Page 50 of Live for Me

My best friend gave Beau nothing and looked at me. “You ready?” he prompted firmly.

I cleared my throat and nodded. Thankfully, my body could move now, but when I stepped forward, heading towards the passenger side of the car, Beau’s hand shot out, landing on my mid-section. My breath caught, and I looked up at him, finding despair in his eyes.

There were so many things Iwantedto say.

So many things Ineededto say.

So many things Icouldn’tsay.

Silence stretched between us our gazes holding each other captive as my heart drummed, the sound filling my ears. After a few moments, Beau’s hand dropped, and he looked away from me.

Something, deep within the broken parts of my soul, died in that moment.

The moment Beau Marks truly, finally, let me go.

I looked straight ahead and lifted my chin, hoping the disguise would work, hoping no one could see the torment storming inside me.This was for the best.

Someday, I prayed I would be able to tell him the truth. When we were both old and gray, I prayed he would have mercy on me.

I prayed he wouldunderstand.

I opened the door and turned back to face them, the Hallow Ranch sign directly above me. Harmony’s eyes shined with friendship, her curls gently shifting in the breeze. I gave her a nod and mouthed, “Thank you,” before casting one more look at Beau.

He wasn’t looking at me, focusing on anything but me as his horse huffed and puffed behind him. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. After a moment, he looked down at his boots, his throat working.

This was our silent goodbye.

I got into the car and looked down at my lap.

Then, I burst into tears.

“You ready to tell me what the hell is going on?” Dave asked from the driver’s seat, the hum of his engine filling the space.

I looked up to find a tissue in his hand, held out for me. I sniffled and muttered a thanks as I wiped my eyes.

He put his hand back on the wheel. “Abbie, what’s going on? Why were you at Hallow Ranch?”

I looked out the window watching Hallow Ranch fly by us as we headed to Hayden. “He found out about my stalker,” I whispered.

“Beau?” he breathed out in shock. “He—he found out—how? Did you tell him?”

Dave knew about Beau. He knew how much I loved Beau. He knew that, once upon a time, Beau was my lifeline, my sun. After I left him, I was a wreck. I spent three weeks on Dave’s couch, crying and refusing to eat. I'd lost twenty pounds, and it got to the point where Dave had to spoon feed me. I was a mess.

Now, here I was, six years later, once again a mess.

“I called that agency in Denver you thought could help, and apparently, the owner is good friends with one of the Hallow Ranch cowboys.” I looked over to Dave. “I was trying to find some way to protect myself and, later that night, Beau was at my door, demanding answers.”

Dave’s jaw dropped as he did double-take at me. “Wait—wait, you mean to tell me your super hot cowboy ex-boyfriend found out through the grape vine that you had a stalker, and he kidnapped you to protect you?”

I nodded. “He stomped into my house like the last six years hadn’t happened, packed my bag, and threw me over his shoulder.”

Dave made a noise. “What a man.”

My head jerked towards him. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I snapped through my tears. “He kidnapped me!”

“To protect you,” he clarified.

I opened my mouth, ready to protest, but Dave shouted a curse, swerved, and slammed on the breaks. I looked out the windshield just in time to see Spirit hopping over the barbed wire fence, his cowboy on top. He made a solid landing, and Dave and I watched in shock as Beau snapped his reins again, commanding him to walk into the two lane road. He stopped the horse on the double yellow line as few feet from Dave’s car. Beau sat tall on his stead, his chest heaving, his face hidden by the shadow of his hat, but I could feel the heat of his gaze.

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