Page 2 of Live for Me

“Jesus, Sheri, leave her alone,” Max cut in, sounding tired.

My heart skipped a beat. None of her other boyfriends gave a crap about me.

“Don’t tell me how to raise my child, Max!”

“Leave her alone, and I’ll stay the night,” he offered, his voice hard. “Don’t go near her fucking door, and I’ll stay. Deal?”

My shoulders sagged.

Eventually, our trailer grew quiet, and I heard Mom’s bedroom door shut, but I didn’t go to sleep. I stayed up and finished my math homework. After that, I sat crisscross applesauce on my bed, facing the door just in case Mom decided to come into my room.

Good news: I got an A on my math homework.

Bad news: everyone at school stared at the bruise on my cheek the next day—including Beau Marks.

“What the heck is that?” he asked, his voice sounding strange.

I didn’t bother trying to hide it as I turned my head to face him, feeling heat in my cheeks. He was two seats down from me at the lunch table, where he sat every day. He was grade older than me, but he’d looked out for me since I was in kindergarten, ever since one of his friends accidentally knocked me down on the playground.

I shrugged a shoulder. “A bruise,” I answered.

Beau had the prettiest blue eyes I’d ever seen on this side of the Rockies, and his golden hair was my favorite shade. It was much better than my dull brown.

I watched as he brought his brows together, looking concerned. “From what?”

My mouth felt dry all of a sudden.

I’d practiced this lie in my head all morning, but I couldn’t lie to Beau.

In the future, a long time from now, one statement would remain true.

I, Abbie Spears, would never be able to lie to Beau Marks, even when a lie was the only thing that could save his life.

Chapter One

Beau

Present day. Hallow Ranch. Hayden, Co.

“Come on, boy,” I ordered, kicking my feet back as I snapped the reins, urging Spirit to move. The mustang grunted, givingme attitude before moving, carrying me across pasture two. The sun was high today, the unbearable summer heat surrounding this land. The herd was moving slower today, hundreds of black cattle brushing against each other as Lance led the herd with his brother Lawson on the right side of it. Mags, another Hallow Ranch cowboy, was on the left side, urging the herd to shift to the right so we could corral them into pasture four. Denver, my boss and owner of Hallow Ranch, was at the back of the herd, keeping everything in line.

I remained on the outskirts of the pasture, waiting for one of the cows to break away from the herd. They were restless, had been for the last week since getting their vaccines.

“Beau!”

I looked over to Denver as he whistled for me, and jerked his head, his face hidden underneath the shadow of his hat.

“Let’s go, lazy ass,” I muttered to my horse, who had stopped for a second time, guiding the beast into a light trot. As I drew closer to the herd, my ears were filled with the pounding of their hooves, my nostrils filled with the smell of cow shit, the hot summer air thick around me.

This was home.

There would never be any other place like it.

As I got closer, I lifted my chin to Denver.

“What is it?” I asked, stopping Spirit to stand in front of Denver’s horse, Ranger.

Denver turned his head, his sunglasses pointed my way, but I knew his eyes weren’t on me. They were on the tree line behind me. “You see anything out there this morning?” he asked.

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