Page 29 of Wasted

Every corner of this place whispered her name. The porch swing creaked with phantom laughter, and the stables echoed with stolen kisses. I hated this place and all its memories. I hated that I saw Taylor everywhere I looked, and worse was that it was all happy memories until the last time I saw her, but that was the one memory that still haunted this place.

Bailey emerged onto the porch, her lips curving into a hesitant smile. "Hey, brother." The last time I saw Bailey was over a year ago when she showed up at one of my gigs in Texas.

"Hey, little sis." I smiled. Even Bailey looked the same. Her dark hair was a little longer, and she looked a little thinner, but she still had the same big brown eyes.

Bailey leaned against the porch railing, her eyes searching mine. "How long are you back for?"

"Just long enough to convince Kylie to come back to Nashville with River."

"What about Taylor?"

I groaned. That was a loaded question. I was furious with Taylor and Caleb. I was angry that they decided my future for me without me. I was mad at what they took away from me, the future I thought I was going to have. "How long have you known?" Her eyes met mine, and her smile faded. "Did you know when you came to my show?"

"Yes." She nodded. "And if your next question is, why didn't you tell me? Because you wouldn't have listened. You're so freaking stubborn."

She was right. I wouldn't have listened. The minute I heard Taylor's name, I would have shut her out. "It doesn't matter. Nothing's changed; I don't want to see her again."

Bailey's frown deepened as she crossed her thin arms over her chest. "God, Cole. You're still so fucking stubborn." She shook her head, exasperation evident in every movement. She turned like she was going to walk away but stopped and twisted back to me. "I don't agree with what Taylor and Caleb did, but I understand it, and if you could get your head out of your ass, you would too. It wasn't like she took the easy way out. And I will be forever thankful for what she did for Caleb during his last few months, and really, she did it for you."

My jaw clenched, bitterness seeping into every word. "I'm sure she got his life insurance."

"She did." Bailey's gaze shifted past me like she was deep in thought. "Caleb left her enough to pay off her parent's land, but our mother threw such a fit that Taylor surrendered all of it just to keep the peace. Now she owns a bar she doesn't want but won't let go of because it was Caleb’s, and she's over her head in debt all so that you could reach your dreams, Caleb wouldn't die alone, and her dad could be buried next to his wife."

I wasn't even sure how to respond, but I didn't have a chance. The wailing screams of the tornado siren echoed in the distance.

I ran a hand through my hair, frustration evident in every movement. "Shit. I damn sure don't miss this." We had tornados in Tennessee, but not like we did here in Bridgewater. My gaze flicked up to the black skies. "You stay here; I'll set the horses free."

"We heard the weather may get rough, so Colt set them free earlier." Colt had been our ranch hand since I was a kid. The wind picked up, whipping through the covered porch and taking several plants with it. "I'll get Mom and Dad into the storm cellar."

My breath caught in my throat as a familiar worry gnawed at my gut. "Taylor." Her plane landed in Bridgewater this morning. She would be home by now.

Bailey's eyes met mine, understanding flashing between us. "She'll be at the stables. She just got home and she doesn't have anyone else to set the horses free."

"Damn it," I muttered. Of course she would. She always put everyone and everything above herself.

Bailey tossed me a set of keys. "Take the four-wheeler." I caught them reflexively, muscle memory from countless summer nights kicking in. The path to Taylor's on this exact four-wheeler would be etched in my mind forever, each turnand gateway as familiar as my own name. "The gates are always open." I fixed her with a withering stare. I knew that the gates were always open. It wasn't my first time here. "Where's River and Kylie?"

"In the city for tonight, seeing her grandparents," I said, stumbling down the steps. "Do me a favor and call and check on them. Make sure they aren't coming back tonight."

"I will. Go." She pointed to the four-wheeler sitting at the edge of the porch. "And be careful."

Shoving the key in the ignition, I kicked my leg over before shoving down the throttle, and the four-wheeler zipped forward. Flicking a glance over my shoulder, the rain started to trickle down, and by the time I jerked to a stop in front of Taylor's stable, I was soaked.

I leapt off the four-wheeler, my voice carrying over the howling wind as I sprinted through the open bay doors. "Taylor!" Her parents custom-made these stable when Taylor was ten. It was Taylor's favorite place in the whole world growing up. "Taylor."

She froze, her blonde hair slicked to her face and her clothes dripping wet. "Cole?"

"We have to go now." The sirens still echoed in the distance.

Taylor's fingers fumbled with a stall latch, her eyes darting between the horses and the gathering storm. "I will as soon as I release them." Taylor loved her horses, and if she had to choose, she would always pick her horses over herself. Apparently, she would always pick everyone over herself. "They aren't safe here."

I twisted back, taking in the clouds and their funneling formation. "Fine," I hissed. "I'll help, but then we have to get to the storm cellar fast." She nodded. "You get that end, and I'll get this end."

There were over twenty-five stalls, and thankfully, not all of them were filled anymore. I ran from side to side, releasingeach door and setting every horse free until I came to the last stall that read Rodeo over. Rodeo was Taylor's horse. He was an Appaloosa that was white with brown spots, and he was beautiful, but he was too old to ride now. "Hey, boy." The horse sauntered up to the door and bumped the hand that I held out for him. This horse had been a huge part of Taylor and I's past. "Been a long time." I scratched his nose, and he nudged me like he'd remembered me. I pulled the latch and opened the stall, releasing him.

The wind whistled, shaking the old building, and a scream ripped through the silence. "Taylor?" I shouted, taking off running. My heart pounded, and my pulse raced at the thought of something happening to her. "Taylor?" I rounded the corner, spotting her lying on the ground like she'd been knocked down. "Holy shit." I slid down to the ground at her side.

She winced, struggling to push herself into a sitting position. "I'm okay."

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