“Yeah. Tara and I decided to stay with relatives for a while,” she said brightly. “Thanks for taking us into town.”
Russ took off his hat and swiped his forehead. “I thought you wanted me to take you into town for some groceries.”
“I need a few snacks. We only decided to leave last night,” she explained as Tara helped her inside the truck.
She closed her eyes as they drove out of the gates, not wanting to see the end of a special time in her life.There’s no use looking back, keep your eyes forward and on your future, Riley reminded herself.
Russ dropped them at the grocery store and returned to the ranch. Riley and Tara slowly walked to the bus station, bought their tickets, and waited for the bus to arrive. Minutes felt like hours, giving Riley time to regret her decision, but not enough, and too stubborn to change her mind.
Garrett wrangledthe last cow toward the west field. He patted Storm’s neck, fighting his urge to break down and go see Riley. His thoughts drifted to the first day of her hospital stay.
He played with her hand, afraid to let go. The nurses gave Riley medications to relieve the pain, and the stubborn woman fought it until the very last minute.
“I love you, Riley,” he whispered, thinking her completely under.
“You hurt me,” she whispered, half asleep. “It’s ridiculous, but I gave you my heart and my virginity, and you accused me of sleeping with you for money. I waited until I found someone special. Mom always said to find someone who will cherish me. You destroyed me.”
Garrett hung his head, realizing the drugs relaxed her enoughto tell him the truth. He knew he hurt her, but he didn’t see it from her point of view.
“What can I do to make you feel better?” he asked gently.
“I don’t know. I need time, Garrett,” she said, sleepily.
He waited until she fell asleep before heading back to the ranch. Riley deserved a man she could trust, and he vowed to work on himself to keep from failing her again. Now, he needed the time to let her heart heal and learn to trust him again.
His phone rang, jerking him from his thoughts. “What’s up?” he answered when he saw Jameson’s name pop up on the screen.
“Russ came to see me. Did you know Riley and Tara left to stay with relatives?” Jameson asked.
“She doesn’t have any family,” he said, his heart racing.
“He dropped them off at the grocery store in town. I’ll get the truck and pick you up,” Jameson said.
“No, by the time you drive all the way here, it might be too late,” he said, calculating the distance to his truck and the distance into town. “Meet me there with a trailer.”
Deciding it was quicker to ride Storm, Garrett turned the horse toward Embers and raced to save his future.
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
The bus rolled to a stop, and passengers stepped off and waited for their luggage. Riley hugged Tara while they waited.
“Do you think they’ll miss us?” Tara asked.
“I know I already miss them,” she replied, pulling out the tickets.
They waited for their turn to board. Riley let Tara have the window seat and sat down, dreading the long ride on the uncomfortable seats.
They watched as other passengers entered and took their seats. The driver closed the door, and the bus pulled out onto the main road. Riley pulled out a book she found in the bus station’s little library and attempted to read.
“Riley,” Tara exclaimed. “Look,” she said, pointing outside their window.
Riley leaned over, and she blinked twice as Garrett galloped beside the bus.
“Pull over,” he ordered.
“What in the heck does he think he’s doing?” she exclaimed, noticing he rode Storm.
“Pull over,” he yelled again.
