Riley sat and let Rachel cover her with a blanket. “No,” she whispered.
“I don’t understand. The man saved your life,” Rachel said, not mincing words.
“What do I say to him? Everything feels awkward between us. It doesn’t feel the same as before,” Riley attempted to explain her feelings, but she didn’t understand them herself.
Rebecca sat on the chair across from her. “You’ve passed the honeymoon phase. Your argument popped the bubble, and you see him as a man who makes mistakes. From what I heard in the grain bin, you forgave him. Or did you tell him because you have a need to take care of everyone, and you didn’t want him to feel guilty if you died?”
“He didn’t visit me after the first day,” she said softly, attempting not to cry.
Rachel threw up her hands, “Because you said you needed time to think.”
“I didn’t mean two weeks,” she said, avoiding their gaze.
“All right, I’m not supposed to tell you this. Garrett attends counseling. He didn’t want what happened to occur again. When you told him you needed to think, he took the initiative to ensure he’d never react the same way again. He has issues around Bernice and how she let her boyfriends beat him,” Rebecca said.
“It’s more than that,” Riley said. “He thinks I lied because of his money. I mean, seriously, I’ve run a ranch. I know how much cowboys make.”
Rebecca and Rachel glanced at each other.
“What else do I not know?”
“It’s not our place to say anything. I shouldn’t have told you about the counseling,” Rebecca chastised. “If you want to know, talk to him.”
“Despite how badly his mom treated him, Garrett still handled her cremation and burial. One of the bikersconfessed to shooting her on Kenny’s orders,” Rachel told her.
“I don’t know if I can get over the argument. It sounds petty. Maybe a small part of me felt his anger reminded me of my dad, and it scared me. I can’t afford to put Tara and me in the same position again,” Riley explained.
“It’s a valid point. Given the time you’ve known each other, do you think both of you overreacted?” Rebecca made a point. “Trauma can make you overreact because you’re in fight or flight mode.”
“I’m getting tired. Why don’t you stop harassing me and let me take a nap before Tara arrives and fusses over me like the two of you?” she deflected.
The women rose, knowing they weren’t getting anywhere, and left. A few minutes later, Tara bounded inside, wrapping her arms around her.
“How do you feel?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” she assured her. “Did you cash my last paycheck?”
“Yeah,” Tara said, pulling out the money. “Why did you want me to do it today?”
“It’s time we left,” Riley broke the news. “I found a job in Corpus Christi. It starts next week, giving me time to rest. Then, you can start public school.”
Tara pushed back from Riley and glared at her. “Why? I have friends. You do, too. It doesn’t make sense to leave a place where we’re comfortable and you like helping the survivors.”
“I can’t stay here,” Riley said as she blinked back the tears. “Garrett and I got into a fight. It’s the reason we moved here to the cabins. We’re taking up space where they place the survivors. Remember when mom said things shouted in anger can’t be erased? It’s whathappened with Garrett, and I don’t know how to move on from it. Something happened between us, and it hurt me, Tara.”
“I know you kissed him. Did you love him?” she asked quietly.
“I do. It’s why it hurts. Staying here will kill me,” Riley confessed. “There’s a bus leaving tomorrow.”
Tara nodded. “I’ll go for you. But I want you to promise me we won’t move anymore. I’m tired of losing people we love.”
“Me, too,” Riley said. “Why don’t you pack? Rachel and Rebecca will check on us in the morning. After they leave, I’ve asked one of the hands to take us into town. We’ll walk to the bus station and start our new lives.”
Tara rose and went to pack their things. When she thought of leaving, her stomach rolled, telling her she might be making a mistake. She didn’t want to stick around and see Garrett with another woman. She didn’t know how to get past losing her virginity and having the man accuse her of having sex for money. It hurt her beyond words, and she didn’t know how to talk about it.
The following morning,Rebecca and Rachel showed up with Delaney’s homemade waffles, fresh butter, and bacon. Riley smiled and forced herself to eat, realizing it might be the last time she saw her new friends. Sadness overtook her as she said goodbye. Tara went to their room, gathering their bags. One of the hands, Russ, pulled into the driveway and loaded them.
“Where are you going? Didn’t you get out of the hospital yesterday?” he asked.
