Chapter 27
cade
It’s been a strange week.
Sarah and I are on better footing, even though the abyss between us seems to have gotten deeper. I know the truth now, but like she said, she’s known it all along, so my realization isn’t changing her life in any significant way.
We had a solid argument about me telling everyone at Wildflower Canyon about Landon before she left on the day we almost kissed again, when she accused me of telling people she had poisoned Thunder.
“No.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“Because this needs to be done right.”
“What does that mean?”
“What you have now could be deemed slander, muddy the waters. A brother who is fighting with his brother, probably because he wants to sell the ranch, and you don’t.”
I stare at her like she’s grown horns.
“How do you know about that?”
She shrugs. “People talk. I have ears. According to the grapevine, his campaign isn’t raising enough money. His competitor is outpacing him. He wants to sell the ranch, get his part of his inheritance.”
I should’ve known that she’d hear. This was a small town, and gossip spreads like ticks in a herd. After all, I’ve even been asked a couple of times if I was selling.
“So I just let people say things about you that aren’t true?” I protest.
“You’ve been doin’ it for ten years, so why not a few more months?” she retorts.
I lower my gaze as I shake my head. “Sarah, allowing it to go on for another day is wrong.”
“I’m not going to let you tip off your brother that he’s being investigated,” she snaps.
I take a step back. “Is that what you think I’m doing? You think—”
“You’re the one who showed me that blood is thicker than water for you.
You knew me, and you chose to believe him.
You loved me, and you knew how much I loved you, and you were okay with the idea that I was hitting on Landon?
” Her voice isn’t raised. It’s tight. Accusatory. It’s striking every target she intends.
“I can only apologize, and that’s good for fuckin’ nothing.
And I know that.” I hold her gaze, let her see me, see the torment I feel.
“All the girls preferred Landon over me. He was the handsome one. The smart one. The one going places, while I was going to stay right here in Wildflower Canyon. And…I always felt you were above me. You were going to become a vet, while I was going to work the land.” I let out a long breath.
“It was easy to believe you wanted him, Sarah, because I knew I was unworthy.”
She sends me a flat, unimpressed stare. “Great! Thanks to your insecurities, I had to suffer being called all kinds of names, right after I was raped.”
She isn’t going to give an inch. I can see that. And why should she?
“I won’t say anything about that unless you give me permission,” I promise.
“And what if Landon—”
“I love you.” That stops her, and I see her heartbreak. It’s written clearly all over her face, in her eyes. “I know I killed whatever you felt for me. But no matter what the future holds, the one thing I can promise you is that I won’t let you down…ever again.”
She licks her lips. Swallows. Looks just about ready to bolt like a spooked filly.
“I will stand with you, in front of you, behind you, wherever you want me, and help you take my brother down.”
She did bolt after that. She called it having to see a horse about a man, but she ran from my words and me.
Now, there’s no sign of that woman. She looks carefree as she talks to Joy, a glass of water in hand, in the plush banquet hall at Blackwood Prime.
She doesn’t drink alcohol. Not in public. Maybe in the privacy of her home? It’s because of how unsafe she feels, still, after a decade. And I hate myself some more.
“You need to stop staring at her, dude.” Kaz stands in front of me, blocking the view.
I arch an eyebrow. “Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”
He grins. “Sure, you don’t. Interestin’ seeing you here. You usually don’t show up for such shindigs.”
He’s not wrong. I stay the fuck away from parties, especially polished ones like this that Mav throws.
This one is taking place in his steakhouse.
We have white tablecloths, chandeliers as soft as starlight, and waitstaff moving as smoothly as dancers with trays of bourbon and a variety of hors d'oeuvres: crab cakes, goose liver, salmon with fancy caviar…
oh yeah, the whole shindig, as Kaz calls it, smells like money.
It’s to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Kincaid Farms. The original farm was in Texas, and then Mav moved here eight years ago. Regardless, he’s good at finding excuses to bring people together—ranchers, politicians….
The man is all about networking.
Mav asked me to come, and I said what I usually do, “Busy.” He then said that Sarah will be there, and I said, “I’ll make time. But I’m not wearing a suit.”
But I’m not the only one. The banquet hall is packed with people in elegant dresses, tailored suits, as well as jeans, button-downs, and cowboy boots.
I did leave my hat in my truck and even ran a brush over my boots (so they ain’t dusty). So, yeah, this is as good as it gets.
“How is she holdin’ up?” Kaz asks conversationally as he sips his bourbon.
“Who?” I tilt my head like I’m waiting for him to fill in the blanks.
He rolls his eyes. “Don’t be a dick, Mercer. You know who I’m talkin’ about.”
I shrug. “She’s fine.”
“I heard what happened.”
Now, I really don’t know what he’s talking about. “When?”
“At the diner. I set Eunice straight. She said that it’s Noelle Dunn who’s been spreadin’ the rumor that Sarah poisoned your bulls.”
I swear under my breath. “And why the fuck is Eunice believin’ a word of what comes out of Noelle’s mouth?”
“‘Cause her mouth’s been suckin’ your co—”
“We’re not together,” I snap.
“Does Noelle know?”
“Yeah, she does.” And so does her Daddy, who is none too happy about it.
And that’s when everyone, and God, hears Noelle say, “You have some nerve showing your face here after what you did at Blue Rock.”
Amusement glints in Kaz’s eyes. “I don’t think she knows.”
The air goes cold. Sarah stiffens, chin lifting, but I see the flash of pain in her eyes before she masks it. And something in me shatters.
Mav and I move at the same time, but I get to Sarah faster.
“Enough.” My voice rolls through the room like a warning shot.
I stand next to Sarah and, despite knowing she might knee me in my nuts, I slide an arm around her waist to hold her, to let her know I’m here as I promised I’d be, and to let the world know I’m with her.
“And how would you know what’s goin’ on at my ranch, Noelle?”
Noelle startles, her smirk faltering. “I was just—”
“You were just spreading lies.” I pull Sarah closer, and she doesn’t fight me, but I can feel her body go stiff, like she’s waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Someone did poison my bull. Someone tried to kill ‘em. Sarah saved my herd. They’d be dead if it weren’t for her.
So let me make this real clear”—I sweep the room with a glare, meeting the eyes of every rancher, every socialite, every gossip—“anyone who says otherwise is lying. Dr. K is an excellent vet. Bodie trusted her to take care of his clients. Which she has been doing. And I trust her with everythin’ I got. ”
Silence crashes down, heavy and absolute. Even the band in the corner has stopped playing.
I don’t give a damn what anyone here thinks. They can whisper all they want when I leave, but tonight, they’ll know one thing: Sarah Kirk is not alone.
“Hey, Percy.” I cast my aim at the terminally grumpy rancher. “She saved your bull calf and heifer, and how do you thank her?”
Percy looks decidedly uncomfortable. “Ah…well, your girlfriend said that she was hurtin’ animals.”
“My girlfriend?” I raise both eyebrows. “You talkin’ about Noelle?”
When he nods dumbly, I look around the room and then at the woman who is too stupid to understand how done I’m with her. “Noelle and I dated for half a minute. I thought we were friends. And now, thanks to this bullshit, we’re not even that.”
I make a point of leaning into Sarah, so no one is in doubt about who I’m with now. She might hate that image, but she’s playing along.
A glance at her face tells me she’s shocked. Her eyes are wide with disbelief.
“Told you, Dove, I’m with you, always,” I whisper, my lips brushing her ear.
“Are you… Are you with her?” Noelle screeches, pointing a finger at Sarah.
“Who I’m with is none of your beeswax.”
Before Noelle can respond, the band starts playing again. Louder this time.
Mav speaks over the music. “Dinner is ready, y’all. Please go toward the dining area and find your table.”
Lyle grips his daughter’s arm. “Come on, Noelle.”
“But, Daddy,” she whines.
“You’ve caused enough trouble.” He turns to face Sarah and me and nods once. “I’m sorry, Dr. K. You showed up at my place, too, and I was less than graceful. My apologies.”
Sarah just bobs her head but says nothing.
“You, okay?” Joy asks her friend.
“Yes. Ah…I need a minute,” she admits.
“I’ve got her,” I tell Joy.
She walks to the other side of the sprawling banquet hall, which is big enough to house a cattle auction if you cleared out the chandeliers. One side is set up for serving cocktails and has a dance floor where the band plays.
Beyond a line of partitioned columns, the dining area stretches wide, tables set with crisp linens and silver, each place marked with Mav’s brand on the menu cards. The murmur of voices and scrape of chairs fill the space as people start finding their seats.
I let go of Sarah and step away. I don’t have permission to touch her. What happened before was on purpose, my way of telling the people of Wildflower Canyon whose side I’m on.
“What was that?” she asks, bewildered.
“That was me—”
“People are going to think we’re…together or something,” she hisses.
My lips quirk into a small smile. I thought she was talking about me defending her, but that’s not her first thought. It makes me feel damn good. It means that she trusts me to speak up and not turn my back as I did the last time.
She just doesn’t like the idea that you’re dating, Cade.
“Why are you grinning?”
The band starts playing Bonnie Raitt’s ‘Something To Talk About’.
“Dance with me, Dove.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Sarah shoots a glance toward the tables, which are filling up with people carrying plates of steak and potatoes from the buffet line.
“Probably,” I admit, offering my hand. “But I’m askin’ anyway.”
Her eyes dart to the crowd, then back to me. “They’re already staring.”
“Better they see the truth than keep swallowin’ lies.”
“And what’s the truth?”
“That we’re not enemies.”
For a beat, I think she’ll storm off. But then she slips her hand into mine—tentative, reluctant—and I guide her onto the small dance floor, which is empty. It’ll just be us, putting on a show.
“Come on, Dove, let’s give them somethin’ to talk about.”
We’ve danced together before—so many times. I can’t wait to hold her again as close as she’ll let me so that I can breathe clean.
The fiddle laces through the air, clean and sweet.
I rest my hand on her waist. She stiffens, her hair that is loose around her face, brushes against my arm.
“This is stupid,” she mutters, though her voice is softer now.
I lean in, close enough that only she can hear. “No, it’s not. It’s me making a statement. Me telling them without telling them, I believe you about Landon.”
She gasps. “Cade.”
“Yeah. You said I can’t say anything about that, and I won’t until you let me, but I’m also not gonna pretend the past is true.”
Her gaze flicks up, green and wary, catching mine. “You think one dance makes up for ten years?”
“No,” I answer without hesitation. “I can’t make up for how I fucked up. I can only move forward with you, next to you, behind you, in front of you…wherever you need me. Wherever you’ll let me be.”
We circle slowly, the rhythm easy, because we know each other’s bodies.
A pulse hammers in her neck, telling me this conversation has jarred her. It wasn’t my intention, but I’m glad it’s affecting her. Maybe this way she’ll believe my intentions for the future.
The chandelier light catches on her face. She’s so beautiful. So Strong.
Mine.
This time, I’ll fight for her the way a man should, the way a boy didn’t know how to. This time, I’ll prove to her that I am worthy of her because I’ve worked at it. This time, I will not lose her.
The song ends, and they immediately start playing George Strait’s ‘Amarillo By Morning’.
“That’s enough, Cade. Let’s find our—"
“One more song, Dove. Please,” I implore. “I just want to be in a moment where the past isn’t clawing at me, where the world has stopped whispering. Where it’s just…you, me, and the music.”
She gives in, and I hold her for a little bit longer, feeling a small measure of rightness in a sea of wrong.