Me:Not feeling so tough tonight.
Sunshine:What's going on?
I think about lying. About brushing it off. But I don't. Not with her.
Me:Just feels heavy. The ranch. The responsibility. Missing people who aren't here. Wanting things I probably shouldn't.
The dots pause. Then blink. Then pause again.
Sunshine:I get that. More than you know.
Me:Figured you might.
There's another long pause, and then a new message pops up.
Sunshine:I'm here if you need to talk.
I stare at the words longer than I probably should. The porch creaks as I shift, setting the empty bottle beside me. My fingers hover again.
Me:This helps. Just knowing that.
Sunshine:Always. Goodnight, Bear.
Me:Goodnight, Sunshine.
Leaning back, I close my eyes. But I don't move inside yet. Instead, I sit there with the phone still in hand, scrolling up through our thread. Back to those first messages. The jokes. The sarcasm. How she called me out and made me laugh without even trying.
Then I read them slower this time, letting the words hit a little deeper. There's something in the way she talked to Bear that feels different from how she talks to me now. It was lighter. She was willing to give him her softer edges. And maybe she did. Maybe Bear got the version of her that she didn't have to protect.
I imagine what it would be like to have that in real life. To have her here, in this chair beside me, legs curled under her, coffee in hand. Laughing at one of my dumb jokes. Reaching over to touch my arm. I let myself feel it—just for a moment—the weight of that imagined life pressing against the ribs of this one.
But it's a dangerous thing, this kind of hope. Because maybe that life isn't mine to want. Maybe Bear and Kassi only worked in the quiet corners of a digital world. And now that the lights are on and names are known, maybe it's not enough.
Still, I don't go inside. I sit a little longer, listening to the wind, holding onto the echo of her words as though they mean more than they should. Maybe even everything.
Chapter 13
Kassi
Even though I knew this day would come, I thought I had more time. Or at least more warning. I even let myself believe, for a little while, that the quiet meant good news. But good news doesn't stalk hallways or whisper behind closed doors.
The minute I walk into the office, the air shifts. It's thick with tension. Chairs scrape. Phones click into cradles. All eyes dart up and then quickly away. It’s as though I've walked into something I shouldn't have. Something I'll wish I hasn’t seen. Even the receptionist, who normally greets everyone with a too-cheery good morning, doesn't make eye contact.
This is why I like working at home whenever I can. Why I try to avoid coming into the office, even one as small as this. I head to Margo's office, as she is the one who runs this branch, even though she rarely has any contact with me. It seems Martin likes to do that himself.
Margo's door is cracked open. I hear voices. Hers—sharp, tight, snapping like a whip. His—Mr. Callahan, the regional director and Martin's brother—smooth, cool, dangerous in that polished way men in expensive suits master.
He rarely visits this office, or any office, and hearing him makes my stomach knot. I hate the way he looks at me, as though he can't decide whether to crush me under his shoe or try to seduce me. Neither option is my choice. So before even passing Margo's door, I button the top button of my shirt, my last scrap of armor.
When I try to slip past unnoticed, Margo's voice cuts through like a bullet. "Kassi. Inside. Now."
Straightening my shoulders, I march in, already bracing for the blow. Callahan stands beside her desk, arms crossed, eyes scanning me as if I'm a report he's not sure passed inspection.
"You want to explain how you let the Silver Cattle Ranch get away from us?" he asks.
No preamble. No hello. Just fire. The two of them stand on one side of the room united against me, refusing to acknowledge we’re supposed to be on the same side—while my gut screams I've been on the wrong side all along.
"I didn't let it get away," I say evenly. "The Hayes brothers bought it before it was even on the market. I believe you were the one responsible for putting in the offer, but by the time I openedmy email, which stated that it might be going up for sale, the Hayes brothers had already bought it."