Chapter 15
Everleigh
“I’m glad we didn’t have to steal the alpacas,” Macy says as Faraway Ranch disappears in a dust trail in the rearview mirror. “I’d have a hard time explaining that to my brother.”
“We wouldn’t have told your brother,” I point out.
It took an hour longer than expected and a few thousand dollars more than I bargained, but the woman who purchased the alpaca trio from Walter’s shady grandson a few weeks ago finally accepted my offer and allowed me to load up Karen and Penelope in the horse trailer Paps loaned us.
She didn’t like being reminded that one of them escaped without her even noticing.
That guilt is what finally made her break.
My grip tightens on the steering wheel when I remember her saying she split the three up, thinking it wouldn’t be a big deal. It’s no wonder Birdie set her mind to escaping. She probably thought her friends were back home.
“You should call Wyatt,” Macy says.
“I will,” I agree. “Once we’re back at Stone Ranch, and Karen and Penelope are reunited with Birdie.”
Guilt twists in my stomach at the way I snuck out of his bed this morning.
I hope he found the note amusing, but now that I think about it, he might’ve taken it the wrong way.
But once I saw Grandma Jean’s text about Faraway Ranch, I had no choice but to leave the way I did.
I didn’t know what I’d be walking into. If I involved Wyatt, the law might have tied his hands.
If someone was going to get in trouble for how this whole matter was handled, I wanted it to be me, not the man up for reelection soon.
“Thank you for helping me, by the way.”
“You know I’m always up for an animal heist if it’s for a good cause.” Macy reaches for her phone, checking it, and setting it back down in her lap. “Now are you going to tell me what’s up with you kissing my brother at the softball game last night?”
“You heard about that, huh?”
“The whole town heard about that, Ev.” Macy doesn’t sound offended, but she tends to give people the benefit of the double before coming at them.
I consider how to start this confession and decide to just go for broke. “I love him.”
“Oh, you finally figured that out, huh?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ve only been back in Emerald Creek for a few weeks, but even I can tell you two are crazy about each other.”
“Sounds a little dramatic considering I didn’t even figure it out until this past week.”
“And it’s been torture waiting for you to realize it.”
“Don’t you have better things to do? Like your boyfriend?”
“I’m happy for you, Ev. Truly.”
“But?”
“Are you staying in Emerald Creek? Because, if you leave again, Wyatt—”
“I’m not going back to storm chasing.” I inhale deeply for the courage to get through this story a second time and tell Macy everything that happened in Oklahoma that led up to me running home with my tail tucked between my legs.
I tell her about the little girl in the diner the other night and how it made everything so clear to me.
“I won’t ever allow anyone to make me feel guilty for my love of storms again.
I understand now that whatever that woman’s problem was with me probably had nothing to actually do with me.
I was just an easy target for her projection. ”
“Look at you sounding all wise and healed.”
“Storm chasing brought me closer to my parents, and I have no regrets about that part of my life. Except maybe how I deserted my crew without saying goodbye. I need to make that right.”
“Will you be happy here? Montana’s not exactly known for tornados. I don’t want you to resent my brother down the road if you choose to stay for him but deep down wanted to be on the road.”
“I’m choosing to stay for me. Wyatt’s just a really nice bonus.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear it. What will you do now?”
“I’ll keep helping out at the diner, of course. But otherwise, I think I might dabble with photography more. I had a lot of fun at the ranch the other day. It felt good to hold a camera again.”
“You really are home, aren’t you?”
I look over at Macy in the passenger seat and smile. “I am.”