Page 74 of A Montana Fake Marriage

Lacey hummed.

“I did text him the other day, though.”

“Caleb?”

Sammie rolled her eyes. “No. Not Caleb. My father.”

Slowly, Lacey’s eyes drifted toward her over the top of her son’s head. “Really? What did you say?”

Sammie shrugged.

“Seriously, what did you say? Did you tell him off? Please tell me you told him he isn’t allowed to contact you anymore. That man is bad news. I don’t know any father who would treat their daughter the way he’s treated you.”

Sammie wanted to shrink away until no one could see her. Caleb had mentioned something similar over the last couple of years. He despised her father more than anyone she knew. “Not exactly.”

Lacey placed her mug on the coffee table and turned to face Sammie fully, pulling Bridger into her lap as she did. “What did you say?”

With another lift of her shoulder, Sammie heaved out a sad breath. “I told him he should be happy because he was right about Caleb.”

“Sammie—” Lacey snapped, her voice argumentative.

“But I’m still not coming home.”

Her friend gaped at her. “You’renot? Notever?”

It wasn’t difficult to shake her head. Sammie folded her arms and turned her gaze to the cartoon, unable to meet Lacey’s eyes as she continued. “I told him he can sell all my stuff. I don’t want it. I’m not going to jump through any more hoops for that money because it poisons people.” She had wanted to tell him she shouldn’t have listened to him about Caleb, but she had refrained. To do so would only demonstrate that she wasn’t smart enough to think with her head instead of her heart.

“Sweetie…” Lacey’s voice was softer this time, and completely laced with pity.

Sammie frowned, her jaw flexing. She didn’t want Lacey’s pity. She didn’t want to be told everything would be okay. All she wanted was to get through the heartache she’d experienced and start fresh.

Unfortunately, she wanted nothing more than to have her fresh start here—in Rocky Ridge. She just didn’t know if she’d be able to manage it now that she had a history with one of its citizens.

“I’m going to keep working at the restaurant. I’ll save up what I can and find a place of my own.”

“You don’t have to?—”

“I can’t keep crashing on your couch.” She offered Lacey a grateful smile. “As much fun as watching Dino Tales every Saturday morning is, I think it’s important for me to make it out on my own—without any help.”

Lacey nodded. If anyone could understand, it was her. She’d had her own past that pushed her to carve her own path.

Sammie let their conversation hover in the air between them before she glanced over at Lacey. “Do you know if any of the vetclinics in this area need help? Or maybe a ranch that specializes in training horses? I really want to work with animals, and since I don’t have the money for school, I need to start at the bottom until I can get to that point.”

Lacey’s brow puckered. “I don’t know. Honestly? I think that Sagebrush is the ranch that does the most with horses right now. But seeing as that’s where Caleb is…”

Sammie shook her head. “I can’t go there.” Probably not ever. She didn’t want to show her face after she’d just left without saying goodbye. She’d spoken to Bo about no longer being available to work, so that wasn’t the issue.

It was Caleb.

She knew in her gut that she wouldn’t be able to survive living and working on the same ranch as him. It would hurt too much.

“I suppose I could ask around. I have a lot of regulars who might know. And you can always go visit the clinics in person to ask around. I’m not sure what they’d start you with…” Lacey shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt to ask, though.”

Sammie nodded. Not the lead she was hoping for.

“You working tonight?” Lacey murmured.

“Yeah. You?”

---