Page 286 of The Brothers at Horseshoe Ranch

“What is it?” I asked her. “What’s wrong?”

“I have to go,” she said, her lip trembling. “I have to go now. My mom’s leaving my dad. She’s getting a divorce. She’s finally had enough.” She burst into tears.

“Oh, my God, Sadie, I’m so sorry.”

“I just don’t know what to say,” she sobbed. “I have to go. I’ll call you later.”

She ran out of the room. I struggled to pull my clothes on and caught up with her in the driveway just as she was getting into her car.

“Let me drive you there at least. Let me—”

“No, I need to be by myself now,” she said. “I need to be there for my mom.” She gave me a huge kiss. “Thank you though, Wyatt. This has been the most amazing week of my life.”

“It’s been mine too,” I said. “Call me as soon as you get home, okay?”

“Okay.” She jumped into her car and was gone.

I walked back into the living room and sat on the couch next to my mom.

“Hey, is everything okay?” she said, a worried expression on her face as she took in my face.

“Sadie’s mom and dad are getting a divorce,” I said. “Sadie’s gone home to comfort her mom.”

“Oh, my,” Mom sighed. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“You did?”

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about their relationship, and I guess a lot of families have secrets, you know? Let’s just say Sadie’s dad has not been the best to her mom, but I guess now she’s finally taken action, and I say good for her.”

“I feel so bad for Sadie, though. She’s always been such a believer in love. I’m sure this must be breaking her heart.”

“Well, she has you, Wyatt.” Mom squeezed my hand. “She has you and she has us, and we’ll always be there for her. And I’m glad you finally figured out your feelings.”

“What?” I said, staring at her.

“I know you love her, Son, and I know you know it,” she grinned. “I have something for you to give to Sadie when the time is right.”

“What are you talking about, Mom?”

“Don’t worry about it, Wyatt. I’m just happy that you and Sadie have finally realized that you’re perfect for each other. All you can do at this moment is be there for her, okay?”

“Okay, Mom,” I said. “I love you.”

“I love you too, my boy. I love you more than you’ll ever know.”

Chapter Eighty-Nine

Sadie

Sad country music songs played through the speaker in the barn. I lay on the ground staring at the fairy lights that I had strung around the room. Men sang about cheating girlfriends and lying wives, and women sang about men who couldn’t be trusted and cowboy trucks. And all I could think was my life as I’ve known it had officially ended. My mom and dad were getting divorced and everything was going to change. They were going to sell the ranch because my mom had decided she was going to move to Washington State. She wanted a brand-new start.

I guess the conversation I’d had with her had led her to see that she could have more in life. While I was happy that she was going for it, that she didn’t think she was too old to start again, I was incredibly sad to think that it was because of me that she was leaving my father. Not that he deserved a second chance, not after everything he’d put her through. But still, I’d wanted to believe in the fairytale. I’d wanted to believe that they were in love as much as Amelia and Ranger Hamilton were. I wanted to believe that he knew he’d made a mistake and that he’d change, but I knew he wouldn’t.

He was selfish and narcissistic. All he cared about was himself, about his image and having his needs met, and my mom deserved more than that. She deserved to be happy. She deserved a life full of love and laughter. She deserved to do more and be more. It pained me to know that she’d thought all she could ever do was cook and clean and take care of her family, especially knowing that she wanted more. She told me that she’d dreamed of being a race car driver when she was younger. Now she was thinking about going to school and getting a nursing degree. That had also been a dream of hers, and I could see my mom as a nurse. I could see her taking care of people.

It’d been ten days now. I felt guilty about the fact that I hadn’t returned any of Wyatt’s calls. Olivia had called, Beau had called, Lucy had called, and Austin had called. Amelia and even Ranger had called and left messages, and I hadn’t returned any of them.

I knew they were my family. I knew I could count on them, but I almost felt like I didn’t deserve it. I almost felt like it would be wrong to go back to life as normal when my mom was still struggling and I was about to lose my childhood home.

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