Page 40 of Marrying the Billboard Cowboy

Kaitlyn nodded, unable to muster any sass that would betray her mounting panic. “Fine,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of her own racing heart. “I’ll find a way.”

“Make sure you do.” The loan shark stepped back, his message delivered, leaving a trail of unease that clung to her like the winter’s frost. As the loan shark turned on his heel, leaving her standing amidst the jingle bells and holly wreaths, the world seemed to tilt on its axis.

As he disappeared around the corner, Kaitlyn’s knees threatened to buckle. She reached out, steadying herself against the shelf, the cookbooks blurring before her eyes as the heavy weight of her predicament settled upon her shoulders.

Her hands trembled uncontrollably.

She felt an icy knot form in her stomach, a sickening swirl of dread and nausea. Every beat of her heart was a drum echoing through her body, threatening to crash beyond the confines of her chest. Her breaths came in short, sharp rasps, as Kaitlyn wrapped her arms around herself—a feeble attempt to hold together the pieces of her breaking heart.

She stumbled out of the aisle, her gaze unfocused, seeing nothing of the twinkling lights or the joyous decorations thatadorned the store. Her mind was a blizzard of thoughts, each one burying her deeper in despair.

Kaitlyn’s fingers fumbled with the handle of the store’s glass door, her movements jerky and uncoordinated. The cheerful jingle of the door’s bells clashed with the drumming in her chest, an unsettling reminder of the world moving on around her. She avoided the shopkeeper’s concerned gaze, a murmur of apologies escaping her lips as she brushed past a display of Christmas ornaments, nearly sending them crashing to the floor.

“Kaitlyn, are you okay?” the shopkeeper called after her, her voice laced with worry. Kaitlyn had met Piper once, but she couldn’t muster the strength to respond, her mind still echoing with threats that left her feeling cold, despite her brisk pace. She pushed through the exit into the biting winter air, the sharp contrast drawing a shiver from deep within her bones.

Outside, the town of Redemption Ridge bustled with holiday spirit, families and couples strolling arm-in-arm, their laughter a foreign language to Kaitlyn’s ears. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself, her eyes focused on the uneven sidewalk ahead, each step carrying her farther from warmth and light.

She didn’t know how much time passed as she just wandered aimlessly. It could have been minutes or hours.

“Kaitlyn!” Zeke’s voice cut through the dread inside her, warm and familiar. He was striding toward her, concern etching lines across his broad forehead.

“Hey, what happened back there? Piper called me, said you left the store really upset,” Zeke said as he reached her side, his hand reaching out as if to steady her.

She blinked up at him, the comfort of his presence a stark contrast to the fear that still gripped her. “I—it’s nothing, Zeke,” she managed, her voice barely above a whisper. But her trembling hands betrayed the lie, and the way she glanced over her shoulder spoke volumes.

“Kaitlyn, talk to me.” His voice was insistent, gentle yet firm. “Whatever it is, we can face it together.”

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and for a moment, she considered spilling everything—the confrontation, the threats, the looming danger that had suddenly cast a shadow over their lives. But the words lodged in her throat, stubborn and immovable.

“Please,” Zeke urged, his eyes searching hers, a silent plea for trust.

Under the weight of his gaze, she felt a crack in her resolve. The façade of composure she’d held so tightly began to crumble, revealing the raw fear beneath. Her breath caught, a single sob breaking free as she whispered, “It’s my fault—and they’ll hurt Stetson.”

Zeke’s face hardened, the lines of his jaw set in determination. “Nobody’s going to hurt you or that boy. Not while I’m around.” There was steel in his voice, a promise that lent her a sliver of courage.

Her heart still raced but she no longer felt quite so alone. She looked up into Zeke’s eyes, finding something like hope reflected back at her.

Kaitlyn’s fingers curled into the fabric of her coat, clenching it tight as if it could shield her from the memories that Zeke’s concern had stirred up. A lifetime of abandonment, each person she’d ever leaned on disappearing like smoke—her parents, Stetson’s father—all leaving her to fend for herself in a world that seemed to grow colder with each loss. She’d learned the hard way that reliance was synonymous with disappointment.

“Kaitlyn?” Zeke’s voice cut through the December chill, his presence a solid warmth at her side.

She hesitated, the words swirling in her mind like snowflakes caught in a blizzard. To reveal her vulnerability meant risking the fragile stability she’d constructed around herself andStetson. Yet, looking into Zeke’s earnest eyes, a part of her yearned to lay down the burden she’d borne alone for so long.

A shiver ran down her spine, not from the cold but from the notion of entrusting someone else with the fears that gnawed at her. But the sincerity in Zeke’s voice was like a beacon, guiding her through the storm of her apprehensions.

“You think I’m so strong. But I’m not, Zeke. I never quit screwing everything up. I’m not strong. We were barely surviving, and I let Stet down so many times. I’m tired of pretending to be strong. I’m tired of carrying so much. I can’t do it anymore. I can’t!” She was sobbing now, the floodgates unleashed, all the emotion and desperation and soul-deep fatigue pouring out of her.

Zeke reached out, his hand enveloping hers, warmth seeping into her chilled skin. “You’re not alone anymore. You have us—me, my family, the whole community here at Redemption Ridge. You have done your best, Kaitlyn. It’s okay to be tired. It’s okay to need someone else. Please, tell me what happened?”

She hesitated, still unsure how to explain the magnitude of the mistake chasing her from the past.

“Last spring, when I missed all that work,” Kaitlyn started, her eyes darting away momentarily before finding the courage to meet his gaze again, “I did something foolish. A man in my building knew a guy who would lend me the money we needed. We caught up on bills. For a bit. But it ended up being money I could never pay back. Now he’s here, demanding money I don’t have. He threatened me, said he’d hurt Stetson if I didn’t pay.” The confession tumbled out, each word laced with the terror of that encounter, her breaths coming in short, sharp gasps.

Zeke’s grip tightened, not with anger but with a protective fervor that made her heart stutter. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? What have I been saying? I’ve got you, Marvel.”

She flinched at the nickname, feeling like the opposite of superhero. He ran his hands down her arms, soothing her. Her defenses wavered under the onslaught of his genuine care. For a fleeting moment, she allowed herself the luxury of imagining a life unburdened by constant fear—a life where she could lean on someone else, where Stetson could grow up without the shadow of danger lurking behind every corner.

“Because I didn’t want to be a burden,” she admitted, her voice cracking with the admission. “I didn’t want to drag you into my mess. I didn’t want you to decide that I wasn’t worth it.”

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