“Yeah,” she snapped, then grimaced immediately after and softened her tone with a sigh. “Yeah?”
There was a long pause. Then he sighed as well. “I’ll see you for sure on Sunday. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” After they said goodbye, she hung up the phone and remained in her place, staring at nothing in particular as she went over what had just happened. Everything was fine. Shehad merely let her history and insecurities get the better of her. It wasn’t like Mathew was reverting to old ways. She’d be able to tell if that was the case, right?
River refused to be a bad girlfriend. She wasn’t the type to demand extra attention. All she wanted was communication and to be made a priority when it came to relationships. He couldn’t help it if his job needed him. And he’d apologized for not calling her when he had to stay late.
Even though she spent the rest of the evening giving herself a pep talk, she still couldn’t shake the feeling that something felt off. There was a chance it didn’t even have anything to do with Mathew at all.
Everything she’d started to like while living in Copper Creek was beginning to turn sour, and she didn’t know how to fix it.
It might be time for a change.
One question plagued her as she came to this conclusion.
If she left, would she be running away? Or would she be in her rights to look for greener pastures?
The distinct sound of a quiet engine and tires rolling over gravel reached her ears as she was finishing up the work on Lily’s car. She pulled a rag out of her back pocket and wiped her hands on it as she moved toward the door.
People came and went from the farm more often than not, so it wasn’t a surprise that someone was there. What surprised River was the who. Usually, it was Rose or her sisters who were running errands. Occasionally, Mathew came to help his cousins, but usually he came to spend time with her.
It was Mathew’s sister who exited the vehicle. She was a petite woman who it seemed mostly wore business attire. Mathew had once told River that his sister was a therapist in town and that occasionally she lent her services to the equine therapy program out at Shane Owen’s place.
River watched the blonde woman exit her sleek sedan, walk around the side of the car, and retrieve something from the front seat. It was a brown box with bags inside. She glanced over at River and gave her a little wave.
All River could do was flash her a smile. They were aware of each other, that much she knew. There was no telling how much Mathew had told his sister regarding the woman he was seeing. River hadn’t spent a lot of time with Penny. They weren’t exactly at that phase.
But why couldn’t they be?
She’d been spending more time with Mathew. She’d let him in. It wasn’t unreasonable to want the rest of his life to overlap with hers a little more—to feel included instead of tucked away like a secret he hadn’t decided what to do with.
The thought made her uneasy, because it meant she wanted something. And wanting things had never been safe.
Up until she gave in to Mathew, River hadn’t wanted anything serious. No roots. No ties to anyone but Skye.
Things had changed.
And that was why she was so on edge.
She didn’t like it.
Not one bit.
“Hey! River, right?”
Startled, River met Penny’s eyes. No longer was the box in her hand, but instead, she held a to-go container. Penny beamed up at her. She was a few inches shorter than River—and that was saying something, because River wasn’t exactly tall. “Yeah,” River replied.
Penny’s hazel eyes were the same shade as Mathew’s, and it was unsettling to see a such a familiar version of him looking back at her from someone else’s face.
Penny let out a small laugh. “Okay, either you’re having a rough day, or you’re trying to decide if I bite.”
River blinked a few times, then forced a nervous laugh. “Sorry. It’s been… a day.”
Penny nodded like she understood. But how could she?
Unless she’d talked to her brother.
Heat flared in River’s chest, and it must have shown, because Penny’s expression shifted—more careful now. “Hey. You okay?” Her voice softened. “You want to talk about it?”
