was too busy to notice, and moved.
As he walked away, Lucas threw his hands into his thinning hair. “Diana, enough with the games!” he roared, causing me to flinch. “Your father said you were ready to come home and I’m here to make that happen.”
As I stepped back, I lifted my chin. “I won’t be going anywhere with you, Lucas.” He was back to staring at me again. “Now, I’m asking you to leave, and this time, stay the hell out of my life.”
My ex dropped his head, shaking it as he muttered something underneath his breath.
“If you have something to say,” I called, “I suggest you say it with your entire chest.” His head snapped up, his eyes filled with so many things, anger being one and hatred being the second. The young woman inside me, the one who was happy to be a wife and build a life with a man, trembled with fear, memories of Lucas dragging us back into the apartment by our hair bubbling up to the surface.
The grown woman I was now, wasn’t trembling with fear, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t cautious. Lucas couldn’t hurt me here. I was in a safe space. No one, not my parents nor the man standing in the waiting area of the firm I’d built from the ground up, got to dictate my life and the way I lived it.
I held my breath, waiting for the inevitable explosion.
“You little bitch,” he pushed out slowly, his shoulders rising and falling. “I’m here to give you something you’ve always dreamed of, to give you the life you’ve always wanted and—”
“I’m living the life I’ve always wanted, Lucas. You knew back then all I wanted to do was to study law,” I said firmly, a memory from a few Christmases ago lingering in the back of my mind. It was one of the longest conversations I’d ever had with Mags, and the entire thing was centered around the jackass standing in front of me.
He calls you a bitch again, his body will burn on the mountain just like all others.
As Mags’ warning echoed in my mind, Lucas snarled, “Yes, and you went to school. You studied it and now look at you.”
My spine snapped straight, knowing exactly where he was going with this.
He pointed at me, his upper lip curled. “This is why women shouldn’t—”
“Careful now,” I cooed, clicking my tongue. “Your sexist side is showing. You might want to tuck that back in before Chase gets here. He’s not fond of assholes like you.”
Lucas’ face twisted in a mix of anger and confusion. “Who the fuck is Chase?” he barked as the glass door behind him opened.
“That would be me,” a deep, smooth voice said. The younger version of me inside my soul relaxed, forcing me to let out a small breath of relief.
My ex whirled to face the blue-eyed sheriff, taking in his tan uniform, badge, and the gun strapped to his hip. “You the man fucking my fiancée?” he growled, pointing at me.
I rolled my eyes. “For the last time, Lucas, I am not your anything,” I said, my eyes shooting over to chase. “I would like this man to leave.”
Chase nodded and moved to stand between my ex and me. “You heard her, man,” he said, putting his hand on his hips, his right resting on the top of his gun.
“So you are fucking him. You’re fucking a cop?” Lucas bit off, his harsh tone bouncing off the walls of my building now. I couldn’t wrap my head around the obsession he had with me. It had been over a decade and still, in his mind, we were still getting married.
“Yo,” Chase clipped, the word sounding like a gun firing. “I’m not going to tell you again. It’s time for you to leave.”
Lucas’ eyes shifted from me to the Sheriff, hatred burning within them. “I’m talking to my woman.”
I wanted to vomit. I couldn’t believe I’d let myself be his anything.
Thomas returned, standing beside me as Chase began barking orders. He leaned in and whispered, “Maybe you should go back into your office.”
My eyes met his, and I gave him a small smile. “This is my mess, and I need to make sure it gets taken care of.”
This is my mess.
Embarrassment heated my cheeks, and I wrapped my arms around myself, looking to my feet as Lucas began shouting, the sound bringing back memories that should’ve been long forgotten…
Nine Years Ago. New Haven, Connecticut.
I stared at the package of Oreos, the middle row of cream-filled cookies now empty as the guilt weighed heavily on my shoulders, my pencil skirt I’d worn for a mock trial feeling tighter around my mid-section now. Of course, I couldn’t wait to get home from said mock trial and get out of the damn thing.
I had a plan for tonight—a good, solid plan.
It didn’t involve me staying in my small apartment, watching 2000s Rom-coms, and fighting the temptation of gorging myself. I was going to get out of this skirt, put on some leggings, and go for a walk. A long walk through campus, and meet up with my friend, Jodie. Even though I was worn out from the week I’d had, I couldn’t spend another Friday night in this apartment, fighting temptation.
And yet? I didn’t even put up a damn fight. I was in my mid-twenties, about to graduate law school, and I couldn’t even control myself around a package of cookies one of my classmates left here on accident.
When I was climbing up the stairs to my floor, I’d gotten a phone call. I knew I shouldn’t have answered it, but if I didn’t, he would’ve just kept calling until I did. That was how Lucas worked, after all. Annoying, forceful persistence. He didn’t even bother starting off with an apology—which I was owed. Instead, he began the first conversation I’d had with him in over two weeks by telling me all things I was doing wrong. He didn’t fail to remind me how disappointed my parents were of me, because instead of staying in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania after graduating college, I went to law school.
Not just any law school—the best in the country.
Yale.
That had been my plan since I was about seven years old, when I watched Legally Blonde for the first time at a second grade sleepover. I’d never seen a woman so confident and strong-willed before. Elle Woods was beautiful, smart, and kind—everything a little girl like me wanted to be when she grew up. When I’d gotten home the next day, I ran into the kitchen—where my mom always was—to tell her about this amazing movie. She didn’t share my excitement. In fact, she was scared of it and did everything in her power to derail my newly-found career plans. She even went as far as calling my college to tell them I wouldn’t be attending anymore, that I’d changed my mind. She didn’t care that I busted my butt in high school to graduate a year yearly, taking summer school classes between freshman and sophomore year, taking college courses as a junior, giving me a head start.
Now, here I was, two months out from graduation, and the life I’d left back in Bloomsburg was catching up to me, binge eating cookies to cope.
I winced, standing in front of the mirror and promising to not give in to my food craving, with tears streaming down my face, I fucking did it again—all because I couldn’t handle a simple phone call. Shame coated my tongue, and I couldn’t even take that final cookie I’d shoved in my mouth a minute ago. I walked back over to the counter, staring down at the damn things until my composure snapped.
“What the hell is wrong with me?” I whispered to the cookies as I shoved my hands in my hair, tugging at the freshly dyed strands. “I can handle law school, but I can’t handle this? How pathetic can you be, Diana?”
Okay, the negative self-talk wasn’t helping, and I knew that.
But the mere thought of stepping on the scale tomorrow morning consumed me now as I envisioned myself stepping onto the pretty glass machine and it cracking underneath my weight. I’d worked so hard to lose ten pounds—so I could fit into this damn skirt—and now, that was shot to hell. All that work was had gone down the drain in a matter of ten minutes.
I bend my head, muttering more negative things to myself as if I deserved them, and the tiny voice in my head spoke.
You know how to get rid of it, Diana. If you want to feel better, just go to the bathroom and—
“No,” I rasped, bringing my hand up and wiping my tears. “I promised myself I would never do that again.”
Suddenly, there was a heavy pounding on my front door, causing me to jump. I twisted my neck, looking over my shoulder, eyes wide as my ex-boyfriend’s muffled voice filled my small apartment. He wasn’t even supposed to be here—at all. A painful lump formed in my throat, my gut filled with dread and, most of all, fear. The last time he’d driven out here, I’d gotten yelled at, judged, verbally abused, and kissed all within twenty minutes. That was after I’d confronted him about sleeping with his assistant. I’d broken up with him, but it was hard to cut ties with someone who refused to let go.
Which is why I’d come up a plan, one that involved me packing up everything I owned after graduation and moving to the other side of the country.
Another round of forceful knocks echoed through the door, followed by the one voice I didn’t want to hear ever again. “Diana, open up this fucking door,” Lucas bellowed.
The lump in my throat swelled, making it difficult to swallow, and I took a step back, blindly reaching for my phone. I shot a text to Jodie.
Me: Lucas is here.
Her reply was almost immediate.
Jodie: What??? Did you let him in??
Me: No, he’s banging on my front door. I don’t know what to do.
Jodie: I’ll be over in five.
Me: No. Don’t. I don’t want him to hurt you. I’ll handle it.
The text thread disappeared as her phone call popped up, a picture of us in the library filling my screen. I quickly answered. “Jodie, don’t come,” I whisper-hissed, keeping my eyes on the door.
“I know you’re in there, Diana. Open up. We have to talk,” Lucas clipped.
“I’m getting in my car right now,” Jodie said, not bothering to listen to me.
My eyes shot up to the ceiling, hoping whatever higher power there was looming over me would fix this shit-show. “Okay, but just stay in your car. If I need you, I’ll text you. Deal?” I asked, chewing on my bottom lip, glaring at the door.
My friend huffed. “Fine.”
“Diana!” he yelled as I ended the call. More pounding followed. Sighing, I straightened my shoulders, lifted my chin, and headed to the door. I didn’t bother unhooking the chain as I twisted the knob, pulling the door open as far as it would allow.
“What are you doing here, Lucas?” I asked softly, meeting his harsh eyes.
He backed up, his brow furrowed as he gestured to the door. “Are you not going to let me in?”
There’s no reason for you to come inside, asshole.
“Whatever you have to say to me, you can say it from right there,” I told him, doing my best to keep my voice level.
His face twisted in anger. “No. Whatever I have to say, I will say to you inside,” he declared, his voice cold. “Now, open the damn door.”
From behind him, my neighbor’s door opened, revealing his tall, lanky figure, his glasses perched on his nose. He was a student professor at Yale, and we’d been neighbors for almost a year now, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember his name.
“Diana?” he asked. “Are you alright?”
Great. He knew my name.
Lucas shifted, giving me a full view of the kind man. He was dressed in flannel PJ pants and a faded gray T-shirt. I gave him a forced smile. “I’m alright.”
Mr. Neighbor eyed me for a moment before his gaze shifted over to Lucas. “Is there something I can help you with, sir?”
“Why the in the fuck would you ask me something like that? I’m here to talk to my woman—
“—clearly, she isn’t your woman, judging by the chain on the door and the fact you stood out here banging on it for five minutes,” Mr. Neighbor said simply, cutting him off.
“Lucas, you need to go,” I added softly.
He turned to me, fishing for something in the front pocket of his jeans. “I’m not going anywhere. Not until you agree to be my wife,” he pushed out in a rush, dropping down to one knee.
I froze, unsure if my heart was still beating or even if I was still breathing. All I could do was stare down at the man who’d been abusing me since my freshman year of high school, gaslighting me into thinking that was how love was supposed to be. It had taken me nearly my entire time at college to finally develop the courage to break away from him.
Now, he was here to propose to me.
“Diana?” Lucas prompted, opening the black ring box, revealing a ring I’d never seen before.
“What is that?” I found myself asking. That wasn’t the ring I picked out just to please him two years ago. He’d taken me out to dinner after my winter finals to “plan our future” and pick out rings. There was a small part of me, the weak part, that was actually excited. Picking out an engagement ring was something to be excited about. There wasn’t a woman I knew who didn’t spend a good chunk of their childhood daydreaming about their dream wedding.
Lucas’ eyes dropped to the little gold band with princess cut diamond perched on top. “It’s your ring, beautiful.”
That was the kindest his voice had been with me in over three months. He thought proposing to me would undo everything he’d done, erase the trauma and pain he’d caused me?
I watched in horror as he remained on his knee, his signature, practiced smile plastered on his face. Nausea hit me then, and suddenly, the Oreos I’d scarfed down didn’t seem like they were going to be a problem much longer. Unable to look at him, I lifted my gaze, landing on the man watching. My neighbor’s head tilted to the side as he shook it slightly, his eyes focused on the back of Lucas’ head.
Lucas’ next words cut through the air, lingering around me like a toxin. “What do you say, Diana? Be my wife? Make me the happiest man in the world?”
Suddenly, the picture-perfect life my parents had set out for me popped into my head, visions of me barefoot and pregnant in Lucas’ old home, cooking and cleaning while he was out doing God knows what with God knows whom. I pictured him coming home late multiple times a week, the smell of alcohol on his breath, anger seeping from him. He would take that anger out on me, his good little wife, and I would be trapped in a loveless marriage, protecting my children from his wrath for eighteen years.
Then, they would be gone, and I would alone—with him. Trapped.
I shuddered, closing my eyes for half a second to collect myself. Part of me knew he was going to come back. It was only a matter of time. I was just foolish enough to hope he wouldn’t.
Just do it now. You have a witness, and Jodie is on standby.
Rip this toxic band-aid off and move on with your life.
“Diana, babe? You going to give me an answer?” Lucas asked, sounding uncomfortable. His ego couldn’t handle the fact that I hadn’t unlocked the door and ran into his arms yet.
When I opened my eyes, the words were already on the tip of my tongue.
I spouted them out with zero hesitation in a clear voice, this new sense of unwavering strength manifesting from somewhere deep inside my soul. “Making you the happiest man in the world would mean me sacrificing my freedom, my womanhood, and my dreams,” I answered. Out of the corner of my eye, I could’ve sworn I saw my neighbor smirk. “No, Lucas, I will not be marrying you. Since you clearly didn’t get the message the first time: I’m breaking up with you.”
He shot to his feet, his jaw slack as he fumbling with his speech, trying to find the right words, sputtering out my name and cursing.
“You’ve said what you needed to say, man. It’s time for you to leave now,” Mr. Neighbor stated.
Lucas stiffened, and in a flash, his slacked jaw was tight and popping with rage. He whirled around, the now-closed ring box clutched tightly within the fist at his side. “You stay the fuck out of this,” he snarled.
My neighbor, cool and calm as ever, held up his phone. “The police are already on their way. I had a feeling you weren’t going to leave.”
As if on cue, two officers appeared at the end of the hall, and minutes later, Lucas was dragged out of my life.
Present Day.
“I’m not going tell you again,” Chase warned, his voice lethal. “Walk away now.”
Lucas ignored him, keeping his eyes on me. “You know, Diana, this is the second time you’ve had the police separate us.”
I stopped myself from rolling my eyes yet again. “Lucas, you need to leave. Read the room.”
For once, he actually listened to me, pulling his eyes from me to take a look around. I clenched my jaw, grinding my teeth together when I spotted a familiar, horrid gleam in his eyes. I could practically see the gears working in his head, coming up with an attempt to win me back. To him, I was only a prize, after all.
He shot one more glare in Chase’s direction, then another to Thomas before finally looking at me. The same smile he wore when he proposed to me stretched across his face, revealing just how much he’d aged as he took a step closer.
“That’s close enough,” Chase warned, his voice low.
Lucas’ eyes scanned my body once more. “I’ll be seeing you soon, babe.”
Babe .
That was just a pet name he reserved for me. He called all woman that—well, except for the women he didn’t like. Those woman he referred to as “bitch.”
The waiting area was silent as my ex spun on his heel, pushed open the glass door, and headed out into the sunny afternoon, whistling a soft tone. Once the door fully closed, my shoulders sagged, a deep sigh leaving me. “I’m so sorry, Chase,” I said as the Sheriff turned to face me.
“Don’t apologize to me for something like this, Diana.” His brows were still furrowed, his lips tight with concern as the front phone started to ring. We continued to stare at each other as Thomas went around the front desk to answer it. “Harper Law Office, this is Thomas.”
Chase took a step closer to me, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was on his mind. “Is Lucas going to be a problem?” he asked, his eyes scanned mine.
“Lucas has always been a problem.” I paused, giving him a knowing look. “Men like that are always the problem, Sheriff.”
He let out a tired sigh and looked away for a second. “Let me rephrase the question, then.” His blue eyes met mine, years of friendship lingering between us. “Is he going to be a problem for you? Are you in danger?”
Years ago, I would’ve given him a different answer, because back then, I was a different woman. Now, I was the woman I’d always wanted to be, and I hit him with the truth. “No, I’m not in danger. Lucas has a big ego, sure, but he doesn’t have the balls to try and hurt me. Not in Hayden, at least.”
“Men with big egos that get bruised can be dangerous, Diana,” he noted softly.
Lucas wouldn’t hurt me. Not here. Not in my safe space. I had the power here, he didn’t .
I ran my hand through my hair and cleared my throat, my body needing to do something other than just stand in one spot, talking about my ex.
Chase, being Chase, saw right through me. “Do you want me to run him out of town?”
I scoffed, a huff of laughter filling the space between us. “Run him out of town?” I parroted, raising a brow. “This isn’t the wild west, Chase.”
“Tell that to the cowboys,” he muttered before moving to the windows to scan the sidewalk and street.
I stiffened, and as Thomas talked quietly to whoever was on the other end of the phone call behind me, my feet moved for me, carrying me until I was standing beside him, both of us staring out into our town.
Now that he’d brought up Hallow Ranch, I decided to cross another thing off my to-do list. “I’m sorry I couldn’t have been of more help with Abbie,” I murmured after a few moments, feeling him tense beside me. I felt his eyes on me next.
His next question came out as expected, straightforward and void of emotion. “What do you know?”
“Everything,” I said softly— gently.
Out of the corner of my eye, Chase bent his head, shame eating at him. I wanted to tell him everything was going to be okay, but the truth was, I didn’t know if would be. It wasn’t Denver he’d messed up with. It was Beau. “I didn’t mean to fuck it all up. Had I known that fucker was Abbie’s stalker, I would’ve handled it.”
Goosebumps scattered across my skin then, his dark words rattling me me and my neck nearly snapped with how quickly I looked at him. “Handled it?” I parroted.
Chase’s eyes met mine again, but he said nothing. He had the same look Denver got in his eyes when he needed to deal out his own version of justice. A chill swept down my spine, lingering as I reached out, grabbing his hand. “Whatever you’re thinking right now, Chase, you need to let it go. It’s over and done,” I told him.
“I failed them,” he shot back. “I failed all of them. After everything Hallow Ranch has done for me and for this town, I—”
“No, you made a mistake,” I cut him off. “You’re human, and you’re allowed to make mistakes.”
“Mistakes, in my line of work, Diana, cannot be erased. Or forgiven,” Chase stressed, a sadness lacing his voice. The look on his face nearly broke my heart all together.
“Uh, Diana?”
Chase and I both looked over to Thomas, who stood behind the counter with the phone glued to his ear, a panicked look on his face.
“What is it?” I demanded, letting go of my friend’s hand.
Thomas looked like he was about to be sick. “You need to head out to Weatherford Ranch. Now.”
I braced. “What happened?”
“The boy’s father killed Mr. Weatherford’s horses—all of them.”