Page 53 of Wild Lies

His top lip rolls up in a sneer. “The day that happens, you’ll have to bring me out to this pasture and put me down. Ain’t no way I’d ever touch Maddie Hart.”

“I didn’t say it would be her.”

If there’s one thing I love, it’s teasing Wyatt about the Harts. He can’t stand them, and he takes the bait every single time.

“Fuck off, Kade.”

He storms off, my laughter chasing after him across the pasture.

32

CHLOE

I accepted Maddie’s offer of a job an hour ago and with a few hours to kill before Kade picks me up, I walk into Chapters and Crumbs, the bell chiming above the door announcing my arrival.

Autumn’s clearing tables but looks up as I close the door. I can practically feel the excitement vibrating through her from here, but she does well to mask it as she heads toward me. “Hey. Have you come to sign a lease, or did Maddie get my hopes up for no reason?”

I can barely hold back my grin when I answer, “I’d like to sign the lease.”

She squeals, shimmying her body as she takes hold of my shoulders and pulls me into a hug, catching me off guard. “This is so exciting.” Leaning back, she takes hold of my hand as she drags me across the room. “I’ve got the key and a lease ready for you in the back office.”

I have no choice but to follow her as she heads for a door behind the counter.

“You just so happen to have a lease ready to go?” I tease.

She winks at me over her shoulder before shrugging. “What can I say, I had complete and utter faith that Coldwater is irresistible. Besides, my cousin wouldn’t let a good thing slip through his fingers.”

I grimace because Kade doesn’t know I’m here, and aside from knowing that he doesn’t want me to leave, we haven’t actually figured anything out. I’m kind of taking him wanting me to stay and running with it by signing this lease. Sure, I have the security of a job with Maddie, but I’m still leaving behind everything that is familiar back in Seattle.

Autumn lets go of my hand as she holds open the door that separates the front of the coffee shop from her workspace. Back here is a kitchen with some very expensive-looking equipment and a small storage area.

At the end of a corridor, Autumn props open a door to what some might call an office. The space is barely big enough for her and the chair that sits in the middle, let alone two people. It’s more like a broom closet.

“It’s in here somewhere. One second.”

I hover in the hallway as she rummages through the paperwork-covered desk. “Take your time. I’m really in no rush.”

She curses under her breath when something falls onto the floor. A plastic lid rolls past her and comes to a stop at my feet, and I bend to pick it up as she asks, “Will you be moving in right away?”

I fiddle with the strap of my purse before answering her. “No. I plan on still catching my flight out of Bozeman tomorrow. Then I’ll be back on Saturday once I’ve taken care of everything in Seattle.”

Guilt settles like a rock in the pit of my stomach. I like Autumn, she’s been nothing but kind to me from the moment I met her, but she’s Kade’s family, and because I know his secret, that means I have to keep certain things to myself. I can’t tell her that I’m coming back on Saturday to watch Kade ride in the Wild Ride Classic—his second official rodeo competition. No matter how much I’d love to gush about him. Autumn lost her Uncle Kurt too and I’m sure that if she found out Kade was riding, she’d be as hurt as the rest of his family.

Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Autumn turns toward me with a set of keys dangling from one hand and a bundle of crunched-up papers in the other. Her cheeks are a little flushed when she says, “I really need to get this place cleared up, but it’s somewhere at the bottom of my never-ending to-do list.” Brushing her chestnut-brown hair back from her face, she continues, “It’s all set up in there. You’ve got running water, air conditioning, furniture, everything you could possibly need.” She hands me the keys. “Rent’s six hundred a month.”

My jaw goes slack, and I look down at the keys in my hand as if she’s just handed me the secret to life. “Six hundred dollars? Are you sure?”

Autumn chuckles, folding her arms across her chest as she leans against the doorframe. “I told you, rent’s cheap. Besides, you’ve got the friends and family discount.”

Pulling Autumn into a hug, I mumble a quiet “thank you” before releasing her and staring back down at the two gold and silver keys in my palm. They sit heavy in my hand, weighted with everything my future in Coldwater holds.

I may not have met Kade’s family properly yet, but if they’re all as kind as Autumn, I’m sure I’ll love them. I’m a complete stranger, and yet she’s made space for me in her bubble with no questions asked. When I think back to how my parents reacted to Kade, I can’t help but feel a wave of sadness that our experiences were so different.

“Come, let’s go show you around and then you can sign the lease.” Wiggling her brows at me, Autumn squeezes past as she says, “I had a feeling you’d be back.”

I trail behind Autumn as she weaves her way through the kitchen and to a fire exit in the far corner. It leads to a small parking lot and no more than a couple of feet from us is another door.

“The entrance to the apartment is at the back of the building, and you’re more than welcome to cut through the coffee shop when we’re open. There’s an alleyway about three doors up that you can walk through, or, if you’re driving, you just need to circle the block, and you can park back here.”