Page 67 of Fall With Me (Sugarland Creek)

“But what if it doesn’t?” My voice cracks. “Dr. Murray said that sometimes it never comes back.”

His shoulder lifts in a weak shrug. “If it doesn’t in a few weeks, then I’ll tell you about the day we first met and you can decide from there if you still want to get to know me.”

“Can’t you break the rules a little and just tell me now? Or at least, something about it? Where? When?”

He chews his bottom lip as he considers.

“Alright, but then you can’t tell. I don’t need Noah scoldin’ me.” He smirks, and I nod in agreement.

He blows out a breath as if he’s preparing for the worst. “You arrived at the ranch to board Ranger. Noah asked me to help with your training so you’d be ready for the next season in just a few months. I hadn’t known I was meetin’ you that day and was wearin’ a shirt that you found insulting. Then you caught me checkin’ out your ass and accused me of sexualizing you. Granted, I made a bad first impression. You’ve basically hated me since then.”

I furrow my brows because why would one bad introduction piss me off to this level four years later?

I would’ve been nineteen when we met, so him looking at my ass wouldn’t have been that inappropriate. And I’m not some prude who gets upset over a shirt.

“That’s wild…and it’s wild that I don’t remember that.” I rack my brain for any sense of remembrance of that day and it’s blank. Not even a blur. No memory of bringing Ranger to the ranch at all. I don’t even know the last thing I do remember.

“I’m sure that’ll clear. You smacked your head quite hard and havin’ a concussion can fuck you up for a while.”

“Can you tell me something else? Maybe during training or when we’ve seen each other at the ranch?”

“I shouldn’t.”

When I pout, he grins. “Trust me, I want to, but not yet. Maybe in a few days.”

“Okay, fair enough.”

“Do you wanna rest before your parents arrive?”

“I probably should. I was gonna ask for some more pain meds because my head feels like it’s drowning.”

Landen grabs a remote and hands it to me. “Just press the red button and the nurse will come. But feel free to close your eyes and sleep. I’m not going anywhere.”

Chapter Sixteen

LANDEN

By the time Ellie’s parents arrive, she’s long passed out.

I greet them in the hallway and their surprised expressions tell me they know I shouldn’t be here either.

Still, I catch them up on what I know since the on-call doctor is with other patients.

“Thank you, Landen.” Mr. Donovan claps my shoulder—a smidge too hard—but I grin in return. “And for stayin’ with her. We got here as soon as we could leave.”

“No problem.”

I watch them go into her room, wishing I could go back in too, but they deserve some alone time with her.

This new version of Ellie is throwing me off, and I’m not quite sure if it’s a good thing or not. There has to be a reason she hasn’t liked me all these years. I had finally accepted I’d never change her mind about me. But now, I’m so fucking confused about what to do because this Ellie seems to like me.

Shelikesme.

But how can I just go along with it knowing she didn’t before?

The moment she remembers she doesn’t will destroy me after getting my hopes up for a second chance.

My heart would break worse than it did before when she asked me to keep my distance.

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