Page 13 of Stay for Me

“You’re my friend. It is absolutely my problem to worry about,” I countered sharply, pulling my hands from hers. “You had a gun pointed at you, Valerie!”

She pressed her lips together, knowing I was right. If the roles had been reversed, she would be acting just how I was.

My throat thickened as I looked out the window, hoping the beauty of this ranch would somehow calm my nerves. “This happened last month,” I murmured in disbelief. “Weeks, Val.Weeks,and no one filled me in.”

Truth be told I wasn’t mad at Denver for not telling me, but he should’ve.

How the hell was I supposed to be his lawyer if I didn’t know what was going on?

I was more upset my friend had gone through something traumatic and I hadn’t been there for her. I’d spent the last few weeks in my own little world, worried about my own problems, blissfully unaware of the horror my favorite people had endured. I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth and looked down to my lap, closing my eyes.

“Diana—”

“Last month!” I repeated, louder this time as my head snapped up. Out of the corner of my eye, on the floor, I saw movement. Turning my head, I found out NJ’s attention on us now, her green eyes wide and unknowing. I winced. “Sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice.”

Valerie looked puzzled, her brows scrunched together now. “You don’t need to apologize for expressing your emotions, girl. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. In all honesty, I thought Denver would’ve told you.”

I had the urge to kill that man. Truly, I did.

Shaking my head, I reached for her hands again, squeezing. “I just—I didn’t know it was you and Harmony involved in that. I’d heard about it and brushed it off.” A new sense of guilt fell over me then.

Valerie’s shoulders fell, her brows coming together slowly. “Diana—"

The ring blaring from my cell phone on the coffee table cut the conversation short. We both twisted our necks to look at the phone vibrating on the kitchen island while the shrill ring tone blasted from it. With a soft sigh, I excused myself and swiped the device up.

“This is Diana,” I answered, heading into the foyer, praying it wasn’t a client.

“Hey, Diana. It’s Dale up at the Weatherford Ranch.”

Just my luck.

Holding my tongue, I looked over my shoulder and pointed to the front door.

Valerie nodded and mouthed, “Take your time.”

As I stepped out onto the porch, I replied, “Ah, Mr. Weatherford. How are you?” My eyes shot over to the porch swing, finding it empty. Caleb must’ve gone back to work—or to hide somewhere else.

The old rancher sighed, and instantly, I knew it was going to be a long night. “Got a problem up here, Diana.”

I stood in the middle of the Langston porch, looking down at my feet, focusing on the hot pink polish on my toes. “Well, don’t sugarcoat it for me, Dale,” I said kindly. “What’s going on?”

For the next few minutes, the rancher began explaining the horrid situation that occurred during his afternoon horse riding lesson with an eleven-year-old boy.

“Did the parents sign the waiver?” I asked once he was done, ignoring the way my stomach twisted as my mind painted the picture for me.

My client sighed, and I could hear the worry in his voice. “Yes, but they don’t care. You know how it is. They want to sue.”

I said nothing, already assuming they might. However, the waiver had been solid, drafted by me. There was no way the parents would win in court.

“That’s not all,” he added, almost as if he was afraid to say it.

I closed my eyes, bracing for it. “What else do they want?”

“They want me to put the horse down. The mother said she would go to ends of the Earth to make sure that would happen.”

As his words hit me, I let my head fall back, keeping my eyes closed as my brain conjured up different ways to solve this problem. A jury—one filled with parents—might agree with the mother.

The old man’s voice changed then, shaking slightly. “He’s a good horse, Diana. The kid was rough with him. It was his third lesson, the first time he would ride to the other end of the corral and back to me. He just…That damn kid started hitting the horse and yanking on the reins. It came out of nowhere, and by the time the horse bucked the kid off, it was too late.”

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