Abigail
third week of january
NewYear’scameandwent in a blur of warmth and whiskey.
I rang it in, wrapped in their arms—Lawson’s chest at my back, Lincoln’s hand laced through mine, Beau half-asleep and smiling against my shoulder, and Jasper whispering something obscene in my ear right before midnight just to make me laugh.
When the clock struck twelve, I didn’t make a wish.
I didn’t need to.
For the first time in years, I feltwhole
Life has settled in the following weeks.
Well… as settled as it can be.
I’m back to work—mucking stalls, checking horses, riding fence lines. I help with repairs when something breaks, I run errands, I sit in on the occasional business call when Lawson asks my opinion, and I spend too much time bickering with Jas because the man’s around alot more than he’s used to, and he’s taken to pestering me as his new hobby.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it.
The guys moved the rest of my things into the big house the morning after they asked me to stay. Refused to let me carry a single thing.
A week later, they dragged me to Billings and made me pick out new bedding, a rug, curtains, and a handful of gold accents and frames because Beau insisted the room needed “feminine energy.”
Now, there’s a soft cream comforter on the bed. A rug under my feet that doesn’t scratch. And little gold details that catch the light in the afternoon.
It’s not an entire house.
But it’s mine.
It feels like home.
Almost.
The only thing that doesn’t feel right is the unknown.
No one has seen or heard from Grayson.
Or Victor.
Or my sister.
Sebastian did find Miles Keller.
Of course he did. Miles isn’t the type to go into hiding. Men like him don’t believe they ever have to. He’s worth millions and has Hearthland Development to run. A business with easy access to the best security money can buy.
Luca, Enzo, Sebastian, and Dante offered—once again—to “take care” of him for us. But Miles is high profile. Untouchable on paper. A death like that would bring attention. And even if it didn’t lead directly to Willow Creek Ranch, it would circle close enough to make us uncomfortable.
We don’t need the headlines.
Or the attention.
And we certainly don’t need investigators sniffing around.
So, we decided the best course of action is to handle Grayson first.
And deal with Miles…differently.
