When I got back, I made some breakfast and tried to convince myself that I was fine. That this was fine. But then, after lunch, his text came through:
“There’s something I want to talk about tonight.”
Literally the worst message a person could ever get. It was like he knew I’d been thinking about it all damn day. My stomach dropped. I stared at the screen for a long time, trying to find air in a room that suddenly felt smaller. I couldn’t blame him for wanting to say it in person. It was the right thing to do. Sending break-up texts probably wouldn’t be the best move, and I’d rather be safe than sorry, even though the cops hadn’t come back around.
The fake relationship had done its job—the cops were off our backs, his farm was safe, and my family finally believed my life was together again. The curtain could fall now and we’d both just . . . walk away.
Except, I didn’t want to. Not anymore. But I knew what I’d agreed to. I’d been the stupid one who’d offered sex.Oh, Logan, you stupid, horny girl.
By late afternoon, I couldn’t sit still. Time was ticking by too loudly, each second reminding me that he’d be home soon, that I’d have to smile through the ending of something that had somehow become the most real thing in my life.
I decided to take Tony for another walk to burn off the nerves clawing at my chest. Maybe by the time I came back, I’d have composed myself enough to pretend this wasn’t breaking me.
I pulled on some workout clothes and a jacket, clipped Tony’s leash, and headed into the woods behind the cabin. The air was biting cold, but the movement helped. My mind started to quiet, just a little.
Until I smelled something.
At first, I thought maybe someone nearby had a campfire. But the smell grew stronger, heavier, and when I looked ahead, I saw smoke threading between the trees. And through the haze, I saw it—the flicker of flames.
The woods were on fire.
It crept fast, devouring dry brush and pine needles as it spread. My chest tightened because just beyond the blaze, through the gray blur, stood that smug salesman bastard, Richard.
He saw me, grinned, and then ran.
I froze for a split second, disbelief tangling with all my frustration. Then it hit me—he was burning the farm. Lachlan’s farm. Everything he’d built, everything he’d clawed his way back to would be gone if I didn’t stop it. If Lachlan didn’t haveanything left, didn’t have a way to make money, he wouldn’t have a reason not to sell other than the bodies on the property. But this idiot didn’t know that.
“Son of a bitch,” I hissed, already sprinting toward the shed next to the heavy machinery with Tony on my heels. I knew Lachlan kept a hose there, hooked up beside the equipment. I could use it, maybe hold the line until help came.
But the smoke thickened fast, flooding into my lungs. I pulled my sleeve over my mouth and called 911 as I ran, gasping out the address between coughs. The dispatcher’s voice was a blur in my ear, lost beneath the roar of crackling wood.
By the time I reached the clearing, the fire had tripled in size. It wasn’t creeping anymore—it was charging.
“Tony!” I shouted, coughing so hard my ribs hurt. I could hear him barking somewhere but I couldn’t see him. Turning in circles, I grew more disoriented, my eyes stinging, tears streaming from the smoke. “Tony!”
Nothing.
Panic clawed at me. My lungs burned. My throat felt raw. I dropped to my knees, trying to crawl beneath the smoke, but even that air was poison. I couldn’t see the machinery. Couldn’t see the shed. Couldn’t seeanything.
My chest convulsed as another wave of smoke filled my lungs. My body wanted air that didn’t exist. I tried to call out again, maybe for Lachlan, maybe for Tony. I wasn’t sure anymore, but it came out as a strangled whimper.
The last thing I remembered was the sound of wood splitting somewhere close by, Tony barking frantically in the distance, and the bitter taste of ash on my tongue.
Then everything went dark.
Chapter 21
Lachlan
Iwould do it tonight.
I stared at the ring in the little box. I hated that I couldn’t do it this morning, but after I proposed, I wanted to be able to have all the time with her and I had already promised I would come in to work on Christmas. Tonight would be perfect. I would make dinner, set up the living room with candles and flowers, and make sure I put a giant bow on Tony’s head just for decoration. The thought brought a smile to my face. I couldn’t wait to get back home to her and let her know that I wanted her forever. I didn’t care about the alibis and lies.
I planned on also showing her the paperwork stating that she was now half owner of the farm. She’d put so much work into it, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her. If she said no or wanted to take things slow, I would. I could stay at the office to give her space—pretty sure one of the couches in the waiting room pulled out. I’d wait however long she needed. All I knew was that I needed her. She had become everything to me and Iknew she was it for me. This was no longer a game, and I wanted to be sure that she knew it.
I spent all day at work trying to think of the perfect thing to say. My work friends chided me more than once, teasing me that I had it bad for my woman, and they would be right . We didn’t have any crazy calls today, but as it was reaching the end of my shift, the alarms started going off. As Joey rushed to suit up, I could tell from the way he looked at me that something was wrong.
I rushed with him.
