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There was nothing left but memories and a monogrammed mug.
Without a response, her father lifted that mug to his lips and took a sip of coffee. She sat back in her seat, staring at him, so many angry words trapped behind her teeth.
She wanted to scream until her vocal cords were shredded. But it wouldn’t do any good. Her father was beyond hearing.
With a grunt of irritation, she shoved away from the table and stalked out of the kitchen. She walked straight out of the house to the barn. She could ride, but today she didn’t have the patience she needed and feared driving her horse to the point of injury. A dark shadow seemed to have moved over her soul like a giant storm cloud hovering over the ranch, staining everything beneath it black.
She couldn’t fix this family. She could only make herself happy now. But how?
She loved Colton. Whether he would accept her love was another story. She didn’t need to look around to know that he was nowhere to be found. He’d be performing some chore as far away from her as possible.
Unable to contain the angry energy pounding through her veins, she grabbed a broom from the corner of the barn and began sweeping the floor in furious strokes. After ten minutes or so, the task began to settle her mind.
Her mother always cleaned when she was angry, and now Meadow saw those moments as something much more. Again, she wished she could talk to her momma and get her advice about what to do.
Mental clarity was a bitch though. The previous night when she realized she was in love with Colton, she saw a future for them, as bright and shiny as a brass tack against the worn leather of both of their lives to that point.
Now she couldn’t see past their coupling. Hot sex. Anger. Hadn’t their relationship been built on her infuriating him? Was that any way to start off a relationship?
She didn’t even know how he felt. For all she knew, she was completely wrong about those long, tender looks he sent her or how his caresses seemed to have changed between the first spanking he ever gave her and the last.
She stopped sweeping, gripping the broom, staring off into space, lost in reverie about what could only be called lovemaking the previous night.
The loud clunking noise of something metal being dropped somewhere on the ranch made one of the horses shift in its stall. Meadow began to sweep once again.
Then there was her father. Something was odd about his behavior. At first, she thought he was just under stress. Then it became clear that he was staying away from the ranch more and more, using any excuse he could not to come home. Was it so painful for him to be here?
Or was there another reason for those empty alcohol bottles she found shoved deep in the trash bin? She had to get to the bottom of it all. If she wanted to keep the ranch afloat, she had to find the magic that her mother once had.
Using the back of her wrist, she shoved strands of hair off her sweaty forehead. Who was she kidding? She didn’t have what it took to hold this place together—this family together. She should just take off like Ivy and live for herself.
“Three generations can go to hell,” she muttered.
“What was that?”
Irritated by the interruption of her private rant, she threw a glance over one shoulder to see Dude standing a few feet away. Concern drew twin lines between his brows, but he offered her the good-natured smile he was known for.
Of all the people she would want to interrupt her right now, Dude was just about the only one. She was ticked off at her father over his hiding whatever was going on. At Zach for starting the fight with Colton the previous night. And Colton for being…well, an infuriating ass.
Who should be spanking her ass—and kissing her and plunging his tongue inside her aching pussy—instead of pretending they meant nothing to each other.
She probably meant something to him long before he ever came to this ranch.
Dude’s smile dropped. “Everything all right, Meadow?”
Suddenly, thick tears swam in her eyes. She shook her head. “No. All wrong.”
He studied her before coming forward and taking the broom from her hand. He leaned it up against one of the horse stalls. “Can I do anything?”
Again, she shook her head, forcing her tears to recede. “Not a thing. But thank you.”
“It must be hell.”
She jerked her stare up to his. “What must be hell?”
“Having two men love you.”
She didn’t reveal her surprise that Dude had picked up on it. After all, he lived and worked with Zach since he came to the ranch over a year ago. If Colton picked up on Zach’s feelings in a few short days, Dude must have known for a lot longer.
