Page 148 of Beautiful Exile

“I was so blind to it,” she whispered. “So blind to it that I ended up engaged to someone who sees me the same way.”

“Ellie—”

“It’s true. And what’s worse is that I don’t like the person who did that. Who let herself just go along with being treated like nothing more than an accessory.”

My gut hollowed out. “You’re so much more than that.”

“I don’t know if I am. But I’m going to change that. I told Bradley I couldn’t marry him tonight.”

“Seriously?” As much as I’d hoped my sister would break free, I knew that blowing up a years-long relationship wasn’t exactly easy.

“Yep.” I heard a refrigerator opening—or maybe a freezer—then ice clinking into a glass.

“How’d he take it?”

“About how you’d expect a spoiled, overgrown toddler to take anything he doesn’t like.”

“Ellie—”

“It’s fine. But I think I should probably put some distance between us for a while.”

“Come here,” I said instantly.

“ConCon. You’re in the honeymoon phase. You’ve had a lot of drama. You don’t need your little sister on your doorstep.”

“You’re exactly who I need. It’d do me some good to have you around. Who knows, maybe you’ll like it here.”

Ellie was quiet for a moment. “Arden did say I could be a cowgirl if I wanted to be.”

A laugh bubbled out of me. “Are you having some sort of quarter-life crisis?”

“Probably. Gonna get a cowboy hat to prove it.”

“You come to Sparrow Falls? I’ll get one for you.”

“Gonna hold you to that. Just like I’m going to make Arden give me some riding lessons.”

God, I loved the sound of that. My sister, my girl, the warm embrace I knew the Colsons would give Ellie. We needed it. All of it. And maybe that’s what Sparrow Falls would give us both. A chance to start over. To build the family we always should’ve had. The one our mom had never been able to give us the way she wanted to.

“I can’t wait,” I said softly, turning toward the house. But as I did, I froze. It took me a second to realize what was off about the image that looked back at me. The lights. Or the absence of them.

My head jerked in the direction of Arden’s place. Two windows still glowed down there. It was just Cope’s place that was submerged in darkness.

Panic grabbed hold, but I was already running, calling across the line. “Call the sheriff’s department. Tell them something’s wrong. The power’s out. It’s wrong. Everything’s wrong.”

I just didn’t know how right I was.

55

ARDEN

My bare feethit the runner on the hardwood floor, and I couldn’t help but remember another rug all those years ago—one that had been so precious to my parents, only to be stained with my mother’s blood. I wasn’t about to let history repeat itself.

The footsteps behind me continued to climb the stairs as my gaze jerked around, and I tried to find my best hiding spot as pools of moonlight lit my path. Or better yet, somewhere that might house a weapon of some sort. But there were no kitchen knives or letter openers up here. And even if there were, whoever this was could have a gun.

“Sheridan,” the voice singsonged.

It was clearly female. And familiar somehow. Panic lurched in my chest as an image of Hannah with that knife flashed in my mind. But she was in county lockup. It couldn’t be her.

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