Page 80 of Where She Belongs

Faith picked up right away, which was worse.

“Hey! I was going to call you⁠—”

“I need to ask you for a favor and I need you to not turn it into a conversation.” Rylee scratched Dewey’s head unconsciously. “Tate told me once that if it came to it, Brent’s people could take the animals. Is that true?”

Faith didn’t answer.

“Faith.”

“It’s true,” Faith said carefully. “Rylee⁠—”

“The two brown ones are bonded. They can’t be split up, so whoever takes one takes both. And the pony and the cow won’t settle apart either, I’ve tried it. Nightmare comes with me. The pullets can go anywhere.”

“Rylee.”

“Please don’t.” Her hand had settled on Dewey’s back, and she gently smoothed his fur back down. “If I sleep on this I won’t be able to do it. That’s why it has to be now.”

A long pause on the other end. When Faith answered, all the brightness had gone out of her.

“I’ll ask Brent.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m not saying yes.”

“I know what you’re saying.”

She hung up before either of them could make it worse, and stood there in her father’s paddock with a goat leaning against her leg and counted up what was hers. A cat that came with the house. Six birds she’d bought herself.

Everything else on this place had arrived in a trailer, one animal at a time, delivered by a man who never once asked whether she meant to stay.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Tate stood out on the front porch, resting his forearms on the railing as he stared in the direction of Rylee’s home. He could only just make out bits and pieces of the structure through the trees. There was no chance he’d spot Rylee unless she chose to come by.

Fat chance of that happening anytime soon. She’d been mad and she’d had every right to be. While they’d never really discussed what their relationship meant or how official they wanted to be, he had no reason to believe that whatever they were was still an option.

After his talk with Faith last night and a long ride, he was still feeling just as tightly wound as ever. He itched to go back to Rylee’s house and have the conversation he should have had before. There wasn’t a single doubt in his mind that she’d believe him. She knew him. And he’d never done anything to betray her trust.

Well, not until yesterday, when he’d clamped his mouth shut and hadn’t explained himself.

He hung his head. This was for the best. He didn’t need a complication like a relationship right now. Not with everything else going on. She was a distraction. No matter how much he wanted her in his life, he wasn’t going to be so selfish as to throw Jason under the bus without knowing what would come of it.

Faith could stew for all he cared.

Rylee could leave and have the life she deserved.

And Tate would go back to the life he’d always planned on living.

Boy, living in his head was depressing.

Footsteps drew his attention and he lifted his head to see Jason walking up the stairs toward him. His twin took the stairs unhurried, the way he took everything, and settled against the railing beside him without a word. That was normal enough. Jason had come out here for a reason, and he’d get to it when he got to it. His brother had never in his life been rushed into a sentence, and he’d never wasted one, either.

“You’re an idiot.”

Tate laughed. “Been talking to Faith?”

Jason furrowed his brows. “No.”