Page 143 of Shadow

Sierra

Heard you had a rough day. We’re grilling steaks. Huck wants to show you his horse. Come if you can.

Sierra.

Daphne had been staring at it for the better part of fifteen minutes. Debating. Finding a thousand reasons not to go.

Maybe it wasn’t smart to reignite old friendships. Especially if she planned on returning to her life in Seattle.

She did plan on returning, right?

Yes. Definitely.

And she most definitely didn’t want to talk about what had happened today. Didn’t want to be around people.

Except, she also didn’t want to be alone. Even with a bubble bath and a glass of wine.

And wasn’t that crazy?

She’d spent fifteen years building walls, and in a month, Asher Morrison had helped her tear them all down. And then he had lied. And then almost died. And then she’d saved him anyway.

She should get in her car and drive away, never look back.

Daphne typed a response. Deleted it. Typed another. Deleted that too.

Finally…fine.

Daphne

Thank you. I’ll be there. What can I bring?

Sierra’s response came immediately

Sierra

Just yourself. See you at six.

But maybe Sierra would have answers. Maybe talking to someone who’d been through something similar would help.

Daphne pulled on jeans and a sweater. Ran a brush through her hair. She grabbed her keys. Her phone.

The Blackwood ranch sat just out of town, in the foothills. She followed her GPS through winding roads as the sun simmered on the horizon.

She spotted it as she came around a curve. A barn with fresh paint. Horses in a paddock. And lights in the main house, glowing warm through windows. The smell of woodsmoke drifted through her open window.

She pulled into the driveway. Parked. Sat there with the engine running.

Five minutes. Ten. Just sitting. Debating. Breathing.

Then the front door opened, and Sierra appeared on the porch. Jeans and a flannel shirt. Hair pulled back. Smiling. Still pregnant.

Okay, fine.

Daphne got out.

“Thanks for coming,” Sierra called. “I wasn’t sure you would.”

“I wasn’t sure either,” Daphne said as she climbed the porch steps.