Chapter 14 #2
Daphne sat in her hotel room staring at her phone, not sure what her next move might be.
She’d been…well, shaken…at how close Asher had come to ending up in that dug grave. And then the FBI had swooped in, and somehow, she’d ended up back in Renegade, giving a statement, and Asher had disappeared and…
And maybe that was it. Mission accomplished. He’d uncovered the true head of the syndicate, brought down enough evidence to tear the entire organization apart, and…
And it was over.
When she had finished giving her statement at FBI headquarters, he wasn’t standing in the hallway or in Dani Kim’s office. She’d even stopped by Caroline’s office—
He hadn’t waited for her.
And she tried not to let that feel like a punch to her heart.
Frankly, maybe it was for the best.
So she’d gone back to her hotel.
The text had come an hour ago. While she’d been in the shower trying to wash away the quarry dust and the blood and the feeling of Destiny’s voice still echoing in her head.
Sierra
Heard you had a rough day. We’re grilling steaks. Huck wants to show you his horse. Come if you can.
Sierra.
Daphne had been staring at it for the better part of fifteen minutes. Debating. Finding a thousand reasons not to go.
Maybe it wasn’t smart to reignite old friendships. Especially if she planned on returning to her life in Seattle.
She did plan on returning, right?
Yes. Definitely.
And she most definitely didn’t want to talk about what had happened today. Didn’t want to be around people.
Except, she also didn’t want to be alone. Even with a bubble bath and a glass of wine.
And wasn’t that crazy?
She’d spent fifteen years building walls, and in a month, Asher Morrison had helped her tear them all down. And then he had lied. And then almost died. And then she’d saved him anyway.
She should get in her car and drive away, never look back.
Daphne typed a response. Deleted it. Typed another. Deleted that too.
Finally…fine.
Daphne
Thank you. I’ll be there. What can I bring?
Sierra’s response came immediately
Sierra
Just yourself. See you at six.
But maybe Sierra would have answers. Maybe talking to someone who’d been through something similar would help.
Daphne pulled on jeans and a sweater. Ran a brush through her hair. She grabbed her keys. Her phone.
The Blackwood ranch sat just out of town, in the foothills. She followed her GPS through winding roads as the sun simmered on the horizon.
She spotted it as she came around a curve. A barn with fresh paint. Horses in a paddock. And lights in the main house, glowing warm through windows. The smell of woodsmoke drifted through her open window.
She pulled into the driveway. Parked. Sat there with the engine running.
Five minutes. Ten. Just sitting. Debating. Breathing.
Then the front door opened, and Sierra appeared on the porch. Jeans and a flannel shirt. Hair pulled back. Smiling. Still pregnant.
Okay, fine.
Daphne got out.
“Thanks for coming,” Sierra called. “I wasn’t sure you would.”
“I wasn’t sure either,” Daphne said as she climbed the porch steps.
Sierra held open the door. “Come on in. Rowan’s out back with the grill. Huck’s in the barn with the horses. We’ve got about thirty minutes before dinner’s ready, if you want to see the horses first.”
“No, I’m…are you sure this is a good idea?” Daphne paused. “I don’t want to intrude.”
“I invited you, remember?” Sierra looped her arm through Daphne’s and drew her off the porch. “Besides, I heard you saved Asher’s life today.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, well, Renegade might look like a big city, but there’s not a lot of secrets when your husband is friends with half the police force, a.k.a. Detective Martinelli and his girlfriend Dani.”
Right.
They walked to the barn. Large. Clean. The smell of hay and horses and leather. Peaceful. Late-afternoon sunlight slanted through the windows. Dust motes drifted in the golden light.
A boy appeared from one of the stalls. Ten years old. Sandy-brown hair. Green eyes.
Huck.
“Huck, this is my friend Daph. She used to live in Renegade.”
“Cool,” he said. “Wanna see my horse?”
“Is this your horse?” Daphne asked.
“His name is Thunder.” Huck led her to a stall. A beautiful quarter horse. Buckskin. Well cared for. Huck launched into a dissertation about some rodeo he’d just competed in.
“He has a lot of energy,” Sierra said.
“Yeah. Like his dad.”
Sierra laughed. “You remember Rowan.”
“I do. He was…well, I always knew you two would end up together.”
“It took a while,” Sierra said as they walked back to the house.
She glanced at Daphne. “I got pregnant the summer after our senior year. Rowan was just about to leave for the military. I didn’t know until after he left and…
well, it got complicated. He didn’t know he had a son until he returned, about a year ago. ”
Daphne stilled. “Really?”
Sierra lifted a shoulder. “Yep. I should have told him—I tried, actually, but anyway, we thought he’d died, and then one day…he was back.”
“Holy cannoli.”
“Yeah. And there was some ’splainin’ to do.” She winked.
“I’ll bet. But Huck seems so well adjusted. Happy.”
Huck had run out of the barn and caught up to them.
“Thunder is beautiful,” Daphne said. “You’ve done great work with him.”
“Thanks! Dad helps me train him. He’s teaching me about patience and trust. Says horses are like people—they need to know you won’t hurt them before they’ll let you lead them.”
Huh. “Your dad sounds smart.”
“He is. And he’s brave. He saved my mom. And me. And our whole ranch. He’s a hero.”
Hero. She glanced at Sierra, who lifted a shoulder. “He is.”
You just always have to be a hero, don’t you?
The words washed over her.
Yes. Yes, he did.
“Huck, go wash up for dinner,” Sierra said. “And tell your dad Daphne’s here.”
“Okay!” Huck ran off. All energy and enthusiasm, his boots thudding on the barn floor.
Sierra stopped in the yard.
“He knows the whole story,” Sierra said quietly. “About the secrets I kept. About not telling Rowan for ten years. I told him his father was dead, so it was…a shock. For all of us, actually, when Rowan came back. But we’re…healing. And happy.”
“Rowan didn’t know about Huck?”
“No. And at the time, I made a choice I thought was right.” She sighed. “Love is complicated. Protecting someone sometimes means making hard decisions.” She paused. “Rowan forgave me, even though I broke his heart. And that forgiveness made us stronger than we would have been without the breaking.”
Forgiveness. The word hung there.
“And I forgave him for leaving, even though he did nothing wrong. I was really angry, deep down. I knew he was a hero. I just…didn’t want it to cost me anything.”
Daphne nodded.
“I was so convinced I’d done the right thing that I couldn’t see how much I’d hurt him. Couldn’t see that my protection was really about my fear.”
Sierra turned. Looked at Daphne. The fading sunlight caught the side of her face. Made her eyes warm.
“And he—he chose to see past the lie to the reason. Chose to understand that I’d been scared. That I’d been protecting Huck in the only way I knew how. That my choices had been wrong, but my heart had been right.”
“And that was enough?”
“It was a start. The rest—the trust, the rebuilding, the learning to be vulnerable, choosing each other every day, even when it’s hard…it just takes practice.” Sierra smiled. “Trust is a muscle, Daphne. But muscles can be rebuilt.”
Daphne drew in a breath, folded her arms, and looked over the land.
You can trust me. I promise.
“Most of all, when Rowan came back, I knew that I needed to hang on to him. Good men are worth fighting for.”
Worth fighting for. Worth the risk. Worth choosing, despite the fear.
“Come on,” Sierra said. “Dinner’s ready.”
They walked to the house. Up the porch steps. Into the warm glow of lights and laughter and family. The smell of grilled steak and garlic bread filled the air. Rich. Savory.