AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He paused and glanced up at the sound of my voice. Closing the file he was looking at, he leaned back in his chair. The silence was deafening.
“I realize you’re upset,” I continued. “And you have every right to be.”
Dad made no reply, pinning me with his steady gaze. It wouldn’t last long—he couldn’t resist the urge to speak his mind. I had to make my case, fast and foolproof.
“I love him, Dad,” I whispered. “I want Bowen back. It doesn’t feel like home without him here.”
A shadow flickered across Dad’s eyes. He glanced away, rummaging in his desk for God knows what.
“Bowen is nearly twice your age,” he said. “It’s not acceptable.”
I gritted my teeth as heat prickled up my spine.
“But you know he’s good to me—”
“It doesn’t matter. I know he wasn’t supposed to touch you, and he did it anyway.”
I pressed the heels of my palms to my eyes, fighting back a surge of frustration. We’d barely been talking for two minutes and I could already feel my temper beginning to rise.
“You’re not fucking listening.”
“What do you want me to say, Avery?” Dad shot back. “Bowen knew you were off limits. I should have noticed the way you two looked at each other. I should have caught it earlier and stopped it. But I didn’t, so I’m putting my foot down now. I don’t care if you hate me. Bowen is too old for you, and he will never have my blessing when it comes to you.”
My throat felt tight. So that was it. The ultimatum had been set.
“Then I’m going with him,” I said in a strangled voice.
Grady blinked in surprise, speechless.
I felt like my heart had been ripped in two. I never dreamed of leaving High Plains. For as long as I could remember, I had imagined living and dying on this land. I had imagined my children racing across the field and filling up every room in this big house with their laughter. I had imagined being buried on a peaceful patch of land next to my husband while the mountains in the distance watched over my grave.
I had imagined teaching my children to love this place as much as my father had taught me to love it.
But those dreams and fantasies meant nothing to me without Bowen.
“If that’s how you really feel about it,” Dad said at last. His voice was gravelly and low, like it pained him to speak. “I won’t stop you.”
My ears roared. I struggled to take in a breath.
No matter how many disagreements and arguments I had with my father, we always managed to find a resolution between us. I never thought it would come to this though. I never thought I would have to choose—the ranch or the man I loved.
Moving on autopilot, I made my way to my room. I grabbed a backpack from my closet and started stuffing it with clothes.
This had to be a bad dream, right? Dad didn’t really mean it. For my entire life, he had been preparing me to take over High Plains one day. Would he sell it when I moved out? He had no other children to leave it to. Obviously Birdie would be named in his will, but only if she outlived him.
As I scanned the room for anything else I might need, I spotted a framed picture on the wall. I was eight years old, proudly displaying the ribbon I’d won at a riding competition. Dad stood beside me, looking every bit the gruff, serious man I knew him to be.
On my other side stood Bowen, two fingers hooked into my horse’s bridle—a precaution to prevent my horse from bolting while I was distracted as I smiled for the camera.
I couldn’t imagine my life without him watching over me.
Digging my phone out of my pocket, I tried to call Bowen again. No response.
“Fuck, why won’t you pick up?” I grumbled.
I sent him a text instead.
Need to talk. Where are you?
