CHAPTER 1
KINGSTON
The fireinside my cabin burned bright while outside, fat, lazy snowflakes drifted past the window. I’d gotten used to spending the holidays alone. It wasn’t all bad. I had a homemade turkey dinner my chef had left in the refrigerator for me to reheat and an expensive bottle of white wine all to myself. It wasn’t how I’d imagined spending every Thanksgiving, but it was more than I deserved.
Somewhere down the mountain, Mustang Mountain’s annual Friendsgiving potluck was in full swing. Ruby Nelson probably had everyone in town stuffed into the community hall, singing off-key and piling second helpings onto mismatched paper plates. It was the kind of thing she lived for.
It used to be the kind of thing I lived for, too.
I speared a green bean and shoved it into my mouth without tasting it. Instead of sitting shoulder to shoulder with people I’d grown up with, I was alone in my cabin with a gourmet turkey dinner for one and the kind of silence that felt like punishment.
Which, I guess, it was.
I set the fork down and pushed my plate away, the scent of gravy suddenly too much. I couldn’t eat. Not when my stomach was tied up in knots and every bite tasted like regret.
The fire crackled in the big stone fireplace, casting soft shadows across the room. My laptop sat closed on the table, the blinking light on the side the only indication it wasn’t completely dead. I could’ve been working. Could’ve distracted myself by checking in on the latest version of the adaptive irrigation software I’d sold three years ago. But even that couldn’t hold my focus tonight.
Because tonight, Scarlett might be down there.
The phone rang, slicing through the quiet like a sharp knife. I didn’t even check the screen. There was only one person who would call me tonight.
“Kacen,” I answered.
My brother's voice came through the speaker, breathless and choppy. “You sitting down?”
I stood and turned toward the window. The lights from the valley flickered in the distance. “Not anymore.”
“That’s too bad. I’ve got bad news. Ruby outed you.”
My stomach dropped. “Outed me how?”
“At the potluck. She made a full announcement. Said Mustang Mountain owes everything to its mysterious benefactor. Then she named you. Said you invested in the bookstore, provided start-up funds for the barbecue place, and even covered some folks’ medical bills.” He paused. “And I’m pretty sure Scarlett is questioning that scholarship that paid for all four years of college.”
I closed my eyes. That last part burned. She wasn’t supposed to find out about that.
“She even made a toast. It was actually pretty sweet. You should be proud.”
“So Scarlett was there?”
Silence.
“Kacen. Was she there?”
“Yeah. Front row.” He exhaled. “She got up to talk to Ruby then left right after. Didn’t say goodbye to anyone. Just walked out.”
My jaw clenched so tight it ached.
“You okay, man?” Kacen asked.
“We’ll see.”
“I know this isn’t what you wanted, but it was going to come out eventually. Too many people who love you know the truth. You deserve?—”
“I don’t deserve shit.” That was the truth of it and the only one that mattered.
“Kingston…”
“I’ll talk to you later.” I didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to continue the conversation. So I hung up and set my phone on the table.
