Page 90 of The Hearts We've Broken
“Whaddya do to that girl?” Leroy croaked. “I saw something about you two getting in a fight over the weekend.”
I ignored him, resisting the urge to tell the old man toshut up and get back to reading his paper. He didn’t deserve that, even if he was a nosy, grouchy old fart.
“I told you not to mess it up.” He tutted. “It’s not every day you find someone like that. I thought you’d met your match.”
“You thought wrong,” I muttered as I opened the driver’s door of my pickup to back it up to the trailer.
Before I could close the door, he raised his voice. “You skipping town now? Too embarrassed to show your face?”
The old man seriously was going to mock me after all this?
“Are you bored or something?” I finally gave in to his harassment.
He shook his head. “No, I just know a fuckup when I see one.”
“Gee, thanks.” I rolled my eyes. “And I’m not skipping town. I’m just moving to a plot of land my friend gave me.”
“Ah, so the rumors are true.”
“Don’t you have anything better to do than speculate about my love life?”
“Clearly no.” He shrugged.
I shut the door, slamming it a bit harder than I intended. Ignoring Leroy, I backed up the pickup, having to get out, pull forward and adjust, then back up again because I kept missing the spot where the hitch needed to be. Frustration churned in my gut, and I was about to get out yetagain, but the old man had gotten up from his chair and hobbled over to the trailer.
“Come on, son.” He waved me backward, putting a hand up when I needed to stop.
I hopped out to check, and sure enough, the hitch was perfectly lined up.
“Thanks,” I muttered. I hooked up the trailer, removed the wood under the tires, and started to head back to the pickup to get the hell out of here when Leroy called my name.
I raised my brows at him, and he looked at me with empathy in his gaze.
“Mikey, I know happiness when I see it.” He sighed, his breaths wobbling with age. “You love her, I can tell. Don’t make the same mistake I made once. You can still make it right.”
What was the point anymore in trying to prove everyone wrong? They had their idea of who I was, and I wasn’t sure if I could change that. To them, I was the idiotic, womanizing bull rider who’d never be anything more than one night of fun. I was the guy who everyone laughed at, a distraction.
Juniper looked at me differently. She saw right through the bullshit, but all I’d done was prove everyone right. Even if I could fix this, I didn’t deserve her.
So, what was the point in trying?
I pursed my lips, shaking my head to be stubborn. “I’m not sure I can, Leroy.” Then I hopped in the truck, closed the door, and drove away, leaving the old man and my former home behind.
The acre of land Colter had set aside for me was nice. The plot was nestled at the base of the hills on the west end of the ranch. It wasn’t too far from his place—fairly close to it, actually—but it was enough out of the way that wewouldn’t be under each other’s noses. Probably intentional on his part, but I wasn’t complaining.
Then again, this part of the ranch had already been set up with a water well and septic system. I’d assumed the land was intended for one of Colter’s siblings, but when they both left Silver Creek, it became vacant and they didn’t have much use for it.
Dust plumed into the air about a half mile up the road while I was unhooking the trailer, and within a few minutes, Colter’s pickup was pulling up.
“What do you think?” he asked as he hopped out of the truck.
I wiped my hands on my jeans after getting up from the ground. “It’s nice. I really appreciate it, Carson.”
He shrugged. “Figured it was about time you had somewhere to call your own. This land’s just been sitting out here with no one to occupy it. If you decide to stay here and put down some roots, you can build on it.” He hesitated. “Or if you want to leave, it can be a temporary thing.”
I nodded tersely. “I’m guessing you’ve heard all about myexplosive break up.” Using air quotes, I relayed what the press had been babbling about online.
“Honestly, I don’t know what exactly happened there. It’s not my business, so I won’t pry. Partially because I’m not sure if Iwantto know, but also because I know how it feels to have everyone obsessed about your relationships. No one’s entitled to your personal life just because you’re a professional athlete.” His voice trailed off slightly, but he cleared his throat. “Anyway, if you need someone to talk to, I’m here.”
