“Among other things.” I shrugged.
“How much do we need to give you for you to stay here?” Colt asked, as he looked at Theo.
“It’s not just about the money,” I said, my chest feeling tight with anxiety.
They studied me before Theo nodded. “It’s time for you to leave,” he said, understanding.
“What the hell does that mean?” Colt asked, confused.
“I don’t stay in one place for too long, and Texas is technically home, so it might be good for me to go back,” I said, even though I hadn’t seen my family in years, not that they wanted to see me.
“But you were doing so well here. Shit, you are with Jude and Sam, why the hell would you leave that?” Colt looked completely bewildered.
“I…”
“That’s none of our business,” Theo said immediately.
Colt scowled. “He’s leaving us without a fucking replacement. I think we deserve a?—”
“He owes us nothing,” Theo said a little harsher. “Forest, we appreciate all your hard work, and while I would have liked time to find someone to replace you, I don't think we will ever find someone who is as good as you.”
I clenched my jaw, hating how amicable Theo was being; why was he being so nice? Colt was angry, rightly so, leaving without giving notice was a dick move.
I nodded, not trusting myself, keeping my head down, ashamed. Theo’s kindness made me feel so much worse.
“You don’t have to work tomorrow if you want to get going,” Theo said.
“I’ll work,” I said, my voice wavered and I cleared my throat. “I’d like to finish a couple of things I started.”
Taking a deep breath, I looked up at them. Colt and Theo were definitely two sides of the same coin. Colt was angry and Theo looked at me with nothing but understanding. It made me feel uneasy.
“Well, I hope you find what you're looking for, running away never solved anything,” Colt said, walking back into the house and turning around quickly. “But thanks for working for us. You were good…the best.”
Theo shook his head as Colt left.
“I really am sorry,” I said.
Theo shrugged. “Look, I’d hoped you would find a home here and stay, but I know a runner when I see one…”
Theo pursed his lips and took a deep breath, then shook his head.
“I hope one day you find a reason to find home,” he said.
“That’s not what you were going to say,” I said.
“I told myself I wouldn’t interfere with Jude’s life anymore,” he said, his expression hardening. “I just hope you aren’t hurting my baby brother. For once in his life, Jude was living for himself, and I never realized how much of his life he had wasted trying to take care of me. So, while I want to intervene and protect my brother, I don’t want to make this worse for him, but please don’t hurt him. Jude deserves to be happy and if he can’t rely on you, then maybe it is best that you leave.”
His words cut deep.
“Thanks for helping the ranch become what it is today. You were a great worker, and I’d be a liar if… if I said you didn’t make it better,” he clapped my shoulder. “I really hope you find your peace.”
I nodded, too much emotion in my throat to say anything. He opened the door as Sol’s laughter hit me, and he closed it without a backwards glance. The emotions I had been fighting hit me full force. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I realized I wasn’t leaving just Jude and Sam, but I was also leaving this small family I had been adopted into.
There would be no more family dinners where I ate my favorite foods with some of my favorite people, and no morelittle girl who brightened my day. Everything would go back to cold dinners, solitude and an existence where I just tried to keep going. I hadn’t realized that in Sterling Ridge, I had stopped trying to survive and I had begun to live.
30
sam
