Page 54 of Some Cowgirls are Worth Protecting

“I’m not coming home,” Hudson shot back. “I don’t know what possessed you to use my friend to call me, but you shouldn’t have.”

“Hudson—”

“No. I’m not coming back, not until… I figure out a few things.” Careful. He couldn’t give away what he was trying to do. Best case, she chastised him and told him he needed to be smarter and just do as she said. Worst case? She’d call the local law enforcement and get him in trouble. That was the last thing he needed. He could already see Wade’s judgmental stare if he had to get bailed out of county lockup for something.

“There’s nothing to figure out,” she said, that usual defeated tone coming in loud and clear. “You need to come back, if not for me, for your family.”

He huffed. His family didn’t need him. Rachel needed him. “You know what’s ironic? You’re calling me to come back when, at the exact same moment, you’re preparing to leave. How does that make sense, Rachel? How can a quitter ask that of someone when they’re not willing to stick it out?”

The deafening silence on the other end of the phone was all he needed to know he’d struck a chord. “I’ll come back when you can guarantee that you’re not going anywhere.”

“I can’t do that,” she finally whispered.

“Then I can’t come home. Goodbye, Rachel.”

26

Rachel

Love wasn’t worth the heartache.

Rachel knew that now.

This kind of hollowness she felt in her chest was by far the worst she’d experienced, and that included when she’d realized that she wasn’t alone in the world—that she had a sister.

Sure, she had adoring parents, but there was always something that separated them from her in some way. They loved her. They wanted to have a child of their own. However, Rachel still felt a bigger, stronger connection with Athena that she couldn’t obtain with her adoptive parents.

Likewise, Hudson had occupied a part of her heart that she hadn’t known needed to be filled. Now that he was gone, she felt that ache distinctly. There were times during the day when she’d clutch her chest over her heart and just wait for the sharp pains to dull into a numbing ache.

“It’s going to be okay.”

Rachel jumped and stared at Mateo with unseeing eyes. “What?”

“He’s an idiot, I’ll give you that. But whatever this is—whatever the reason he has, I promise it’s going to end up okay. Hudson is a lot of things, but he’s not intentionally vindictive.”

“No,” she whispered, unable to use her voice. “I never thought he was.”

Mateo crouched down and scratched Odin behind the ears. The dog hadn’t moved from his spot on the front porch. He stared out at the road, and any time a truck rumbled by, he’d lift his head. Rachel couldn’t tell if he was trying to protect the house or if he was depressed and waiting for Hudson to return.

She could understand the second part. She certainly hadn’t felt this out of sorts in ages. Never had she thought that Hudson would just up and leave without a word. He was supposed to come back from his little temper tantrum and tell her she was right.

It wasn’t smart to stay here when someone was out to get her. Couldn’t he see that? Maybe if she was the only target, she’d be able to stay. But the second the person started to target the people she cared about, that was when she knew she needed to do something.

There was one big problem.

This land that she’d bought—it called to her even now. Her heart was here. It didn’t matter that Mr. Grant had offered her the moon to leave and run a charity that she could connect with. This sanctuary was a passion project that was currently yelling the loudest in her head.

Mateo glanced up at her from where he still crouched. “Rachel?”

She jumped and glanced down at him. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

His firm expression was more than easy to read. He was worried. He might not be worried about her. He could be worried about the dog. He could be worried about Hudson. She wasn’t naïve enough to believe he would waste any of that worry on a person who didn’t belong.

Mateo got to his feet and folded his arms. “When was the last time you got a decent amount of sleep?”

She brushed him off, moving to the edge of the porch. “I didn’t ask you to come here to check on me.”

“No, you asked me to come here and check on the dog when what you really wanted was to talk to Hudson. But Odin is fine, and Hudson?—”

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