Page 6 of A Marriage Pact for the Cowboy

Dad shook his head. “You’ve done enough. All you could, and more than I deserved. Besides, it’s final. I met with Larry and Karen at the lawyer’s office this afternoon and signed papers.”

“And you’re only telling me when it’s a done deal?” She surged to her feet and stared down at her father.

“Because I knew you’d fight me, but there was no other way. Believe me, Rynie. I’ve tried.”

“But…

“You’re so much like your mother.”

“I think you’re confusing me with Amelia. She was the beautiful one who could charm the socks off of anyone.”

Dad shook his head with a sad laugh. “She might have looked more like your mother, but you have Kendra’s spunk and loyalty. Your sister did not have those qualities.”

Hard to argue there. Amelia assumed the world owed her a living. She’d flitted through half a dozen different jobs in the years Eryn had worked her way up at Debby’s Diner.

“Larry and I haven’t confirmed when we need to be out of the house. He’ll do the best he can by us, I know that. He’s a solid Christian man, a good neighbor.”

“Can we rent the house from him?”

“It’s no great shakes, Rynie. He might use it for migrant workers for a while, or just tear it down. There’s been no money to keep it up.” He shook his head and twisted the coffee cup on the table. “I’ve failed everyone, and you’re the only one left to see it.”

Eryn rested her hands on his shoulders, only to feel him trembling with pent-up grief. “Dad. You did the best you could. I should have helped more.”

“No, Eryn. It’s not on the children to bail out their parents. You should look at getting your own place in town in the next few weeks. Start dating. Don’t waste your life looking after your old man.”

Maxwell’s descriptions of western Montana wafted through Eryn’s mind. If a person had to start anew, why not a change of scenery? Dorothy might have thought there was no place like Kansas after she’d been in Oz for a while, but personally, Eryn was pretty sure she’d be happy to live someplace else. Anywhere else.

Dad would never move away. And even though he was pushing her out of the nest, she couldn’t leave him behind in Gilead.

“After your reunion events, I guess we’ll need to face Amelia’s bedroom. I wish I were strong enough to do it alone, but I’m not.”

Eryn let out a long, shuddering breath. Neither of them had been inside since Amelia’s death, unless Dad had snuck in there when Eryn wasn’t looking. Doubtful.

“Okay. We can do that.” Did she want to? Not even a tiny bit. Time hadn’t dulled the dread of going through Amelia’s things. Eryn had burned her own high-school journals after her twin’s passing. No way did she want anyone to read through those if she died an untimely death. Would she read Amelia’s? She’d try not to, out of respect for the dead, but the pull might be too strong.

She squeezed Dad’s shoulders once before resuming her seat. “I’ll find some boxes. We can start Sunday afternoon. Or I could skip the rest of the reunion. It’s not like anyone would notice if I weren’t there.”

Even Maxwell Sullivan. But it was sweet of him to cross the gymnasium to convey his condolences and chat for a while as though Eryn hadn’t been the class wallflower.

“No, no. Enjoy your friends.”

As if they were her friends. They’d been Amelia’s, for the most part. “It’s no problem to skip.”

“What’s on tomorrow’s agenda?”

“Horseback riding at Walker Ridge Ranch in the morning. A round of golf in the afternoon. I can definitely miss that. I haven’t golfed in my life, and it’s not like I ever will again. And then a catered dinner in the school gym.”

“You’ve already paid to attend everything. Enjoy. Because Amelia’s room won’t be nearly as much fun.”

He made it sound like the reunion events were going to be a laugh a minute. In comparison, maybe he wasn’t far wrong.

If Maxwell Sullivan looked her way another time or two, Dad might even be right.

Not that guys like him ever settled down with girls like her.

Chapter

Three

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