AllFreeNovel
Share Us
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, alone in the midst of the crowd, my heart breaking as I watched her go. The joy of the race, the love we had shared, now felt like a distant memory that had been overshadowed by the darkness of my past. And it had finally caught up with me.
23
STEPHANIE
Days passed like a blur, each one melding into the next, marked only by the routines of the ranch and the hollow emptiness that had settled in my chest. The vibrant energy that had once filled my life—the excitement of the race, the thrill of being with Ashlyn, all of it—had been replaced by a cold, hard resolve. I wouldn’t allow myself to be a victim again. I wouldn’t let anyone else close enough to hurt me.
The morning after that disastrous encounter with Monica, I woke to an empty bed, the absence of Ashlyn’s warmth beside me a stark reminder of the growing distance between us. I had thought that maybe, just maybe, love could be different this time. That perhaps, in Ashlyn, I had found someone who could see past the scars, both physical and emotional, that life had left on me.
But I had been wrong. Humans were predators by nature and I had been foolish to think otherwise. I threw myself into work on the ranch with a ferocity that left little room for anything else. The
rhythm of the days became my anchor. The tasks of caring for the horses, managing the land, and overseeing the finances filled every waking moment. I didn’t have time to think about Ashlyn, nor about the way she had shattered the fragile trust I’d placed in her. The ranch was my life now, and my only focus.
Days turned into weeks and the memory of Ashlyn’s touch, her smile, and the way she looked at me like I was something precious—all that began to fade. It was better this way, I told myself. Better to bury those memories deep, where they couldn’t hurt me anymore.
I stopped answering her calls and deleted her texts without even reading them. Every time my phone buzzed, my heart would leap with a cruel hope, only to be crushed again as I forced myself to ignore it. I couldn’t let Ashlyn back in. I wouldn’t give her the chance to lie to me again.
Melody noticed, of course. She tried to talk to me, tried to get me to open up, but I shut her down every time. “I’m fine,” I would say, my voice clipped, leaving no room for argument. “Just busy with the ranch.”
But she knew better. She could see the change in me, the way I had closed myself off, retreating behind the walls I had spent years building. The walls that had crumbled when Ashlyn walked into my life, only to be rebuilt stronger, higher than ever before.
The nights were the hardest. Alone in the big, empty house, I would lie awake, staring at the ceiling, replaying every moment I had spent with Ashlyn. I would hear her laughter in the silence, feel the ghost of her touch against my skin. But those memories, once a source of comfort, had turned into daggers, each one cutting deeper than the last.
I buried those thoughts as best I could and tried to focus on the tangible things—the horses, the land, and the numbers that needed balancing. The ranch was thriving, at least. Phantom’s performance at the race had brought in enough money to keep us secure for a while, and I had Bill’s support in managing the finances.
But even that victory felt hollow, tainted by the knowledge of how it had come to be.
More weeks passed and the days grew shorter as summer bled into autumn. The mornings were crisp, the air carrying the scent of earth and fallen leaves. I found solace in the early hours, watching the sun rise over the hills. The world was so quiet and still before the day’s work began.
But even during those peaceful moments, there was an ache in my chest, a hollow place that refused to be filled. The few times I ventured into town, I caught glimpses of couples walking hand in hand, their laughter floating on the breeze, and it would twist something deep inside me. I had tried to believe in love again, but love had proven to be as cruel and deceptive as I had always feared.
One day, as I was fixing the fence along the northern pasture, Melody approached me, her face etched with concern. “Stephanie,” she began hesitantly, “you can’t keep doing this. You can’t keep
shutting everyone out.”
“I’m not shutting anyone out,” I snapped, the words harsher than I intended. “I’m just focused on the ranch.”
“Don’t lie to me,” she said softly, her eyes searching mine. “You’re hurting and I can see it. But pushing people away isn’t going to make the pain go away.”
I turned away from her, focusing on the task at hand, refusing to let her words break through the armor I had built around myself. “I’m fine, Melody. Just let it go.”
She sighed, a sound filled with frustration and sadness. “I just don’t want you to lose yourself in this. You deserve better.”
Better. The word echoed in my mind long after Melody walked away, but it held no meaning for me anymore. “Better” was an illusion, a lie I had told myself when I had let Ashlyn into my heart. The reality was that people were selfish and deceitful—and ultimately, out for themselves. Love was just a weapon, one that left deep, festering wounds.
So I worked day after day, pouring every ounce of energy into the ranch, into the horses, and into the land that had become my sanctuary. And slowly, the pain began to dull, replaced by a cold
numbness that I welcomed with open arms.
Ashlyn had been removed from my life, and I wouldn’t let anyone else in. Not again. Not ever. The ranch was all that mattered now, and I would protect it—and protect myself—at any cost.
24
MELODY
As I stepped onto the familiar path leading to the barn, the gentle sound of hooves on gravel echoed in my ears, a soothing reminder of the life I had built alongside Stephanie. The sun illuminated the vibrant hues of the wildflowers that had stubbornly pushed their way through the cracked earth.
This place had become my sanctuary, a refuge from the chaos of my past. I had come to the ranch seeking shelter from a storm. In the process, I had found not only safety, but a family in Stephanie.
