Page 39 of August’s Cowboy Braxton

Then Addison said, “You taught me to smile when men made me uncomfortable.”

“I taught you how to survive.”

“You taught me to make everyone else comfortable while I was afraid. To be polite. To never make a scene.” Her voice hardened. “Then you used every one of those lessons against me.”

“I never wanted to hurt you.”

“You tracked me. Threatened me. Broke into the community center. Used a child to get me alone tonight.”

“The girl was never in danger.”

“I didn’t know that.”

I moved close enough to see through a narrow gap in the blinds. Addison stood near the center of the trailer, her shoulders straight. Evie was by the cabinet where the photo album rested on top.

“My mother made me promise no one would ever see those records,” Evie said.

“She was wrong to ask that of you.”

“You don’t know what it cost her.”

“No. But I know what keeping that promise has cost me.”

Evie’s face crumpled for half a second. Then she moved. Her hand shot toward a small leather notebook and the loose papers beside the album. She swept them into a metal trash can and I didn’t wait to see what she’d do next before I rounded the trailer.

“Evie, don’t.” Addison’s warning came through my earbud.

A lighter clicked. Flame caught old paper, then fabric.

Addison coughed.

I hit the back door of the trailer at a run. The door didn’t budge.

Torin was already at the front. “It’s locked!”

Smoke pushed through the vent over my head. Something crashed inside.

Then Addison yelled my name. “Braxton!”

I reached the back window and stopped when I saw the flames licking the walls. Heat punched through the air. Smoke rolled against the glass.

For one second, the trailer disappeared.

Barn walls glowed orange. A horse screamed. Eli ran through the doorway. I reached for him and missed. The roof came down.

My father’s voice followed. You should have stopped him.

My body locked up.

“Braxton!”

It was Addison, not Eli. I forced myself back into the moment.

She stood on the other side of the window, coughing as she pointed toward the bottom corner. “The latch. It’s loose.”

I looked. She was right. I grabbed it and pulled. Addison shoved from inside. The latch tore free. The window swung outward and smoke poured through.

Addison shoved the album at me first. “Take it.”