Page 41 of One Merciful Moment

She stood, wiped her hands on her jeans, and took a deep breath. The tension in the air made it harder to breathe.

Copper approached from the path, his expression already knowing. "It's worse. We're going to lose the upcoming crop and be left with nothing. There isn't enough to harvest and save. These are men who need a lot of food."

"I know." She pinched the front of her neck.

"It's Boone."

She swallowed hard. "He's pulling away from me."

"He's terrified," Copper said simply. "He doesn't believe he's worth loving. And he doesn't believe you'll stay."

She pressed her lips together before answering. "I never said I was leaving. I wanted him to come with me. That's different. I want him with me."

Copper stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Boone lived his whole life expecting people to leave." He tapped the side of his head. "He thinks if he lets himself hope you care, it'll destroy him."

She pressed her hand to her mouth, fighting the sting in her eyes. "Copper... I'm trying to show him."

"He doesn't know how to trust anyone." Copper's gaze softened. "Not yet."

"What happened to him to make him like that?" she whispered.

"That's for him to share with you." Copper glanced behind him, then met her eyes again. "If Boone is part of the balance... when he fractures, the land fractures. When he fears, the garden fears. When he pulls away, Everstill strains to support the men."

"This is too much. I can't do it." She pressed her hand to her stomach. "I don't even know what to do."

"You fix Boone." Copper placed his hand on her shoulder. "But you can't fix the garden until you fix what's breaking him first."

"He won't let me close." Her voice trembled. "Not like we were before."

"Then you go to him anyway," Copper said. "You show him he's worth staying for. You show him he's loved. You show him he's not alone."

She gazed across the garden at Boone. The ache in her chest sharpened, but beneath it, determination held fast.

"I'll fix this," she whispered.

She headed down the path. The garden could wait. She needed to talk to Boone.

Chapter 25

Boone

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Boone sat on the courthouse steps with his elbows braced on his knees, staring at the cracked sidewalk where the mower sat abandoned. He'd been halfway through cutting the grass when something inside him simply... stopped. The hum of the engine had become too loud, the weight in his chest too heavy, and he'd shut it off and walked away without thinking.

He clasped his hands, trying to breathe through the hollowness inside him.

Everstill was only so big. Over the last week, he might as well have run in circles trying to escape Ashley.

He hung his head. The hurt he was causing her now would be nothing compared to the hurt he'd feel when she was gone.

She was strong and confident. From the moment she walked into Everstill, she'd adapted to her surroundings and approached the men with bravery.

She was the exact opposite of him.

If he found himself somewhere new, he'd be trying to find the nearest drug dealer to numb his mind. Then he'd sell his soul to keep from remembering.

The mower shut off.