Page 79 of Relentless

Harper felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, and she checked her notifications. She felt her heart skip a beat, noticing it was a voice memo from Delia.

“Well, it’s about time,” she mumbled.

“What was that?” Oakleigh asked.

“Oh, um,” Harper corrected quickly. “Nothing.”

She turned away and pulled her phone to her ear, hearing her best friend’s excited voice for the first time in what felt like ages.

Delia Hollister:

“Where on earth have you been?

I’m sure you’ve already heard, but Shep

got the job!”

Her best friend’s announcement left her breathless.

It was finally over. Their family’s struggle had come to an end. She pushed off the stall and headed for the door.

“Where you going, Mom?” Oakleigh asked.

“Back to the house,” Harper said. “I have some business to attend to.”

Harper held herself back from practically skipping to the porch. She was confident when she broke the news that Oakleigh wouldn’t hesitate to join her on the flight home. Yankingoff her boots, she pushed the front door open and went straight to her room. She flung her bag on the bed and immediately began to pack her things.

I should tell her now.

“No, I’ll wait,” she decided.

Harper was shrewd enough to know it would take the perfect storm to persuade her stubborn daughter, but she was confident the moment would arrive.

She just had to be patient.

Oakleigh was determined, yet terribly predictable.

The allure of standing in front of thousands once again made Harper burst with excitement. Before long, she would be back on speaking tours, and writing her memoir about rising from the ashes. The thought prompted her to leave herself a quick note.

Pulling her phone to her lips, she hit record.

“Title of my next book:

Rising from the Ashes, the Harper Davenport story.”

Predictably, she and Shep would have to do an apology tour. Harper had perfected the solemn look of disappointment, accompanied with tears of shame. She left herself another quick note to request an increase in the church budget for more tissues.

Harper sighed.

And to have a staff again.

Money, makeup artists, nannies, and maids — a bustling household.She was finally in charge of the narrative of her life, and the church she had built from nothing was back in her grasp.

It felt so right.

Harper would never feel the sting of loneliness again. Those who had abandoned her would flock to her side, pleading to be allowed back into the fold of her good graces.

Most importantly, she would be leaving the ranch.

---