I nearly choked on my tea. "That obvious?"
"Kind of." She picked at the edge of her glass. "He gets tense when he talks about you. And you looked like you swallowed something sour when I said I was his daughter."
"I don't have a problem with you," I said quickly. "Your dad and I just disagree about some things."
"For what it's worth, my dad's not usually a jerk. He's actually pretty decent most of the time. But he gets really stubborn about stuff he thinks is important. And he's been stressed about the ranch lately."
"I've noticed the stubborn part," I said dryly.
Maddy grinned. "Ray used to say the same thing. Said my dad was stubborn as a mule but twice as useful."
That sounded exactly like something Ray would say, and despite everything, I felt my mouth curve into a reluctant smile.
We talked for another fifteen minutes, carefully avoiding the subject of her father, instead talking about horses and school and what it was like to be the new kid in town. Maddy was smart and funny and disarmingly honest, and I found myself wishing the circumstances were different. That her father and I weren't at odds. That this could be simple.
"I really should go," Maddy said eventually, checking her phone. "Dad doesn't know I came over here. He's probably going to freak out when he findsout."
"You’re going to have to tell him," I offered.
“I know.” She stood, carrying her glass to the sink. "Besides, maybe it'll help. You know, if he knows I like you, maybe he won’t be so stubborn.”
We walked back out to the paddock together. Cinnamon was still rolling, now completely covered in dust, and Maddy laughed as she called her over.
"You're a disaster," she told the mare affectionately. "Dad's going to make me bathe you before I put you away."
She tacked up quickly, and I watched, impressed by how efficient she was. When she was ready to mount, she hesitated.
"Would it be okay if I came back sometime? Not to spy for my dad or anything. Just being here makes me feel like Ray's not completely gone."
Something in my chest cracked open. "Yeah. You can come back."
"Cool." Maddy swung into the saddle, gathering her reins.
I watched her canter down the driveway and stood there for a long moment after she disappeared, trying to process what just happened.
Wyatt Hargrove had a daughter. A daughter who'd known Ray, who'd spent time here while I was gone, who'd been part of my uncle's life during the years I'd stayed away.
And somehow, despite everything, I just invited her to come back.
I went back to mucking stalls, my mind churning.
This didn't change anything between Wyatt and me. The land dispute was still there. His attitude was still infuriating. The way he looked at me like I had no right to be here after abandoning Ray for years, that still made my blood boil, even if part of me wondered if he was right.
But his daughter was a good kid who missed Ray.
And that made everything just a little bit more complicated.
I was working on the fence line before work when I heard a truck coming up the drive. I straightened, shading my eyes, and felt my stomach drop.
Wyatt's truck.
He parked near the barn and got out, and even from a distance, I could read the tension in his body. He walked toward me with purpose, and I set down my tools, bracing myself for whatever confrontation was coming.
"Maddy came to see you," he said when he was close enough. Not a question. A statement.
"Yeah," I said, lifting my chin. "She did."
Wyatt's jaw worked. "She told me about it. Said you gave her iced tea and talked about Ray."
