6. Zara
ZARA
I make it past Choke, the damn attack chicken, and Thrusty, the humping goat, and keep my shit together. It’s sick how simple it is for me to plaster a smile on my face when the show must go on. But when I pass the corn field, my sister’s place comes into view, and something in me cracks open.
I let myself fall apart.
The tears aren’t the dramatic, mascara-streaked kind I might’ve posted for sympathy in a past life. These are the quiet kind. The real ones that catch you off guard and burn all the way down. Holden has me crying hot, messy tears that taste like betrayal and heartbreak.
But it isn’t his fault. It’s on me because I let myself believe it.
I let myself believe that Holden saw me. Not just the version I show the world. Not the brand. Not the glitter and filters. The real me. The woman underneath all that. And for one perfect night, it felt like maybe I wasn’t completely alone in the world.
Turns out, I was just on an adventure. A sparkly distraction during a storm. A woman playing house in someone else’s life. Truth is, he is that different from the men who follow me on my socials, and that is a fucking shitty pill to swallow.
The mud squelches around my ruined heels with every step. I finally give up, kick them off, and carry them by the straps. My foot still aches where the leather rubbed it raw, but I welcome the sting. At least it’s real. At least it doesn’t lie to me.
By the time I reach the back porch, the sun is starting to push through the clouds. It paints everything in gold, and it seems too good for the reality of this day. The bunting is still hanging, though it looks a bit haggard from the wind and the rain… But who doesn’t at this point?
It seems while I was lounging in my fantasy land, some of the Kingridge crew have been up and at it. The string lights are back in place. The deck is freshly swept. The combination of wind and rain was turbulent. But just a few hours later and life here goes on.
It’s steady. Simple. Uncomplicated… And apparently nothing I’d understand. At least according to the man who stole my heart.
Priya meets me at the door with a cup of coffee and a raised brow. “You look like someone tried to wrestle a raccoon and lost.”
“Feel like it too.” I drop the heels on the porch with a wet thunk .
Her expression softens. “Where did you end up last night? I was worried until I got word from Patty June that you were seen walking toward a certain single rancher’s cabin.”
I should lie. I want to lie. But the lump in my throat says otherwise.
“Wow, even the gossip around here is reliable. I was originally looking for the Highland Cows, but I found Holden instead.”
“And…? Are you okay?”
“No.” I fold my arms tightly, like I can keep the hurt from spilling out. “But I will be.”
She nods like she understands more than I’m saying, and if anyone could it’d be her. “Come inside. Bowen made eggs. And cinnamon rolls.”
I follow her into the kitchen. The smell of cinnamon and coffee wraps around me like a blanket. I collapse into a chair at the breakfast nook and blink back another wave of tears. Priya slides a plate in front of me and then perches on the counter across from me, waiting.
I take a bite of the roll and nearly choke.
Because it tastes exactly like comfort.
“You know, the usual. Fell in love immediately. Had to break it off.”
Priya shakes her head in sympathy. “And now you feel awful for breaking his heart. Poor guy. Did he take it okay?”
“That’s the thing. It wasn’t him this time.
It was me. I fell head over heels for Holden the moment he rescued me from the wind.
We had a wild, beautiful, perfect night.
Then morning comes and randomly, he says I don’t belong here,” I whisper, not sure when I decided to say it out loud.
“That I’d get bored. That this was just an adventure. ”
“ What?” Priya’s jaw tightens. “He said that?”
I nod. “He didn’t use the word ‘shallow’ but he didn’t have to. It was all over his face.”
She’s quiet for a second, then says, “You know, Holden’s an idiot. Like I said, he’s always been my least favorite Kingridge brother.”
That makes me laugh through my tears. “You said of all of them, he’s got a huge and sensitive heart.”
“That was before he hurt your feelings. Now he’s moved below even Danner in the family rankings,” she insists.
“Then again, I’ve always had a soft spot for Danner.
But that’s beside the point. Holden’s a stubborn, emotionally constipated idiot who’s convinced himself that pushing people away is noble. ”
“Well, mission accomplished.”
She walks over and sets a hand on my shoulder.
“He doesn’t know you. Not really. He saw the sequins and the sass and the Instagram-ready outfits, but he didn’t see the girl who shows up for her family.
Who holds a billion-dollar franchise together like it’s no big deal.
Who flew out here just to support her sister, even though she’s exhausted and burnt out. ”
My throat tightens. “That’s the problem. I thought maybe he saw that version of me, too.”
“Maybe he did. And maybe it scared the hell out of him.”
I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m done playing games. I’m done shrinking myself to fit into someone else’s box.”
I push away from the table and wipe my hands on a napkin. My reflection in the kitchen window is a mess of smeared mascara and tangled hair. I’m not going anywhere near my phone like this… What would people think?
But when I look more closely at myself, there’s a flicker of something underneath the exhaustion…Resolve.
Priya eyes me carefully. “What are you going to do?”
I straighten my spine. “I’m going to shower. I’m going to fix my face. Then I’m going to help you pull off the most badass Fourth of July party this ranch has ever seen.”
“You’re not gonna?—?”
“Nope.” I cut her off with a shake of my head. “If Holden wants to keep hiding behind his walls, that’s on him. I’m not chasing someone who thinks they already know who I am.” I plaster on a smile, sharp and bright. “If he changes his mind, and I hope he does… Then he knows where to find me.”