Page 11 of Savage Heart

I keep it to myself that we talked and that Linc is going to feed the horses every day this summer. Everyone will find out soon enough, and I’ll just have to deal with it then.

“And I don’t want to talk about it,” I finish.

Cam just nods because he knows better than to push.

“Come eat,” he finally says. “Jennifer made baked ziti.”

“I’ll be right there.”

He turns and heads back toward the houses, leaving me standing alone with my thoughts.

I look out across the ranch. The river glints in the evening light, a deep blue winding through the land. Our horses and cattle graze near the fence line. The sun dips lower, turning the sky the color of fire.

This used to be my favorite time of day because it was when I could hang out with Iris every night.

I clench my fists, trying to ground myself.

No matter how much I try to bury the past, part of me still feels connected to her. She’s still so beautiful, now more than ever, and it physically hurts to see her. She knew me best. I don’t think I’ll ever stop missing her.

And I hate that with everything in me.

Dinner is always a lively affair. Mom and Jennifer make enough food to feed an army. Most of the crew always eats together, and after a long day of working outside, we’re ravenous.

There are always two empty seats at the end of one of the tables. One for Lincoln and the other for Manny, Dad’s foreman, who passed away from a heart attack just two weeks after Lincoln’s accident.

Jennifer stayed on, continuing to do the cooking for the ranch. She’s different than she used to be, a lot more guarded and closed off . . . Honestly, she’s pretty bitter, but then again, so am I. If he saw us today, Lincoln wouldn’t recognize the people we’ve become.

“There you are,” Mom says, coming over to hug me.

I kiss her cheek. “Hey, Mom. This looks good. Hey, Jennifer.”

Jennifer has her hands full moving one of the industrial-size pans.

“You better get in here and eat,” she says. “This is the second pan I’ve put out tonight. It’s going fast.”

“The shower had to come first—took me extra long to get all the dirt off tonight.”

Mom chuckles. “You clean up nice, honey.”

My sister Charlie comes up behind me and bumps my hip. We’re all two years apart, except for a four-year gap between Cameron and Charlie. Our sister Billie is the youngest.

“Any highlights of the day?” Dad asks everyone at the table as I sit down.

“I have one,” Billie says, cracking up. “And it’s a good one.”

Grady groans. “No, you don’t.”

“Oh, yes. I do.” She glances down at Grady and can hardly talk for laughing. She holds up her hand to get her bearings. “I caught Grady singing a Taylor Swift song to one of the heifers.”

The table roars with laughter, while Grady’s face turns red. He shakes his head, smiling down at his plate.

“Which song was it?” Cameron asks.

“‘Love Story.’” Billie giggles and then sings about Romeo.

Everyone loses it over that, and even I have to laugh.

“She was panicking,” Grady says, which makes everyone laugh harder.