“With bacon?” Dad asks hopefully.
Buster’s ears perk up at the word.
“Don’t even think about it. Both of you.” I point the fork at Dad. “Especially not you, with your cholesterol numbers. Don’t tell me Billy’s been sneaking you burgers and fries when I’m not there.”
Dad’s guilty look says it all.
“I can’t eat that rabbit food you make for me every day, Maddie.” At my glare, he adds, “I mean, it’s good. For rabbit food. But I’m a carnivore.” He pats his belly.
I sigh. I adore my father, but he’s stubborn as a goat.
“I need you to take care of yourself,” I say softly. “I need you to plague me til your ripe old age, you hear?”
He ruffles my hair as he passes by to fill up his coffee cup. “Your pop’s a tough son of a bitch, Maddie girl. Like a piece of gristle.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Ew.”
Buster, once again, perks up at the word “gristle.” His nose pokes at my thigh hopefully.
Rubbing his head, I shake my head with disgusted affection. “It’s hard being the only girl in a house of stinky old boys, you know that?”
Buster makes a “woof” sound of agreement.
When my phone starts buzzing on the kitchen counter, I assume it’s a scam call. So when I look at the caller ID and see “Luke Brennan,” I’m filled with a mixture of surprise, pleasure, and dread.
Why would he be calling me at eight in the morning?
Under the pretense of letting Buster out again to do his business, I slip out the back door facing the yard.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Hey.” Luke’s voice sounds deeper than normal. Tired. Like maybe he’s been up all night too. “How are you?”
As Buster digs through the dirt in search of some unknown treasure, I say, “Fine.What’s up?”
“You free to meet up today? We should talk.”
We should talk.The most dreaded words in the human language between two people who just had sex.
I pretend to be cool and unbothered. “Okay. Where do you want to meet?”
“Can you come to my place? I know it’s a long way away for you.”
“It’s fine. Text me the address and I’ll be there soon.”
I wish I could say that driving an hour out of my way to get the break-up speech was the most pathetic thing I’ve ever done for a guy, but sadly it wouldn’t even make the top ten.
As I drive to the address Luke texted me, I can’t help but admire my surroundings at least. Rolling foothills in the foreground, majestic snow-capped mountains in the background. Winter is turning to spring, and things are just beginning to blossom. It’s a sunny day, and the air smells fresh and clean.
When my phone navigation prompts me to take a left turn, it’s beneath a wood overhang with a sign proclaiming Sundance Ranch.
Fences stretch for what looks like miles. Cattle graze in some pastures, while horses roam in others. The barns are the first buildings I spot, followed by equipment sheds and a long line of corrals. Everything is big and well-kept and beautiful.
Luke said this place had fallen on hard times, but nothing here looks abandoned or failing. It looks busy. It looks cared for.
When the house finally comes into view, it’s also bigger than I imagined. Big enough to fit half a dozen of my own house inside it, easily.
I slow the car, taking it in, and realize I had the wrong picture of this place entirely.
