“Amaniac?”Richard rose to his feet and walked the length of the coffee table.“I’m sorry that I’m trying to keep thefewof us remaining from getting killed off, Andie. I’m the man of the family now and no one understands what that’s like.” He spun on one heel to face her.
The expression on his face reminded Andie of their parents’ funerals. The heaviness, the sorrow, the despair. It was likely the exact look etched on her own face. The acknowledgement was a crushing weight, thick with all the grief she’d carried in the last few days, months, and even years.
“What’s going to happen to us here, huh?” she asked, voice low and weak. Andie’s shoulders curled in as she dropped her face into the fluff of the pillow. Would they simply die off one by one, old or young, never to carry on their new family name? It didn’t matter so much that their name had changed, not if they could keep the family alive for generations to come.
But what if none of that happened? All of Dad’s dying dreams would be lost. His sons having sons. His daughter finding the love of her life.
A massive sob rocked her body as she realized shehadfound him. She just hadn’t been able to keep him.
“I can’t take it anymore,” Richard said.
Andie didn’t bother looking up from the pillow as his footsteps carried him to the door. It creaked open, then closed without the slamming sound she’d expected.
She sat in the stillness, breathing against the couch pillow, face wet with tears. Her brother’s visit reminded Andie that Emmitt had threatened to come back in the next day or two and force her to watch funny internet clips while eating some of Mable’s cornbread and homemade honey butter. Emmitt was different from Richard in every possible way. But the sad truth was, neither of them could fix the problem that plagued her.
Andie only hoped she could find her way back to the anger she’d felt about him leaving. Sadly, it might be the only way she would stop loving him.
Chapter 23
Trenton stared out the window of the house he’d rented, fully aware that his phone had slipped from his hand to the floor.
“Trenton, did you hear me?” came his realtor’s muffled voice through the line. “I said we have a cash offer, full price.”
Trenton tore his gaze off the grassy yard ahead and stared at his phone for a blink. “Yeah,” he said, snatching the device off the carpeted floor and lifting it to his lips. “I can’t believe it. It’s been what, only a week, right?”
“Right, but like I said,” the realtor continued, “the property had a lot of interest months back when we listed it. Which is why we landed multiple offers so quickly. Of course, cash is king, so that’s the one we’re going with.”
Cash was king, was it? So why was it that Trenton could walk away without any of it? He never had been raised to worship the dollar.Respectthe dollar, yes, butworship—that belonged to the Lord.
“Well, that’s great news,” he managed.
“It sure is. I’ll text you the address for the closing. Plan on tomorrow afternoon, about two o’clock.”
“So soon?”
“Time is money, friend. Of course, I told them you’d need until the end of the month to remove the rest of your things.”
Trenton nodded as he worked to catch up. He had no intention of going back to the property himself. He’d hire someone to take care of that.
“Sounds good,” he said. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure. Congratulations, man. You’re a mere signature away from selling your ranch in Haven Hills.”
Trenton tucked the phone back into his pocket. The news should have given him a sense of celebration, or at very least, relief. But as he sifted through his near-numb response, Trenton could only find hints of regret.
Hopefully he wasn’t making the biggest mistake of his life.
That very thought continued to plague him throughout the entire night. A sleepless span of hours with blankets that were too hot and sheets that felt like ice on his skin. He tossed and turned, fighting off the accusations in his head.
You shouldn’t have left her, Trenton. You really messed up this time. Why’d you have to sell the ranch in such a rush? What a stupid thing to do.
To make matters worse, he couldn’t stop replaying images of Andie in his mind. Clear back to the moment they’d first met. City Girl with her angry glare in his direction, those designer sunglasses propped on her head.
And the first time he danced with her—those hypnotizing dimples when she smiled. And the soft set of her eyes as she’d looked up at him through those dark lashes. That look, along with the growing chemistry between them, had urged Trenton to ask her out for their first date. And there’d been no going back.
Perhaps he shouldn’t regret the relationship altogether. Andie had supported him as he struggled with the horrific details from his past. Whether she’d been lying or not, she really had kept him sane during that time.
The sleepless night hadn’t given him an ounce of reprieve. Neither had the two cups of coffee he tipped back after his morning shower.
