“Yeah, it’s not,” Sadie huffs. “It’s boring and all my friends are going to horse camps because their dads aren’t lame.”
I laugh. I try hard not to, but I fail.
Tristan mutters under his breath. “All right, well, lame as I am, we’d better go. Mrs. Gatlin.” Tristan tips his hat again before turning to me. “Lark.”
“Bye, guys.”
“Goodbye,” Momma says and then we turn, and I use every ounce of restraint not to look back. “Well. That was unexpected.”
“It was.”
“Lark, when exactly are you spending time talking to Sadie?”
Shit. I should’ve known that would be an issue. “I was out at the property line, checking the fences, and she was there, in tears, holding one of her chickens.”
She sighs heavily. “That poor girl. I never understood what Emmy Jo saw in that man, but I know Sadie wouldn’t be out there talking to chickens if she were alive.”
Considering I have two very alive parents and I go out and talk to my chickens, I’m going to say that’s a dumb statement.However, if I start defending Tristan or any member of the Stone family, I’m opening myself up to a whole lot of issues.
I already stepped into that minefield once.
“Sadie is a sweet girl.”
“Her father leaves something to be desired,” Momma notes.
“I thought Tristan was perfectly polite.”
Yeah, I’m doing a bang-up job not defending him.
“Sure, he was polite in front of his daughter, but how polite can you be when you’re destroying things on someone else’s property?”
I could argue—again—how I don’t think they’re doing anything, but it’s futile. My family have dug their heels in, and it’ll take catching someone on camera before they change their tune—and my brothers should be installing cameras today. The police department offered us free wireless cameras to install at our discretion.
My hope is it finally puts this damn thing to rest, because it’s exhausting.
I sigh, tuck her hand into the crook of my elbow, and smile. “If anyone at Heartstone Ranch is doing it, I don’t think it’s Tristan.”
“And why is that?”
Because he told me it’s not him, and I believe him.
Because he’s just not that way.
Because even if he is, I don’t think it would stop me from going to him tonight.
“I don’t know, Momma. I just don’t.”
Chapter 21
Tristan
“You know it’s not too late to change your mind about horse camp,” Sadie says while putting the bowl of mashed potatoes on the table.
“Oh boy,” Harper mutters under her breath.
“Sadie, please, let’s not fight about this again.”
She lets out a long huff. “Fine.”
