Page 27 of Rip Ryder's Second Chance

She played with a loose thread on her shirt. “When I knew I’d have to sell the house to make ends meet, I concluded that I would have to find another therapist for my clients. I started by no longer taking any new clients. In this field, clients are more temporary than permanent. Sometimes they start therapy and realize they don’t need it, or just don’t want it.” She sighed and stared through the window.

“And now you have a herd of prized Highlanders, acreage, and a home. A nice home.”

“But counseling and helping others is my passion.”

“And you can’t do that here?”

Another sigh resonated from her. “I’m not sure if Second Chance can ever be my home again. It’s not that I don’t see how wonderful it is here, but…well, people change.”

“What happened, Noelle? You used to love this town as much as I do.”

“I don’t want to do this, Rip,” she said softly.

“Do what?” He tried to not be impatient. Where was his anger coming from? She’d caused him a lot of pain and he was starting to realize he’d never found closure.

They hit a bump and she bounced in the seat, reaching for the strap again.

“I don’t want to rehash the past.”

“Fine.” He braked, turned off the engine, and wasted no time in bailing out of the driver’s side. He needed some fresh air. The tall reeds slapped his boots as he walked a piece from the truck.

He heard her light footsteps behind him but he refused to look at her. Instead, he peered up into the sky as if he might find answers there.

“I understand you’re angry still,” she said in that velvet tone that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand.

With a crude chuckle, he faced her, slamming his hands onto his hips. “Do you? Do you really understand?” He warned himself to back off. They didn’t need to have this conversation. They could go the rest of their lives without taking a stroll down memory lane, and yet, he couldn’t just let go. He’d tried over the years and apparently had failed.

She wrapped her arms around her waist. “Yes, I do.”

“Says the one who made the choice to break things off without even so much as an explanation.” He yanked off his hat and tore his hand through his hair.

“Rip…”

“It’s okay, Noelle. Seeing you has caught me off guard, but you’re right, what’s the use in rehashing the past? It won’t change things.” He slammed his hat back on and took a step toward the truck but her gentle touch on his bicep paused him. He stared at her slender hand.

“There are things you don’t understand.”

Lifting his gaze, he saw the vulnerability in her expression and his throat constricted. “Then help me understand.” He didn’t like the pleading tone of his voice but when it came to Noelle he balanced on a tilt.

“I-I’m not sure...” Her eyes misted over.

He shrugged and her hand slipped off his arm. “If you can’t, then you can’t.” He did a good job of sounding indifferent but invisible razor blades sliced his insides.

“What you should know is that I wanted to save you.”

“Save me?” The words came out on a heavy exhale. “It felt more like you threw me to a pack of wolves—”

The sound of heavy hooves hitting the ground made both lift their heads. Parson was riding toward them. He stopped and greeted Noelle with a tip of his hat, then said, “Hate to bother you, but Derry’s up at the farmhouse and would like to speak to you, ma’am.”

“Okay. We’ll head back now,” she said.

Once they were settled back in the truck and retracing their tracks toward the farmhouse, Rip glanced at her across the seat. She seemed pensive. “You okay?”

She nodded. “I’m worried, Rip. Bluebird is a lot of responsibility that I’m not cut out for. A lot of hands rely on this place for their livelihoods. How will I afford to keep this place up?”

He narrowed his gaze. Was she serious? “At some point you need to check out the books. The Highlanders, just the herd alone, are worth a pretty penny.”

“But I’m not a breeder,” she said solemnly.

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