Page 62 of SEAL of Valor

“I’m going to go check on my garden. I need to move the hose. I’ll be back in just a bit, but it was so nice to meet you, Ash! Please stay as long as you’d like. We have plenty of space.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Faye.”

“You’re welcome.” My mom smiles one last time, then slips outside.

I turn to her. “So, tell me about Jeremiah.”

“Um, we can pause on that. Tell me about that gorgeous cowboy I saw leaving on horseback earlier. Guy is built like a mountain. Why would you withhold that from me?”

Heaviness settles over my shoulders. Of course she would have seen him. Of course she found him attractive. The guy is gorgeous with a capital ‘G’. But he’s so much more than that, too.

So. Much. More.

“Ahhh, there’s history there.” Ash takes a sip of her coffee.

“Some. We dated when we were in high school. He’s sort of been a part of my family for a long time.”

Ash nods in understanding. “Gotcha. Well, you let me know if there’s any current events with said cowboy, and I will give you all the details about my tragic dating life.”

Laughing, I lift my mug to my lips and let myself momentarily slip into someone else’s problems rather than facing my own. “You have a deal.”

Chapter 18

Weston

The temptation to down a bottle of whiskey has been stronger the last week than it has been in a long, long time. So naturally, I’m walking into Maverick’s place for a club soda, just to prove to those demons that I’m stronger.

That me abstaining from it has nothing to do with proximity to alcohol, but my choice not to take that first drink.

They can’t have me.

Not now, not ever.

Ryker steps into the bar alongside me, completely silent. We’re both still wearing our gym clothes, and I’m certainly grateful for the exhaustion sparring with one of my closest friends for three hours brought me. I’m just glad he gave me another chance, and this time, I didn’t let the hits land.

Another way to prove the darkness cannot have me.

My thoughts have been a mess, lingering on the past while also trying to figure out how to move forward. If that’s even possible at this point.

After that night at the church, though, I’ve had something new on my mind: faith. How can I have it when everything feels so hopeless? How can I believe there is a greater plan for everything when my entire life has been a warzone?

How ridiculous is it that I thought I’d finally made peace with everything, yet it only took Reese showing up in town to blow a massive hole in my life.

Reese.

I’ve been doing everything I can to avoid her completely, while also seeking every opportunity to see her from a distance. I just can’t help it. She’s the one thing I can’t walk away from—no matter how detrimental it is to my health.

Take lunch. For a brief moment, I thought her inviting me in for a sandwich might be an opportunity for us to really talk, yet she made dinner plans with another man, all while I sat there feeling like a complete idiot.

And now her friend from Charleston is in town. Thankfully, Kyle had been at the ranch, so I’d sent him to help them saddle the horses so Reese could take her out on a ride. What did I do? I hid like a coward. The only thing I dare to hope for now is that she will go back to her life and I can move on with what’s left of mine.

Clenching my hands into fists at my sides, I continue through the crowd, trying to bury at least a portion of the anger welling inside of me. It’ll do me no good, I know that. Still, it festers in my chest like an abscess.

Despite it being a Wednesday evening, the bar is noisy tonight. The stench of liquor in the air makes my stomach churn, but it offers at least a minimal distraction. I can focus on fighting that urge, rather than letting my mind have way too much time to think about Reese.

Right now, I’ll take anything I can get.

Ryker and I move toward the bar, but we haven’t made it ten steps before I see her. A bright splash of color in an otherwise black and white world.