Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Laney
Ayden’s breath gets caught in his throat as soon as I release those two words.
Howie died.
He deserved to know. I didn’t want to send him a letter with the news. I needed to see him in person because I had so much to say.
Needed to make sure he was okay after all this time.
I spent years looking for him. He sent me a letter six weeks after he left to tell me he was somewhere safe and working, but didn’t leave a return address or a phone number.
It was a painful reminder that we were over.
There’d never be a way for me to find him unless he wanted me to.
The guilt of telling him not to bother keeping in contact because I was hurting has gnawed at me since the day he left.
If I’d told him to write or call me, he would’ve, but I figured the sooner we cut off contact, the less it’d hurt.
“How?” he chokes out.
“Car crash. He was passin’ a tractor, and a semi turned down the road. They say he probably didn’t see the semi until it was too late, and they had nowhere to go except into each other.”
“Jesus.” He shakes his head, disbelief washing over his features. “When?”
“Last Wednesday. His funeral’s in three days.”
“Fuck.” He slams his fist into the steering wheel, making the horn blast, and I nearly jump out of my skin. “I’m sorry. I just...”
“It’s okay. The town’s reaction’s been the same.” Especially mine.
He frowns, and it breaks my heart to see him this upset and sad. “I thought maybe I’d get to see him again, eventually.”
“He did, too,” I admit.
“Let’s go inside. I’ll get you something to drink.”
Howie’s death wasn’t all I needed to tell him, but his head was spinning with this news, so the rest would wait.
Ayden exits without waiting for a response. I hop out of the truck and meet him on the sidewalk.
“Wow, these are nice cabins.” I look around and notice there are four identical ones. “How many people live here?”
“Each floor has two bedrooms. The Hollises—the family I work for—their twins share the duplex beside me. Two guys live above me, but I don’t have a roommate. The other two cabins are full with four ranch hands in each.”
“You get yours to yourself. I bet that’s nice,” I say as I unlock the front door.
“It is, but most of us aren’t around much. We work twelve-plus-hour days and then usually have a beer or two at night before we crash and do it again the next day.”
Once we’re inside, he flicks on some lights, and I notice how empty it is. No decorations or photos. It looks vacant.
“Sweet tea?” he asks, heading toward the kitchen.
“Sure, thanks.” I continue looking around.
Once he hands me a glass, I take a sip. “Love what you’ve done with the place.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, like I said, I’m not home much. When I am, it’s to shower, eat, and sleep.”
Ayden stands across from me as I sit on the stool at the small breakfast bar. It’s surreal to see him again after all this time. He’s bigger, but his boyish face is the same.
“Are you happy here?” I ask hesitantly, and though I want to ask him a million questions, I don’t want to overwhelm him or make things awkward.
“I’m not unhappy. I love my job and feel like I have a purpose. The room and board are cheap. Mrs. Hollis invites me to their big family dinner every Sunday, which is nice, considerin’ mine were always so uncomfortable.”
Yeah, I remember.
His parents had a talent for making him feel unwanted, and I hated that for him. His father then took it out on me.
“I looked up everything I could find about the ranch before deciding to come. The pictures are beautiful.”
If I was being completely honest, I spent the past three months obsessing over it. Looking up the ranch’s hashtags and seeing if there were any new videos or pictures of him.
“Are you stayin’ a while? I could show you ’round and give you the proper tour.” He leans on the counter, inches from me.
“Just one night. I booked a room in town. I wasn’t sure what your reaction would be to me comin’, so I didn’t want to overstay my welcome. Plus, I have to get back for Howie’s funeral,” I admit, my heart squeezing as I think about the secrets I’ll have to share.
“I wish I could go, Laney, but we’re already short-staffed at the ranch.
Not to mention, I wouldn’t want anyone to know I was in town,” he says, his piercing brown eyes gazing into mine.
He means he wouldn’t want his father to find out.
The man who’s ruined not only his life but tried to ruin mine, too.
“I know.” I nod. “I wish I’d come sooner so that maybe Howie could’ve come too, but when he died, I knew I had to tell you in person. In a way, it was the push I needed to face you.”
“I’m happy you did.”
“You are?”
“Not about the circumstances, no. Seeing you again, yes.” He smiles wide. “Were you two close? Did you stay friends?”
Nodding, I take a nervous drink. “Yeah.”
“How’s his dad takin’ it?”
“Not great. He’s a wreck. I’d been helpin’ him and his grandmother plan as much of the service as I could, but they’re still in shock.”
“Fuck. I can’t imagine. Did the other driver survive?”
“He’s in critical condition with a brain injury. They say Howie died on impact and probably felt no pain. It’s helped us cope a little.”
He nods again, and we finish our sweet tea in silence.
“Let me show you ’round. I’ll introduce you to Noah. She’s either at the stables or trainin’ center, and her brothers should be around, too,” he says, setting our empty glasses in the sink.
“She’s the show horse trainer, right? I read about her on the website.”
And saw her model-worthy photos.
Ayden rubs a hand through his hair before replacing his hat. He never used to wear ball caps, but I like how it looks on him.
“Yep, that’s her. She’s a hard-ass when it comes to business but very nice and bubbly when she isn’t stressed. We work in the stables together.”
“She looked young in her picture.”
“She is. Twenty-one. Her brothers got her loaded on her birthday a few months ago. The only time I’ve seen her drink. I think she got sick enough to last her a lifetime.” He chuckles.
I smile, remembering how I spent my twenty-first birthday.
At home, rocking my toddler to sleep and then folding laundry.
Noah might be young, but by the sounds of it, they spend a lot of time together. I try not to think of the women he’s been with in the past decade, but it’s hard not to be jealous. He left me behind and the future we planned. I’ve accepted that, even if it hasn’t been easy.
Ayden places our glasses in the sink. “I’m gonna change into some nicer jeans and a different shirt. Be right back.”
Five minutes later, he returns, and I visibly wipe the drool off my chin.
It’s not fair for him to look this good.
Working on a ranch has done his body good.
His dark jeans and white T-shirt combo shouldn’t be so hot, but now he’s paired it with a beanie.
I have to pick up my jaw off the floor. That I do remember him wearing in high school, and it’s no wonder I was so attracted to him.
He fills out his shirt more now, but everything else about him is the same.
Brown hair, brown eyes, and irresistible dimples.
“Ready? We’ll stop at the stables first.”
I clear my throat, which turned dry when he walked in here, and quickly nod. “Yep.”
The view is to die for. Mountains and miles of fields line the horizon.
“This part of the ranch is on the southwest side where we board horses and all the trainin’ happens. I oversee the boardin’ and do ranch hand duties.”
“What’s that entail?”
“Eh, bitch work mostly. Cleaning stalls, loadin’ hay, callin’ clients, and keeping track of each horse’s needs.
Whatever needs to get done, I’ll do. Unloading pallets of feed, fillin’ water buckets, groomin’.
Noah stays busy with the trainin’, so I try to do all the basic necessities so she can focus on that. ”
“So she trains all of them?”
“Just the show horses. The others are boarders who we take care of but don’t compete.
She takes them out to do lunges and get exercise, but that’s it.
She and her brother, Tripp, do the trainin’, but Noah takes on more than he does because she’s crazy like that.
They’re only here for a specific length of time to get them ready for competitions.
The others stay here year-round because their owners live in town, but they still want to ride, so they need a place to keep them.
Most have been here for years, so when the vet and farrier come, it’s my job to make sure they stay updated on their vaccines and keep track of which ones need their hooves cleaned or shoed.
The Hollises have their own personal horses too, but they stay in a barn closer to the main house.
The parents and siblings take turns managin’ them. ”
“Sounds like y’all have a smooth system.”
He laughs. “Yeah, most days.”
After we park and get out, I follow him to the barn. It’s much larger than I expected. There have to be a couple of dozen stalls inside.
“Wow, there’s so many. You remember all their names?”
“Yep. Like housing little toddlers and memorizin’ all their likes and dislikes.”
I swallow hard at the metaphor.
“Noah?” Ayden calls out. “You around?”
My heart hammers when she pops her head out from one of the stalls. “In here.”
She’s even more gorgeous in person.
When we reach her, I notice she’s brushing a horse and rubbing soft circles along its forehead.
“I want ya to meet someone. This is Laney.”
Noah’s eyes widen with a grin. “The Laney?”
“Shut up. It’s just Laney.”
My brain squeals at the thought of Ayden talking about me.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say, holding out my hand but then realizing how stupid I look when her hands are full.
“Likewise!” She comes closer anyway and shakes it. “Sorry, I’m sweatin’ like a sinner in church. I didn’t know Ayden was bringing a visitor.”
“I surprised him. He didn’t know,” I clarify.
“Oh, how sweet.”