I flung the covers back and hopped onto my left foot. Reaching for my dad, I tried not to put any weight on my ankle. “He’s not here. He had to run into town. You’ve got it all wrong, though. I love him.”
My dad looked at me like I’d completely lost my mind. “You love him?”
Nodding, I held onto his arm. I knew he wouldn’t take it well, but I’d make him understand. “He loves me too. I’m staying here at the ranch.”
“Like hell you are.” Dad wrenched his arm away. “Your poor mama’s beside herself, wondering what in damnation’s been going on down here. I told you to get your things. I’m taking you home, and we’re going to put all this nonsense behind us.”
“But, Dad, I want to stay here. I’m a grown woman. I can make my own decisions about—”
“You think you know Chase Hampton, Whitley?”
I nodded. Something about my dad’s expression told me I might not know the man I’d professed to love quite as well as I thought I did.
“Did he tell you the only reason he’s able to keep this ranch is because of the money I’m giving him?”
I didn’t respond. Between reading over the documentation detailing their agreement and gathering my own research, I knew my dad had given Chase enough to buy the big bull he’d shown me out in the paddock. But they were partners. That meant they each owned equal shares.
“I know you’re part owner of that bull he’s going to use to kick off his breeding program.”
“What you don’t know is that I also bought out the loan for his mortgage on this place. I never enter into an agreement without making sure I’ve got the right collateral in place. Chase Hampton is broke. The only way he’s got even a sliver of a chance to get himself back in the black is with my help.”
All the hope that had been bubbling up in my chest over the past twenty-four hours dissipated. I knew where this was headed.
“You know what that means, right?” The satisfied sneer on my father’s face turned my stomach. “It means that without my support, he’s got nothing. No cash, no bull, no ranch.”
“You can’t do that, Dad. It’s not fair.”
“Life isn’t fair, baby girl. But if you want Chase to have a chance at playing, you’ll get your things and come home with me now. It’s either that or stick around and watch him lose everything he loves.” He rolled a shoulder under his expensive tailored suit.
My stomach churned. Acid rose in my throat and for a moment I thought I might be lucky enough to throw up all over my dad’s pricey custom suit.
“You want to be treated like an adult, it’s time for you to start making tough decisions.”
I’d always known my dad drove a hard bargain, but I’d never expected to be on the receiving end. What Chase and I had between us was real. I had no doubt he’d be willing to sacrifice his business, even his ranch, to not bow down to my dad’s wishes. I couldn’t do that to him, though. He’d been through so much, and the only peace he’d been able to find was on the land he called home.
“Fine. I’ll go with you. But you have to promise me you won’t tell him about this. I’ll say I changed my mind. He can’t know that you blackmailed me.”
“Works for me. Your poor mother is beside herself. You don’t know how happy she’ll be to see you back where you belong.”
With a heaviness in my heart that reached all the way down to my toes, I packed up the things I’d brought with me to the ranch. I left the few items I’d collected during my stay that would remind me of my time there. I didn’t want the memories. Not while they were still so fresh.
I left a note on top of the kitchen table where Chase would be sure to see it, explaining how I thought I was ready to leave my old life behind, but realized I couldn’t do it. Tears splashed onto the page while I wrote down the lies and begged him not to come after me.
Then I followed my dad out of the house, leaving behind the future I’d finally found.
13
CHASE
She’d left me.I’d come back after running my few errands in town to find her car gone and a note spouting some bullshit about how she’d changed her mind. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be after the night we’d shared.
Immediately, I tried to call. Her voicemail picked up on the first ring. I sent a text, begging her to call me back. Her father must have gotten to her, but how?
I dialed Flint’s number. He answered on the fourth ring, his tone an obvious deliberate attempt at dismissing me. “Mr. Hampton. What can I do for you?”
“Where is she?”
“If you’re referring to my daughter, she’s home where she belongs. Lucky for me, she reached out when she did. Did you know she has a fracture in her foot?”