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I shrug. “Can you help me or not?”
“Yeah.” his soft nod is the first ray of hope I’ve seen in the last twenty-four hours. “I think you’re right. Until these goons get another lead, they won’t leave this stretch of land alone.”
“So, what do we do?”
“I’ll call Santi. He’s got connections. I figure we make a ruckus down south with a VW Bug and a blonde girl, and they’ll get to running after her.” He thinks a minute more. “And we need to lose the blonde girl around here.”
My mouth falls open, ready to protest. “I’m not kicking her out. That’s not—”
“Slow down, kid.” Cookie pinches the bridge of his nose. “You’re always assuming I’m giving up on you but name a time when I’ve ever deserted you. I’m saying we need to dye her hair. I doubt she’s a natural blonde anyway.”
It’s smart. It’s a way of disguising her without going over the top.
“For now, you need to get sleep. Your Dad doesn’t need to know any of this, and dark circles under your eyes and dozing off while riding will only make him suspicious.”
“You’re right. He doesn’t need any other reason to come down on me.” I start to stand but Cookie catches my arm.
“Hey, he loves you Rhett, and he’s proud of you.” The sincerity burns in his eyes, urging me to believe him.
I pull myself free. “Funny way of showing it, don’t you think?”
I’m nearly out of the kitchen when Cookie’s last question stops me. “Should I have left you there? With Santi? Do you regret coming to live here?”
I brace my hand against the wall, giving my mind a second to process that question. “No, I’m glad I’m here.” I clench my jaw for a second until I’m brave enough to say what I’ve never said aloud. “But sometimes I wonder if they regret it.”
Knowing Cookie will assure me that it’s not even close to the truth, I make my exit. Climbing the stairs, I put those thoughts away. I won the lottery; I know I did. I have a stable home with parents who opted to bring me into their lives. Compared to what some of the other forgotten kids got, it’s just about a miracle. But I still feel the distance, and I don’t know if it’s because of me or them, and no one wants to talk about it.
Lights are off when I make it to the top floor. Weston’s snore chirps as I change in the darkness. As a kid, I used to look forward to a day when everything made sense again. Now as an adult, I still find myself looking forward to that day.
Chapter 8
Sunny
S
Silas wakes me before ilas wakes me before anyone else is up. I use the restroom, dress behind my privacy sheet, and follow him out into the damp morning air. At first, I stick close to him, watching him work through the tasks, but once I get the rhythm, I jump in with both feet. It’s been a long time since I’ve done all the work that goes on behind the scenes on a ranch, but it feels good to remember what used to come naturally. If Dad could see me now…
I think back on our last fight. He was right to say those things about me. Life was blessed for me, and my so-called princess status was a fact. I’d been spoiled to the point that I didn’t notice it anymore. The staff did everything that was once my duty, and I basically walked on rose petals from one point of my life to the other.
“You need calluses on your hands to remember where you came from.”
I pause in my work to feel the soreness from the day before. I wish I could tell him that I’m hard at work on those calluses, but he’s too far away at this point. I may never see him again.
“Finish up there, and we’ll head back for breakfast.” Silas bounces where he stands, clearly freezing like I am in the morning fog. “If we’re lucky, we’ll make it before Austin eats all the bacon.”
It’s not such a bad life pretending to be Sunny from California.
Rhett
The bunkhouse door bangs once. I look up from the table as Sunny and Silas make their entrance. She hesitates at the table’s edge. With every seat open, she has to choose where she’s sitting, and it seems to be more than she can handle. I tilt my head, watching with curiosity. Given the choice, will she choose to sit next to me or put some distance between us?
“Right here,” Silas says to her as he takes his normal seat and motioning for the spot between him and me. “I know where everyone sits, and no one wants to sit next to Rhett.”
“Why?” She casts me a sneaky smile. “Does he stink?”
Silas snickers at her bravery to insult the boss. “No, but everyone knows the ones closest to him get the hardest chores.”
I laugh, hoping he’s wrong. I can’t be that transparent. “Is that why Weston always sits at the end of the table?”
