Page 113 of If I Didn’t Have You

Suddenly, sticking around the ranch or this shitty town didn’t seem so appealing anymore. I hit the gas, driving faster down the road than I ever bothered. I was never in a rush to get away, to see or do anything farther from town. But right now, I wanted to be a thousand miles from here.

I didn’t know how the hell to fix my marriage. The woman I fell in love with seemed to have taken a right turn, not only changing every inch of herself, but also demanding things she had no right to.

I was trying to take care of my family, trying to save what was left of our ranch, finally getting back on board with the plan my sons had laid out for us, and now…

More than anything, I want the feud between our families to come to an end.

That’s what she said, but she didn’t really mean it. Peace. She wanted peace, but only on her terms. She wanted me to fall in line and do as she said, but I wasn’t allowed to follow my own instincts, to do what I felt would be best for everyone.

The life of the ranch no longer depended just on me. Liam and Bailey were fully invested. Krista and Jeff had been working their asses off to carve out a life for themselves in town. But they were reinvesting in the ranch with their profits. If this deal didn’t go forward, everything they had invested would serve only to keep the place afloat. We needed to expand.

I knew that. Liam, Jeff, and Krista knew that. Hell, even Michael saw it.

But the price of expanding was my marriage.

Clara would leave me. She didn’t want me around if I partnered with John.

I scrubbed a hand over my face, desperate to find a solution, but in the end, I couldn’t think of a damn thing to do. So, I shoved it from my mind and drove.

There was nothing on the radio. I shut off my phone and let the road carry me away.

I drove until the sun was setting and the road was long worn from the millions of other vehicles riding over it. I had no clue where I was or where I was going, and that was probably the most freeing feeling in the world.

I pulled off at a diner on the side of the road, only realizing once I stopped that I was damn hungry. Inside was practically dead. Only the waitress and the cook stood at the counter, along with a customer who looked like a regular. Taking a seat near the window, I just stared into the distance without a thought in my mind.

“Coffee?” the waitress asked.

“Uh…sure.”

I didn’t need to sleep tonight. Hell, I didn’t even know where I was going. For once in my life, I wasn’t going to worry about getting up early or what needed to be done.

I chuckled internally at the thought. Over the last five years, I’d let a lot slide. I didn’t get up as early and I didn’t work as hard, but I was always thinking about the ranch.

Tonight, I wasn’t worrying about a damn thing. I didn’t care if the whole fucking place burned down. That ranch had consumed my whole life, and while that had never bothered me before, I’d always had Clara at my side.

Now…

“What can I get for you, sugar?”

“What’s good?”

“Tyrell makes a mean grilled cheese sandwich.”

I grinned at her, sure that Tyrell didn’t make nearly the grilled cheese Clara did. And that thought alone had me turning down the sandwich. Not because it wouldn’t be as good, but because it reminded me of my wife.

I snatched the menu and chose the first thing I found. “BLT.”

“Fries?”

“Sure.”

She quirked her brow at me. “You know, you look like you’re a long way from home.”

“Why’s that?”

“You’ve got that lost look. Heading anywhere in particular?”

“Nope.”