Page 13 of Unbreakable Love

My head was spinning. “Okay. Slow down and let’s start at the top. The Kelleys obviously helped found the town, but what else makes them important?”

On cue, like I’d told the best joke in the planet and won a spot on a Vegas headlining stage, both Faye and Dolly slapped their hands to the table and threw their heads back and laughed.

“I can’t believe you don’t know. Or haven’t heard.” Faye laughed so hard she snorted, which only made Dolly fall into her and cover her own mouth as the laughing persisted.

Once they were calm and Faye pulled out a mirror from her purse to wipe mascara and tears that had formed in her eyes, Dolly continued.

“The Kelley Family owns a ranch outside town. It’s one of the top three largest cattle ranches in the state, top ten in the country or something absurd like that. They’re not only well-loved in the ranching community, but they’re basically considered Colorado’s favorite family.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Faye said. “Let’s run it down.”

My ears perked up as they started dishing out all the news on the Kelley Family; Dalton who was running the ranch with his dad; Cameron—Ava’s boyfriend—who played professional football; Caleb, who played pro hockey in Denver; and their sister Meredith. She wasn’t only married to an ex-teammate and one of Caleb’s best friends, they lived in Nashville where he played pro hockey, too. They mentioned Gavin, obviously Josie, and made an offhand comment about Gavin working construction in town, and then Bryce. The baby, who was working on making his own name for himself by opening a brewery near the ranch.

By the time Faye and Dolly were done with the stories and the background, jumping in and out of each other’s stories like jackrabbits, I was flabbergasted. I would not have guessed that a family that popular, that wealthy, or that well-known not only came from a town like this but stayed here.

“So they’re royalty,” I teased. “And everyone loves them. Do they deserve it?”

“Absolutely,” Faye said. “Swear to you. Some are rougher around the edges but go home and look them up. Kelleys are salt of the Earth people, damn good people. Thank goodness.”

“And they’re all so freaking hot it’s unreal,” Dolly muttered.

“Have either of you ever dated one of them?”

“Nah, Gavin and Bryce were younger, and Caleb and Cameron were older. We were closest with Meredith and were around them a lot, but I think too young for them to notice us much.”

“Besides,” Dolly said, “Faye fell in love with Max when she was like twelve.”

“Don’t remind me. Fat lot of good it did me.” She curled her lip and took a hefty swallow of her beer.

“Your ex-husband, I take it?” She’d mentioned she had kids, and they were with her dad, so it wasn’t a leap.

“Got divorced last year,” Faye said.

“I’m sorry.” Her smile and happiness disintegrated as soon as Dolly brought him up. Even she was looking sheepish, like Max wasn’t supposed to be mentioned.

“Me too,” Faye finally said and plastered on a fake smile. “Need another drink?”

“I’ll get them,” Dolly said and practically shoved Faye off the bench to get out. “You sit your ass down and remember to have fun tonight.”

“You don’t have to say anything, or tell me anything, if you don’t want,” I said once Dolly was gone.

“It’s not like everyone doesn’t know or you won’t hear. Fun times in a small town.” As she said it, she tossed back another drink from her beer. “Max and I were high school sweethearts. We went to Colorado State together and got married when we were twenty. I was actually pregnant, but we didn’t know that when we got married, so anyway, that was a scandal in itself.”

“That sounds like it would have been a lot.” I couldn’t imagine doing college, being married, and being pregnant or having a small baby.

“It wasn’t easy, but it was fun, and it worked.” She shrugged, scanned the crowd, and smiled at a few people she must have recognized before lowering her voice and leaning closer. “He went on a bachelor party trip last year to Vegas.”

Oh no. My heart sank. “I’m so sorry, Faye.”

“Yeah, well, so am I. And so was he because he wasn’t in the door five minutes after the trip before he told me everything.” She inhaled a shaky breath and pushed her lips to the side. “Said he got carried away, started hearing about all the guys talking about all the girls they’d been with, the difference between them and their wives, and he just lost his mind, got curious. Did something stupid. Regretted it instantly, but that didn’t matter much to me. All he left me with was a broken heart, feeling like I wasn’t good enough and he had to go exploring.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said again. I’d already said it, but what else was there to say?

“Thank you. It’s been rough, and I hate that I still love him, still want him, and I know if I told him I forgave him, he’d come back, too. Wants that more than me maybe. But how do I trust him? He made me feel like… so worthless. Anyway…it’s only been a year. Things will get better.” She straightened her spine and slapped on the fakest smile I’d ever seen.

I let her have it. But since she’d been so open, I couldn’t help but want to share my own secret.

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