Page 37 of Reckless Hearts
Ch 12 - Delilah
“Jesus Christ.” I clutched my chest, stopping short after nearly trampling over someone on the way inside the Freedom Reins stables. But my breath caught when I realized it was Claire. We’d been tiptoeing around each other for the last two days. A part of me wasn’t even sure I still had a job at the ranch, but I wasn’t about to stop showing up. Not until someone told me to.
She looked like shit. Dark circles under her eyes, pale skin, a messy bun on the top of her head. Despite how much she hurt me, I hated seeing her so down and felt even worse that I was probably the reason why. But then I remembered she basically called me an irresponsible whore and suddenly didn’t feel so bad.
I looked down my nose at her. “What do you want?”
“Can we talk?” Her voice was small, brittle. I hadn’t heard it like that since her mom died four months ago. It chipped away at that icy exterior I’d just put on like armor.
“I think you’ve said enough, don’t you?” I walked past her to the tack room. “You made your opinion of meperfectlyclear.” I couldn’t keep the bite out of my voice—or the hurt. Because of her, I’d spent the last two days rethinking my entire life,wondering if she was right, and I couldn’t be trusted. I’dsobbedin front of Emmett for fuck’s sake. Not once, but twice! And while I adored the way he unexpectedly comforted me, I hadn’t wanted him to see me like that. Not when we were supposed to be casual.
“Please, Delilah,” Claire pleaded, following after me.
I took Willow’s saddle down with a grunt and propped it against my hip. “I don’t have anything to say to you,” I muttered as I stormed past her.
“Then don’t talk,” she pressed, sounding desperate now while chasing after me. “Just listen. Please.”
I didn’t respond while I tacked Willow. I hadn’t even planned on riding, but I needed to get away from Claire. My hands shook as I reached under her to grab the other side of the cinch that went around her lower chest.
“I…I fucked up,” she stammered, coming to my side. “I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
A bitter laugh left me, and I gave her my back. “We both know you never say anything you don’t mean, Claire.”
She came around Willow’s other side, forcing me to look at her while I tightened straps and fiddled with shit that didn’t need fiddling with. “Well, I didn’t mean that. I know it wasn’t your fault that the sponsorship got pulled, even if Ethan said he heard things about you.”
I just stared at her, amazed at how terrible she was at apologizing. “Is there supposed to be an apology in there or…?”
She came towards me, eyes pleading. “Would you even accept one?”
“Don’t know.” I brushed the tangles out of Willow’s mane. “You really hurt my feelings,” I admitted, quieter.
“I know, and I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice cracking. “I don’t know why I acted like that.”
My eyes slid to hers slowly, as if to sayAre you serious?“Because you’re a control freak.”
The corner of her mouth twitched with a smile. “I am. And I know I need to work on that. Beau’s been on my ass since you left our house.”
A flare of burning heat blasted through me. I sucked my teeth, turning to face her. “Oh, sothat’swhy you’re apologizing? Because yourboyfriendtold you to? Not because you actually think you’ve done anything wrong. Typical.”
“No, I know I fucked up. I knew it the second you left, I knew it when Emmett chewed me out after, I knew it when I went to bed and couldn’t sleep after. I’ve known it while I’ve been hiding from you like a coward since.”
My hand froze on Willow’s side, my heart in my throat. “Emmett chewed you out more?” I could barely get the words out.
She scoffed. “Yeah. He even told me he’d quit if I didn’t fix this with you.” I opened my mouth, but she cut me off. “And I’m not doing this because of him either.”
My gaze darted around the stall, not knowing what to think, what to say when I saw him next. Why would he do that? I didn’t mean anything to him, not anything worth walking away from his job for.
“I hate myself for hurting you. I shouldn’t have said what I did. It was cruel, and I lost sight of what really matters.” My throat tightened when she grabbed my hand. “You’re my sister, Delilah, and I love you. I know just how essential you are to Golden Circle, and that Freedom Reins wouldn’t exist without you. I wouldn’t have ever been considered a viable option for Cavendish if it weren’t for you and the program. I owe all of this to you. And I’ve never truly thanked you for helping me save this place.”
Some of the doubt I felt melted away at her words. I hadn’t realized how badly I needed to hear that from her until she said it.
“We both know it was my fault,” I whispered hoarsely.
“Even if it was, that didn’t give me the right to criticize you like that.”
I swallowed thickly. “No. It didn’t.”
Her chin wobbled, and a tear slid down her cheek. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, squeezing my hand. “You were right the other day, we’re all a team. I’ve just been so used to doing everything on my own that I don’t know how to let go of control and delegate. But that’s no excuse. I trust you, Delilah. I always have.”
