Maisey
HOW MUCH A HEART CAN HOLD
Performed by LeAnn Rimes
THREE YEARS AGO
HIM: Fallon okay?
HER: Yes. Shaken. But grateful it’s over now.
HIM: When I saw Parker at the airport and he told me she’d been kidnapped, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that level of devastation on another human. Not even on my dad’s face when Liza left.
HER: He loves her.
HIM: It might not have happened today, but one of them is eventually going to be left behind. Even if one of them doesn’t betray the other, someone will still die, and someone will still be left alone.
HER: You always focus on the tragic ending, Beckett. But you forget the important part. You forget they’ll have years and years and years of beautiful, loving, happy moments together before death takes them.
HIM: And you’re assuming it’ll be years and years and years. Life isn’t that predictable, Maise. Cancer. Heart attacks. Some loser who shoots up a bar, and poof, it’s all gone. And you’re left with half your soul ripped out.
HER: I’d still risk it. I’d give up just about anything for a few moments of truly feeling loved the way Parker loves Fallon.
PRESENT DAY
By the time we got toBeckett’s, I felt like I was dragging a thousand-pound weight with me. The stress of the last few weeks, that had been eased briefly by Beckett’s beautiful proposal and the even more beautiful night I’d spent in his arms, had been chased away by this godawful day. A daythat rated up there with finding out Mom had stage-four cancer and closer to the day she’d passed.
But I couldn’t let myself think about burying another parent now, or I’d dissolve into inconsolable tears.
I barely registered Sweeney or Vader once we walked into the house. I headed straight to the shower in the guest bathroom, turned the hot water on full bore, and stood there, trying to chase away the cold, but it didn’t work. My body ached, my throat stung, and even though I bundled myself in sweats, I was still freezing and couldn’t seem to banish it.
Maybe the cold went hand in hand with the emotional numbness that had blanketed me again, much like it had the night I’d been attacked in the drive. And just like that night, I had no intention of fighting it. I needed it with me so I could keep moving.
When I walked into the kitchen, Beckett was heating soup, and Sweeney was nowhere in sight.
“Can I use your phone?” I asked, already missing mine more than I’d ever imagined I would.
“You don’t have to ask, Maise. What’s mine is yours.”
I dialed Fallon and gave her an update. Wylee had already called them, and Parker was increasing their security. She promised me none of them would be moving about the ranch without protection, especially the kids.
“I’m so sorry, Fallon,” I said, exhaustion creeping over me.
“This isn’t on you, Maisey. This is one-hundred-percent on the shithead who took your dad.”
“My brain knows it, but my heart is having a hard time catching up.”
“I take it you aren’t going to be here for the show tomorrow morning.”
Indecision warred. What would I do if my dad were really gone? Would I even be able to concentrate enough so I wouldn’t end up hurting myself or Titan?
What would Fallon do to fill the gap in the show schedule? I was sure one of the kids from the riding school would be happy to fill my slot.
But what would I do if I didn’t perform? Sit here, worrying about Dad? Worrying about the people I loved? For hours? All while I waited for our attacker to strike again?
I pressed my hand into my stomach and let out a shaky breath. “As long as you truly believe Parker and the security team have the ranch and all of you protected, I’d still like to do the show.” Beckett’s eyebrows rose in an unspoken question. “The sheriff is right. If this asshole sees me going about my life as normal and not leaving like they wanted, they’ll come for me again.”
Fallon wasn’t any more thrilled about the idea of me being bait than Beckett had been. But I’d do just about anything, except risk the people I loved, to lure the enemy out of their hiding spot. If they came for me, they wouldn’t be coming for anyone else.