Page 37 of Wilde Hearts

“Do you think your mother knows?”

My hands dropped to my sides. “No. I highly doubt it. My father has never really shared the finances with her before, unless that’s changed in the last ten years. He did say he wanted to talk to me before I came out here, and he stopped talking when Mom walked into the room. I left with them both together, so he never got a chance to say anything else.”

“May I offer some advice?”

Meeting her gaze, I begged, “Please do.”

“Be with your father when you guys tell Lynn. Not that I don’t think she can handle it, she is, after all, a rancher’s wife. But I’m sure this close to their retirement, finding out everything you saved is gone, will be a bit shocking. Look at your dad.”

I let out a breath, then glanced around the area outside the barn. Everything looked exactly as it did the day I’d left. “I thought it would be painful to be back here, but it’s the opposite. Everything looks the same.”

“Your father isn’t much for change.”

A humorless laugh slipped free. “That’s for sure.”

“Is there anything I can do to help, Colt?”

I looked at her…and for the first time, noticed the circles under her eyes. “You look tired, Ensley. How late were you and Gatlin working here?”

“Until four this morning. Gatlin forced me to go home at that point. I slept for a couple of hours, then came back. I found Gatlin still here, working on the outstanding debts. It wasn’t much because your dad seems to pay people as soon as he gets an invoice. It’s just those late ones and the new invoices he’s gotten since. Hay, feed, supplies, things like that.”

“I don’t know how I can repay you both for discovering this.”

“I love your parents, and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for them. I hate that your dad was so worried it might have caused…” Her voice trailed off.

We stood there in silence for a few moments before I cleared my throat. “I should go check Dad’s stock on everything.”

“It’s good. I checked it all.”

Of course she had. “Thank you.”

“I have to get going. I have a client I need to get to this afternoon.”

She turned to walk away, and I reached for her hand. “Ensley, wait.”

Pausing, she glanced down at our hands.

“Are you free for dinner tonight?”

Her brows drew down. “Dinner?”

“Yes. I’d still like to talk to you.”

She sighed. “Colt, what happened is in the past, and there’s really nothing to talk about. I mean, there isn’t anything you can say or do to change the fact that you left. You’re home now, and the best we can do is try to be friends.”

“Friends?”

She studied me for a minute—then started to laugh. “Wait…do you honestly think I’d ever get back together with you?”

When I didn’t say anything, she jerked her hand out of mine. Turning to face me fully, she pointed at me.

“You had your chance, Colt. I was ready to make you my entire world, and you walked away. The sooner we both come to terms with that, the better. I want to move on, and you being home again doesn’t change that.”

“That’s fine, Pip, if you want to move on. And you’re right, I am the one who walked away, and I’ve paid the price for that every day for the last ten fucking years. But it doesn’t change the fact that you deserve the truth.”

She rolled her eyes. “The truth? I know the truth, Colt. You left. You stayed away for ten years. Ten years! There’s nothing else that I need to know. Nothing that will ever make that okay.”

Spinning away from me, she stomped off toward her truck.