Page 54 of Undone

I walked to the split-rail fence with a pit in my stomach trying to figure out how I could I break it to her without throwing her off her axis. She was already nervous about the interview and having to speak to a panel. I hated the thought of causing her additional stress at a time like this. I called her before I could think too hard about what I had to do.

“Wow, are you right behind me?” she chirped without even saying hello. “I’m impressed!”

“Uh.”

“Oh.”

Damn.

“Zo, listen, I’m so sorry, but I can’t come.” I plugged on before she could say anything more. “Turns out that the guy who was supposed to work as the trail assistant has food poisoning. We’ve called around and there’s no one available who can pitch in. This group might not seem like a big deal, but they’re sort of a test run for the rest of their corporation, and I need to impress them. It could be really nice steady money for the ranch.”

“Oh.”

Once again, all it took was a single word for her to communicate an entire conversation’s worth of disappointment.

“Zo…I’m sorry, I really am. But you know how important this trail riding program is to the ranch. I can’t screw up this ride.”

She sighed. “Mm-hmm.”

“You’re mad.” I scrambled to come up with a way to make it better. “What if I fly out later tonight, after I’m done? I can meet you at the hotel. Make it up to you in any way you want…”

The line went quiet and I held my breath.

“No, it might be better if you didn’t. Just stay there and take care of the ranch. That’s your priority. You’ve shown me that a dozen times over. Let’s stop pretending otherwise.”

The resignation in her voice was unmistakable.

“Zo, now that’s not fair?—”

“Enough, Josh,” she said. “I need to focus on the road; I can’t fight with you now. Okay? I’ll see you tomorrow when I get back.”

“That’s it?” I asked, my heart dropping. “You don’t even want to talk tonight once you get there?”

“No. You’ll only throw me off when I need to prepare. We can talk in person tomorrow. In fact, I think we need to.”

I had a sinking feeling that I knew what she meant and it sounded ominous.

“Okay. Good luck with the interview.”

“Yep. Thanks. Have a good ride.”

She disconnected the call before I could reply.

I kicked my leg up on the railing and stewed about what had just gone down between us. I hated that I was disappointing Zoe, going back on a promise I’d made to her, but she had to know that work came first. The ranch needed me. This was my family’s home, and the ranch was our livelihood. The only things I knew were horses and ranching. If I lost this place, what would I do? I shook my head. My parents had entrusted me with Lost Valley Ranch. Its success or failure were on me. Of course it came first. Wasn’t it supposed to?

The more I thought about Zoe’s accusation, the angrier I got. It wasn’t like I was bailing on her because I got a better offer. I had nochoice. The only way the ranch was going to pull out of the financial slump it was in was if I dedicated every bit of my focus to growing it. My family legacy rested on my shoulders.

And if Zoe couldn’t see that, well, maybe it was better we figured things out between us sooner rather than later.

THIRTY-FOUR

ZOE

Itried to keep my face neutral as I walked up to the house in the fading light of the day. Both Shannon and Josh were waiting for me on the porch, Shannon rocking in a chair and Josh perched on the porch railing. I ignored the flutter I felt when Josh got up and walked to the top of the stairs to meet me.

“Well?” Shannon screeched at me, throwing her hands out. “I’m dying here.”

I glanced at Josh but he didn’t say anything. He was smiling, but I could tell even at a distance that it wasn’t as bright as usual.

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