“Hey.” I point the spoon in her direction. “You aren’t going to try to stop her either, got it?”
She rolls her eyes at me again, and I wonder how many times she can do that before they get stuck. I turn to stir the food, and when I turn back around, she’s gone, leaving me with nothing but my thoughts. I may have responded as if I don’t care, but deep down, there’s nothing I want more than for Miranda to stay. If she’s going to move somewhere, I want it to be here with us. Now that I’ve had a taste of what my life is like with Miranda in it, I’d do just about anything to hold onto it. But the one thing I can’t do is take the choice away from her.
Just as I turn the stove off, Sierra reappears wearing pajamas. She takes a seat at the island, a sullen look all over her face. Finally remembering the whole reason we took the horses out, I greet her with a smile after filling two bowls and joining her.
“So, you never told me what you thought of Dixie.”
She tries to hide her smile, but I catch it creeping through. “She was alright.”
I give her a sidelong glance before taking a bite of the beef stew, which tastes even better as leftovers. Sierra does the same, and it’s quiet for a few long moments while we eat. When she still doesn’t elaborate, I gently prod.
“Just alright?”
She shrugs.
“Well, I guess never mind, then. If you liked her and found her easy to ride, I was going to give her to you. She’d probably make an excellent barrel horse. But I guess we can keep looking-”
“What?” she shrieks, cutting me off. “Seriously? She’s mine?”
A bit of the heaviness from talking about Miranda leaving lifts from my chest, and I grin at the excited teenager beside me. “Only if you want her. I don’t want to twist your arm or anything.”
Once again, she squeals in excitement, clapping her hands and doing a little dance in her seat before taking a bite of her food and responding with her mouth still full. “Yes. I want her! I can train with Morgan?”
Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. I’ve been telling her since she asked that my answer wasn’t no. That I just needed toget things figured out. “I still want to talk to Morgan and to Melanie, but I’m okay with it as long as we get it all figured out. I’d feel better if you would at least wait until after summer is over. That will give you time to get more comfortable riding and get to know Dixie better.”
Sierra is out of her seat before I’ve finished speaking. She wraps her arms around me from behind and squeezes me in an awkward hug before bounding out of the kitchen. “Thank you! I’m going to call Miranda!”
Those words instantly cause the heaviness to creep back in. Sierra loves Miranda. If she moves, I’ll be able to handle it; but it will crush Sierra. I shouldn’t have let Miranda get so close. I should have done a better job shielding Sierra, who’s had enough pain in recent months. All I can do now is hope Miranda realizes that she belongs here. Before she moves away and out of our lives.
Chapter 42
Miranda
Istare at the set of keys on my counter, and then at the empty box I just finished taping together. Moving wasn’t a surprise, yet I haven’t been able to bring myself to pack. I don’t have to completely empty my place out, but I need my kitchen items. I’ll need everything from my bathroom. My clothes. Some furniture.
I heave another sigh and return my gaze to the apartment keys like they might get up and bite me. Hayden has kept his distance since chasing me down at Boulder Ranch, but there hasn’t been a single moment when I haven’t been thinking about his words. The sincerity in his eyes.
Removing the stack of plates from my cabinet, I begin wrapping them in tissue paper one at a time before neatly placing them into the box. As I work, my mind drifts to Sierra. Her excited chatter as she told me about the horse Hayden gifted her cut me to the core. I haven’t even known the girl forvery long, but leaving her will be as hard as it is to leave Hayden behind.
Forcing thoughts of leaving aside, I move on to the cups and glasses. With box number one filled, I tape it up and move it to the side. Once again, my apartment keys catch my eye, shining like a beacon of doom. If starting over is the right thing, it shouldn’t feel this hard. I should be playing music and dancing around. I should be excited.
I don’t get any further than taping the bottom of the next box before I find myself reaching for my truck keys and heading for the door. The heaviness weighing on me eases as soon as I step outside.
Yelping, I come to a halt when I nearly run straight into Sierra. “Shit. I mean—sorry!”
Sierra steps back, covers her chest with her hand and lets out a nervous laugh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to be walking out the door.”
Looking around, I don’t see Hayden’s truck anywhere. “I didn’t expect anyone to be standing on the other side of the door when I opened it. Are you okay? How did you even get here?”
She meets my gaze with watery eyes. “Your mom picked me up.”
I narrow my eyes and study her as I wait for her to elaborate, but she doesn’t. Once again, I look around but don’t see anysigns of my mother anywhere. Opening my door back up, I gesture for Sierra to come inside. This wasn’t my plan when I rushed out the door, but something is wrong. What I need to do can wait.
“Sierra, are you okay? What is it? You can talk to me about anything,” I say as my mind races with all the reasons a teenage girl can show up in what looks like a near panic.
“You can’t tell Hayden I was here.”
I swallow hard, and my limbs grow heavy. She can talk to me, but I’m not sure about promising to keep secrets from Hayden. Especially when he’s her legal guardian. Making my way to the seating area, I direct her to sit before taking the seat beside her.
