Page 69 of Untruly With You

My bare feetare numb from the cold, but I force them toward the house. I can’t stand to look at Sutton for one more second. Hurt and sympathy collide in my chest, raging a war against each other. I try to wipe the mental image of Sutton, bruised and broken, from my mind.

I go through the back door so I can avoid any other Davises and tiptoe silently across the floor and upstairs. My chest burns at the sound of Frankie and Magnolia in the kitchen. Part of me wants to join them, offer my condolences, and soak in the warmth of their company. A bigger part of me wants to get the hell away from Silver Ridge Ranch before I have to face further devastation.

In the guest room, the first thing I do is tear Sutton’s sweater off, throwing it into a ball at the foot of the unmade bed. After redressing in the first things I grab, my too-big Scooby Doo shirt and the Wranglers I thrifted specifically for this trip, I pile everything else into my bags, not bothering to fold or organize anything. When I get to the bathroom, I can only make myself brush my teeth and comb through my mangled hair before giving up on the rest of my appearance.With one sweeping motion, I slide everything from the bathroom counter into my toiletry bag and shove it down into my suitcase.

I’m too frazzled to double-check that I left nothing behind. At the last second, I scrawl a note for Sutton on a receipt I find deep in my overstuffed purse. I slide it intoPeter Panand replace the book on the shelf. If he goes looking for the book, maybe my message will be one he needs to hear.

I pause at the top of the stairs, peering out over the landing. Frankie and Magnolia seemingly left, and there’s no sign of anyone else in the house. In fact, all I hear is the ongoing crack of Sutton’s axe outside, muffled through the walls.

There’s no sign of anyone else in the Davis family outside either, at least not within my line of sight. Thankful that I might be spared the embarrassment of an awkward farewell, I sneak to the barn, checking for any sign of Wells before entering it.

Each of the ranch hands smiles at me, their rough exteriors cracked after my week spent here. Bill, the oldest in the group, is the first to greet me.

“You look as well-rested as a tumbleweed in a dust storm,” he chuckles, tipping his hat at me.

Too anxious to bother beating around the bush, I ask, “Any chance you’re going to town this morning?”

Bill’s smile drops. “Boys,” he announces to his crew, “go on and get back to work. I’ll be back.” They do as instructed, but I notice over half of them sneaking looks at me and whispering to one another. The pieces won’t be hard to put together, especially once they learn that I’m going back to the city just six days before the wedding.

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” Bill asks under his breath, gruff as ever.

“Not really,” I whisper, tightening my grip on my bags. “Ineed a ride to Missoula. To the airport. I would ask Frankie, but…”

Bill sucks his teeth. “I can’t be gone that long—unless you’re okay to wait until the workday is done.” He takes one look at my expression and nods. “Didn’t think so. I can take you to town, though. There’s a bus that leaves in an hour from the Gas ’n’ Go.”

“Yes, please,” I say. “The sooner, the better.” Bill turns to lead me out to his truck, and I grab his arm. “Can we… Can you not tell anyone about this until I’m gone?”

Bill’s silver mustache twitches. “Does Sutton know?”

Just hearing his name makes my breath catch. “He thinks it’s best if I go,” I say.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Bill grabs my bags from me. Once we’re at his truck, he throws them into the dirty bed. And then we’re off down the long dirt road back to town. Not wanting to watch the landscape go by one last time, I try to keep my eyes on my phone, frantically searching for the next flight out of Montana. I book it immediately, flinching at the price and typing my credit card number in. I wonder how long it will take me to pay the flight off, especially if I don’t get hired on full-time withWonderings.

“You know, don’t you?” Bill asks as the bus stop comes into view. One look in his watery eyes, and I know exactly what he’s referring to.

“Sutton found out last night. I found out this morning.”

Bill puts the truck into park. “I’m sorry Sutton pushed you away. He’s been like that ever since he was little. He never liked facing conflict. Never liked admitting when he was sad. He’d just shove his feelings to the side and pretend they didn’t exist. Guess he’s still doing that.”

I try to clear the lump—the boulder—in my throat. “I guess.”

Bill’s hands tighten on the wheel. “This past week, seeinghim again, it’s been like seeing a new person. I’ve never seen that kid smile so much. And most of the time, those smiles were aimed right at you.”

It was all for show, I want to scream.It was all fake.Instead, I mumble out, “Thank you for the ride,” and hurry from the car. Bill helps with the bags, and then he’s off to Silver Ridge, leaving me alone with nothing but my nonsensical thoughts.

Losing Sutton—even if I never had him at all—is indescribable. Worse, knowing that my flaws I’ve tried to hide from my whole life are to blame. He said it himself.Impulsive. Indecisive. Distracting.

I play the words again and again in my mind until their syllables lose all meaning.

32

SUTTON

Everything hurts.

My jaw. My eye. My chest.

It takes me nearly an hour to work up the nerve to face Laine again. Chopping wood did little in the way of releasing the tension I was harboring. Instead, it just left me sore and sweaty. Walking inside, I catch a glimpse of my reflection. I almost look as bad as I feel.

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