Page 63 of Rust and Stardust

“Yes ma’am.”

She nodded. “Good. Now go and don’t come back without him.”

Chapter 26

Lucas

“Well, that went about as well as I expected it to,” Logan sighed as we rode the elevator down to the lobby with a box each. They contained everything we’d accumulated at our job over the past few years and mine was surprisingly light. “Now I guess we just have to break out leases and get out of here.”

I couldn’t help but scoff. “With what money?”

“I know…” he sighed. “I have a little saved up, but it probably won’t be enough. I spent a lot of it getting down to Sagebrush.”

“Mine’s gone too from that trip.” I turned away from Logan, not wanting to show the emotions threatening to overwhelm me. “I lost a lot down there.”

Logan was quiet, knowing exactly how torn up I was about the entire affair. Leaving my perfect cowboy behind was hard enough, but breaking his heart with my lies was almost most than I could bear.

The elevator dinged, and we stepped out into the lobby. The late afternoon sun streamed through the glass doors, casting long shadows across the polished floor. I felt Logan's hand on my shoulder, a comfortingweight.

“Hey,” he said softly, “we'll figure something out. We always do.”

I nodded, not trusting my voice. We pushed through the revolving doors into the musky New York air, the scent of exhaust and sweat filling my nostrils. As we walked towards the subway, I couldn't help but think of the wide-open spaces of Sagebrush, the rolling hills and endless sky. The memory of strong arms around me, the scent of leather and hay, made my chest ache. Being there made me feel like I could breathe. But here, the place I used to love and call home, I felt like I was in a cage made of skyscrapers.

“You know,” Logan started, his voice hesitant, “we could always go back to Sagebrush. My folks would put us up for a while. I know they wouldn’t mind.”

“I can’t believe they forgave you so easily,” I muttered. “You’d think they didn’t care about the family secrets to begin with.”

“I can’t believe they did either,” he sighed. “Although I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of it, especially if we go back.”

“You know I can’t go back there, Logan. Not with… with him.”

Logan fell silent, his eyes filled with sympathy. We walked a few more steps before he spoke again, his voice low and gentle.

“Lucas, I know it's hard. But maybe... maybe it's time to face him again. You can't run forever.”

I stopped in my tracks, causing a businessman behind us to curse as he swerved to avoid collision. “I'm not running,” I snapped, even as the lie tasted bitter on my tongue.

Logan raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. “Really? Because it seems to me like you've been running since the moment we left Sagebrush.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but the words died in my throat. He was right, of course. I'd been running - from my feelings, from the truth, from the man I'd left behind.

“Look,” Logan continued, his voice softening. “I know I’m in no position to be giving you advice. I made the same mistake you did except the falling for a cowboy part.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say that is I know how special thatwas for you. How much you cared for him. God knows why, because I sure as hell don’t, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that he’s your person.” Logan reached out, laying a hand on my shoulder. “You can’t just let that go.”

Tears pooled at the corners of my eyes. “I have to, Logan,” I said, my voice cracking. “He told me to leave. That he doesn’t want to see me again.”

“Maybe he’s changed his mind.”

“No. He hasn’t,” I said, shaking my head. “I ruined it forever. My one shot at a perfect romance is dead.”

Logan's eyes softened with understanding. “Perfect romance? Lucas, there's no such thing. Every relationship has its bumps and bruises. What matters is how you handle them.”

I wiped my eyes, frustrated by my own weakness. “How can I handle anything when he won't even talk to me?”

“You show up,” Logan said simply. “You go back to Sagebrush, and you face him. You tell him the truth - all of it this time.”

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