Chapter 14: Chapter Thirteen

“Are you sure this is the best idea?” Jordan looked at Ella, shading her hand over her blue eyes as she squinted against the sun.

It made it harder for Ella to read her friend’s expression, but then again, she wasn’t ready to face Jordan’s hard truth. All she knew was that she had to escape Garnet Valley. For a week at the very least. Longer if necessary. What she needed was some time with her family and a long drive to work through all her pain over Ty.

“It’s not like I’m leaving for that long. I need to come back for a doctor’s appointment and my horses,” Ella pointed out. But there was more to it, and both she and Jordan knew.

It had been three days, and she hadn’t heard a word from Ty. She had called him the day after the fight and after talking it out, realized that the best path forward was to leave Red at Ty’s place. Word traveled fast in the rodeo circuit, and if it got around that she took Red to another vet mid-recovery, everyone would assume that it was because Ty’s therapy wasn’t working. She knew it was. After Ty explained the timeline over the phone and the severity of the injury, she did her own research and realized she should count herself lucky that Red was healing as quickly and as well as she was. It just didn’t meet the timeline Ty had promised.

Besides, Ty was a capable vet, and she knew that Red would remain in good hands. However, that didn’t solve the fact that he hadn’t been completely open with her.

Her friend had stayed the night with her the last couple nights, sleeping on the couch while Ella cried herself to sleep. Everything felt like a mess. She was finally getting her life into order, putting herself out there, and falling in love. And in one fell swoop, she watched her love life and her rodeo career come crashing down around her ears.

Jordan grabbed the floral duffel bag that Ella had packed and carried it to the truck. Ella followed with a cooler packed with sandwiches and a couple water bottles.

“Can I say something?” Jordan asked after everything was packed up.

Apparently, she was not going to escape Jordan’s opinions or hard truths.

The early morning breeze pushed Ella’s hair over her shoulders, and she turned away, not quite able to look at Jordan. “Shoot.”

“You’re running.”

Ella jerked around, staring at her friend in disbelief, but Jordan appeared to be having none of it. Her friend squared off with her, hip cocked, arms over her chest, and a no-nonsense expression on her face.

“I’m not running if I plan to come back,” she pointed out.

Jordan let out a snort of disbelief and rolled her eyes. “You know what I’m talking about. You’re one of the toughest cowgirls I know. I’ve watched you fight tooth and nail to get to the top of the Montana circuit so you can save all your winnings to buy a ranch. And now, just when you get the town to see you for who you really are—a kick-ass woman who goes after what she wants—you turn tail and disappear to Oregon because of a miscommunication?”

“I need some time to get over it,” she said, jutting her jaw forward.

“What about Ty?” Jordan demanded.

She shrugged. “What about him? He used me as a means to expand his vet practice. He still gets what he wants.”

Jordan threw her hands in the air. “Just admit you love him. I think you have for a long time, and you’re afraid to admit it—to him and to the world. At the first sign of trouble, you assume the worst because it’s safer than trusting that Ty had your interests at heart. It just so happened to align with his interests as well.” Jordan’s arms dropped by her sides. “This town loves you, whether you are willing to see it or not. And Ty loves you.”

Her heart twisted. Ty had said as much himself, but she didn’t quite trust that it was real.

“This town never loved my parents,” she pointed out.

“I wouldn’t say that. The Hartmans hired your dad for every roundup and branding. The neighbors cared for you all through thick and thin. Unfortunately, your dad was really proud when it came to help and handouts. I think people got frustrated that your parents weren’t willing to turn their lives around until they almost lost everything.” Jordan followed Ella back to the front porch. “We’d all be sad to see you leave.”

Ella flinched at her friend’s accurate assessment. Her dad had been rather proud with handouts. He always believed that things would turn for the better, and they never did. The debt just kept piling up, and it forced him into more and more desperate decisions.

Until he left Montana for a better job with a steady paycheck, and her mom decided that she was willing to work as well.

“I haven’t left yet,” Ella said.

The corners of Jordan’s mouth pulled tight, but she didn’t respond.

“What?” Ella asked, then realized Jordan was staring at something over her shoulder.

Turning, Ella spotted a sleek silver truck pulling up just outside her property. The truck glistened under the sunlight, the rims bright and silver, the engine a gentle rumble. It stood out like a tree in the middle of a clearing.

Lindsey Whitmore was at her place.

A knot formed at the base of Ella’s neck as Lindsey looked at her and Jordan through the truck’s windows.

“What is she doing here?” Jordan demanded, suspicion filling her voice.

Dread washed over her. Why had she started the fight with Lindsey the other day? “We had a bit of a spat the other day at Steph’s bakery. I guess she’s here to finish the argument?”

“Do you want me to tell her to go away?” Jordan asked under her breath, an edge to her voice.

Lindsey sauntered over, a silver throwaway casserole dish in her hand. The other woman looking completely pulled together. Biting her lip, Ella tugged unconsciously at the sleeves of her favorite, well-worn green plaid shirt she had pulled on over a pair of leggings.

“Let’s just see what she’s here for.” Not wanting to wait around, Ella moved forward, the brace making her movements slow and awkward.

“Hey,” Lindsey said. Oversized sunglasses overwhelmed her face, making it hard to read her expression outside of her lips pulled into a tight line. She shoved the foil pan at Ella.

Surprised, Ella accepted it more as a reaction than anything else.

“It’s an apple crisp. My mom makes them.” Lindsey explained, sticking her hands in her back pockets. She shifted her weight, and then looked around the little property.

Ella’s mind flashed back to the apple crisp on her porch a few weeks back. So they finally figured out who made the crisp. That made sense. However, why she was standing there with a second one in her hand wasn’t clear in the slightest.

“Okay.” The pan was still warm, and her stomach growled at the thought of another warm apple crisp. “I’m about to leave, so I’m not sure if this is the best time.”

Lindsey’s mouth tightened, and she nodded. “I heard you and Ty broke up, so I figured…”

Nope, she was not dealing with an underhanded gift. Even if that dessert was one of the best things she ever tasted.

Ella shoved the pan back at Lindsey. “I’m not sure what this is for, but I don’t need—”

“It’s an apology,” Lindsey interrupted.

The pan hung in the air, cradled in her hands, between her and Lindsey. The heat of the dessert seeped through her fingers, and her biceps began to complain at the awkward angle she was holding the pan.

Pulling the dish closer to her body, Ella carefully looked Lindsey over, trying to find the crack in the facade. Or the punchline of the joke. Something wasn’t right here. Lindsey never apologized. Ever.

“Look,” Lindsey sighed, and pushed her perfectly curled hair over her shoulder. “You don’t trust me, and I don’t blame you. I’ve been nothing but an ass to you, and for the most part, you didn’t deserve it.”

“Except for when I slept with Jeff,” Ella reminded her. Though she had no idea why she bothered to remind her. It had been ugly when Lindsey found out.

“Don’t even remind me. That asshole had been sleeping around for a while, and I only recently found out. You were one of half a dozen.” Lindsey waved her hand in the air, as though trying to dismiss the thought. “I thought we were in love. Turns out, he was just in love with himself.”

So there were way more than just her. She hadn’t realized.

And she completely understood what it was like to be blindsided with the reality that your relationship was built on a facade.

“I’m so sorry,” Ella started.

“Don’t be,” Lindsey said flatly. She pushed up her sunglasses, revealing her hazel eyes. “I should apologize for blaming you.”

“I wasn’t purposely trying to hurt you,” Ella said softly. “I honestly thought you two broke up. That’s what he told me.”

Lindsey’s mouth tightened. “At least you were savvy enough to ask. I don’t think some of the other women knew or cared. And when that came to light, it made me realize that sleeping with Jeff was some sort of revenge against me. What kind of woman was I if these people wanted revenge on me?”

Ella pressed her lips together. Lindsey hadn’t exactly been popular in town. Or she was, but not because she had a reputation as a nice person.

Lindsey’s shoulders were tense, and the muscles around her mouth tightened. “Anyways, things were tense at the bakery the other day, and I realized that you were reacting to who I used to be and not who I am trying to be. I did some shitty things and hurt you. I know. I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I was jealous, and it came out in a bad way.”

“Jealous?” Ella stared. Of her? She turned around and looked at her tiny worn-down trailer, her horse and kooky pony, and her old truck and trailer. Not exactly anything to be jealous of.

“Yeah.” Lindsey kicked at a rock on the ground. “Your parents were both there for you. You’ve always been more successful at school and rodeo. And the guys I liked always seemed to like you.” She snorted. “Jeff included. I’m not saying it was right, but my dad never paid attention to me, just threw money at me to get me to go away. I got to a point where I was used to being seen only when I was throwing fits or spending money.”

Actually, that made a lot of sense. Ella hadn’t realized that Lindsey would be insecure. Especially when it seemed like the other woman always got what she wanted.

Lindsey pulled her hands out of her back pockets, facing them up, palms out. Her eyes were wide, pleading even. “Anyway, I wanted to say I’m sorry, and I hope we can move past everything. I’m not saying we need to be friends, or that you should trust me, but I’d like for us to at least be comfortable around each other.”

Ella cleared her throat, the apple crisp still warm in her hands. Maybe she had been wrong about this town. If Lindsey could reach out and try to make amends, she could do the same as well.

Glancing over her shoulder at Jordan, her friend’s brows were lowered, but at Ella’s silent question, Jordan shrugged, essentially putting the decision back in Ella’s hands.

“Look,” Ella said turning to the blond woman. “I don’t need to leave right away. Do you want to come in and have some of this with us?” She hefted the foil dish.

A small smile broke out on Lindsey’s face, and her shoulders relaxed away from her ears. “I never say no to my mom’s apple crisp.”

The trip to Idaho was one of the best decisions Ty had ever made. He finally understood why his mom left Montana. She was happy in Idaho, and it was clear she was in a great relationship. Nothing like what he recalled from when she was with his father. Beau wasn’t an easy man, and he spent more time pushing everyone away rather than working on his marriage or being a good father. His mom had never smiled much during her marriage to Beau unless she was alone with her sons.

Now she smiled all the time.

She had sounded surprised when he called her out of the blue. Not that he blamed her. He had been climbing the walls wondering about Ella. He hadn’t heard from her in days, and when she did message him, it had to do with her horse.

“What else would she message about?” he’d grumbled out loud. Not to apologize or clear the air. Or even to figure out if there was anything left between them. That probably said more than words themselves could—whatever they had was over.

“Maybe you should reach out to her,” Colton had said as he walked past Ty’s room. “After all, a relationship is a two-way street.”

Colton’s words had burrowed in his brain, and as much as he hated to admit it, maybe Ella was right. He pushed people away as much as she did. Only he pushed away people close to him. Ella didn’t let anyone close to her, but when someone did sneak past her barriers, she seemed to hold on tight. Jordan and Mrs. Thompson and Ms. Minna all proved that.

She hadn’t held tight to him because he’d hidden his agenda from her. It had been his fault.

Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to fix that. Maybe there wasn’t a way to fix it. But he could mend the other fences in his life.

He left Red in the care of the other vet at his practice and went on a two-day trip to Idaho to see his mom. It was his first time off the ranch since his father’s will had been read, and the second he turned onto the worn highway and started toward Idaho, he knew it was the right move. He’d been trapped on the ranch for so long, it was the only thing he thought about. It was time to get some perspective.

“This is what you left Montana for?” he had asked his mom as they sat sipping homemade lemonade in the backyard while her husband grilled dinner. His mom and her husband lived on a little plot of land with a ranch-style home and a garden with her two horses and two dogs. It was beautiful, peaceful.

Ella would love it. He wished she could see the place. See that he finally made the effort with his mom.

His heart twisted, and he forced his thoughts away.

His mom nodded. “Hardest decision of my life, but it was necessary. I needed to start over before I was permanently stuck in a rut and couldn’t dig my way out.” She reached over and squeezed his hand. “Your father wasn’t an easy man, and I knew that if I stuck around to keep taking care of him, I’d never get out.”

“But you were okay just leaving me with him?” he asked. There was the raw edge of hurt underlying his words.

His mom gave a sad smile and squeezed his hand. “Honey, I didn’t leave you. I can’t tell you how much it broke my heart to move without you. However, I knew I had to give you a choice. It wouldn’t have been easy to finish your senior year in a new town and a new school, and I didn’t want you to resent me for it. So I let you choose for yourself what was best for you.”

“I wanted you to stay,” he said softly. “I thought if I chose Garnet Valley, I’d be enough to sway you.”

His mom let out a soft breath and she leaned closer to him, pulling him into a hug. “I had to leave Garnet Valley. I needed the space from Beau, and I had met a wonderful man. For the first time, I realize I had to choose me. It didn’t mean I didn’t love you or care for you. It had just hit a point where I needed to love and care for myself as well. I finally had to admit that I needed more than I was letting myself have.”

“This—” She motioned around her. “This makes me happy.”

It was clear as day that she was at peace here. That she loved her home, and her life, and her husband. After seeing her here, there was no way he could ever take that away from her. There was a glow on her face when she smiled, and her eyes were bright and soft.

His mom never looked this happy in Montana.

It killed him that he was angry for so long when it was clear that she had made a choice that was right for her. He made the choice to stay behind, and she loved him enough that she let him stay while also going after what she needed in her life.

Maybe it was time for him to voice what he needed. Both with Jace and with Ella. Either they would say yes and stay in his life, or they would say no and he would move on. Either way, at least he would know.

With that in mind, he drove home the next day. When he arrived home, all he felt was relief and peace. Getting out of the truck, he surveyed the land that surrounded him. His grandfather so many generations ago had started this ranch with hope not only for his future, but for the future of his family as well.

Generations of Hartman blood, sweat, tears, and love was poured into this land, and Ty lived for it. He loved the views of the purple Absaroka range, the endless waves of golden barley and green alfalfa, the livestock that dotted the pastures. The rich smell of fertile land, sweet grain, and mild straw filled his lungs.

One way or another, he’d keep this land, or at least as much of it as he could. The vet practice would come with time. The most important thing right now was to convince his brother that this was a home for him, whether he wanted it or not.

Footsteps on the gravel path that lead to the house broke through his thoughts. Spinning around, Ty spotted Jace coming around the corner.

“Hey.” Jace pulled the leather gloves from his hands and tucked them in his back pocket. He wore a pair of new boots. “Have a good trip?”

“Yeah.” Ty leaned against the truck, crossing his arms. “Just taking in the views of home. It’s always nice to return.”

Jace removed the ball cap from his head and leaned against the truck as well. “I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day. That the ranch has more to do with family than legacy.”

He nodded. “It’s true. I know this ranch has always meant more to me than it has to Beau or Colton or you. I always saw the decades of our ancestors embedded in this land, and I love the history under our feet and the views that surround us. Our lives are sown in this land. At the same time, I understand why you wouldn’t feel that way.”

Jace tucked his hands in his pockets. “Truth be told, I’ve been having a hell of a time reconciling the fact that my father could just up and leave me to start a new family.”

Rather than argue, Ty nodded. Jace needed to get this out, and as his brother, Ty wanted to be there for him.

“It made me feel insignificant,” Jace continued. “There were two other sons, and I mattered so little that he never even told you about me.”

How could Jace think he wasn’t important to him or Colton? Sure, it was a shock to find out they had an older brother, but Jace was one of them.

“You matter,” Ty insisted. “You’re my brother, and nothing will ever change that. This ranch is as much yours as it is mine. You don’t have to stay here. You can sell it, and I will try to buy it. But no matter what your decision is, this ranch will always be part yours. You are family—mine and Colton’s. I’d like you to stay on the ranch after the year is up, but if you don’t, I’ll understand.”

There. He’d finally put it out there. It felt a bit scary, especially since he didn’t know what to expect from Jace. But he had said his piece, and the only thing he could do was wait for Jace to decide what was best for him.

Jace sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. He didn’t make a move to leave, and neither did Ty. The old cow dog trotted down the path and seeing the two of them, changed course to sit between them.

“It really is beautiful here,” Jace said, breaking the silence. He jerked his chin toward a small patch of trees in the distance. “That’s our land, right?”

Ty nodded. “Yep. It’s part of the original homestead.”

“What are the chances of building a little home there? A sustainable one?” Jace asked.

Slowly he faced his brother, his shoulders feeling a little lighter. “Probably pretty good. I think Colton knows a decent contractor who could help you out.”

Jace nodded, his gaze held fast to the trees.

“I think Hailey would like that. She loves this area,” Jace said, his voice soft.

“And you? Do you want to stick around?” Ty asked.

He held his breath as he waited for the answer.

Jace nodded. “I’d have to figure out a way to make my aunt move up here. I’m not sure how she’d handle winter, though. I’ve heard prairie winters are pretty brutal.”

Ty chuckled. “Yeah, you’re in for a shock if you’ve never experienced a winter outside of Texas and California.”

Jace turned and held out his hand. “Hey, man. I want you to know… You’re my brother. No matter what, we’re family, right?”

His face felt like it was going to crack, he was grinning so hard. He grabbed Jace’s hand. “We’re family.”