I made my way downstairs and smiled at the sight of Sloan making breakfast.
“I don’t smell smoke yet,” I said, and she laughed.
“You sure don’t. I just hope it tastes good. Sit down; I’m almost ready.”
I sat down, and within a few minutes, a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon was put down in front of me. She’d also put a few slices of farm bread in the middle of the table. I noticed that she’d forgotten to toast them, but it didn’t matter. She put down a plate for herself and smiled at me.
“Hey, this doesn’t look so bad,” she said, and it was clear that she was proud of herself.
I took a bite and grinned. It wasn’t the best cooking I’d ever tasted, but it was nice.
“It’s amazing,” I said. “Thank you for doing this.”
She grinned. “I’m glad you like it. Oh no, I forgot to toast the bread,” she said.
“Nah, don’t. It’s so fresh, and it actually tastes great like this.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure. So, what do you normally have for breakfast in New York?”
“An apple, maybe a grapefruit. Sometimes nothing.”
I looked at her in shock. “You’re kidding.”
“No, but you have to remember that I don’t do farm work all day. I don’t really need my strength like you do. Shopping all day does not count as hard work.”
“You always need your strength. You should eat, Sloan.”
She smiled sadly. “I am now. But I do need to ask you for a favor.”
“Anything.”
“Would you make the coffee? I don’t make it as nicely as you do, and I could really use a strong cup right about now.”
I grinned. “Absolutely.”
After breakfast, I made us both a cup of coffee and we went to sit outside. I hadn’t heard from Harold yet, which meant another day off with Sloan. It was strange having time off from work. But most of all it was strange actually being happy about having the time off.
“Can I ask you a question?” I said.
I wasn’t going to ask her about what was going on, but I could see the panic in her eyes. She nodded anyway.
“Where are your parents? Are they still around?”
She seemed relieved by the question, and I saw her visibly relax in front of me. “I never knew my father, and my mother died when I was in my first year in college.”
“Oh no. I’m so sorry, Sloan,” I said.
She shook her head. “It’s okay. I don’t mind talking about it because it’s been so long now. I didn’t know my father, and I have no desire to look for him. I sometimes wonder if he’s seen me on the big screen and whether he’s thought about coming to find me. But he hasn’t, and I’m not going to worry about it. I spent too long thinking about him when I was little. I didn’t need him, anyway. It was hard losing my mother, and I went through a very bad patch when she died. I think I fell into depression for about a year afterward. But I can now finally talk about her without getting upset.”
“Yeah, these things take time. Isn’t that weird though? How time really does heal all wounds? It doesn’t heal them completely, but it certainly takes away the pain. You never think so at the time, though.”
“That’s true, and whenever people would tell me that things would get better, I’d get so angry at them. But they were right. Now I can think about her and smile. How about you? I know your father is still around, but I don’t know much else.”
I was hoping she wouldn’t turn the question to me, but I had a feeling it was coming.
“Uh, well my mother died when I was young. From what I remember, she was a beautiful woman with the kindest soul. She had this big smile, and she always made us feel better. I mean, it wasn’t easy for her being the only woman in a household of males. Can you imagine? Five boys and one husband. It couldn’t have been easy for her, but we all loved her so much. She was one of those people that was just . . . easy to love. I miss her every day. And well, as you know, my father lives in Arizona, and he owns a bike shop. My brother Gunner, or Ian, works with him.”
“Do you see him often?”
“No, I don’t. It’s . . . well . . . to be honest, Sloan, I don’t really like talking about my childhood. My father and I are not close anymore, and it’s probably never going to change. I’ve made my peace, and I’ve moved on, and I’m happy with that. I really care for you, but it’s something I don’t want to talk about.”
I hoped I hadn’t offended her, but she nodded. “Then you don’t have to talk about it at all.”
She moved closer to me, put her free hand on the back of my neck, and pulled me toward her. She kissed me softly, her full lips lingering on mine. She made a sound of delight and then grinned at me.
“You taste like delicious coffee,” she said.
I smiled back. With just one kiss, she had taken the thought of my father and my childhood out of my head. “And you taste like you want another cup.”
She chuckled. “You got that just from a kiss? Wow, you know me well. I’d love another cup. Any chance we can ride some horses today?”
“I had already mentally put it on the agenda,” I said.
I got up to pour us both another cup of coffee, and when I got back, I realized for the first time that I was starting to fall for her. I thought of Ryan telling me to be careful and not to get too close, but I knew that it was too late.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Sloan
I woke up before Brady that morning, which was quite something. Brady had always been the early riser, while I’d been the late sleeper. I turned to watch him for a while and wondered if he was having any more dreams about burning buildings. We’d had a great day yesterday. We spent the day riding horses and walking around the field. I was grateful to Harold for giving Brady some time off, but I couldn’t help but feel guilty at how much work he was now neglecting for me. I’d never known anyone to go out of their way like that for me before. I heard my phone buzzing and I quickly got out of bed and ran downstairs before Brady could hear it. He was so peaceful, and I didn’t want to wake him up.
“Hello?” I whispered.
“Sloan. I’m so sorry, did I wake you?”
“Victoria? Is everything okay?” I asked. I might have been a late sleeper, but I had nothing on Victoria who sometimes slept the whole morning away.
She sighed. “I couldn’t sleep. I thought I’d see if you were awake.”
“I was,” I said. “I was just lying in bed, actually. It’s nice to hear your voice. I’m sorry I haven’t called.”
“It’s okay. I know you said you were going to go away for a while, so I didn’t expect to hear from you. I just wanted to call and see if you were okay.”
I felt guilt wash over me. Victoria might represent a lot of things that I didn’t like about the big city life and being famous, but she was still a good friend. We might not talk about anything too deep or real, but she was always there for me. I should’ve at least let her know where I was.
“I’m okay,” I said. “I really should’ve called you, though. I guess it was easier not to get in touch. But thank you for phoning and checking on me. I appreciate it more than you know.” I felt myself getting tearful and my words caught at the end of the sentence.
“Oh, Sloan, you don’t sound okay,” she said.
“I’m fine. I promise you. I guess hearing your voice just reminds me of why I ran away.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have called,” she said.
“I’m glad you did.”
“Really?”
“Really. How is everything going with you? What have you been up to?”
“Oh, you know me,” she said, and I realized that I actually didn’t know her. I spent a lot of time with Victoria, but we never spoke about anything of importance. I didn’t know one of my very best friends, and that made me sad. I wondered if she felt the same way. “I’m keeping busy,” she said.
I smiled. “That’s good.”
&nb
sp; “Oh, I chopped all my hair off.”
I gasped. Victoria had long hair. Hair that she spent a long time styling to perfection every single day. Hair that had become her trademark. I never thought I’d see the day when she cut it.
“How short?”
“Short. Very short.”
“Oh wow. What made you do it? Do you like it?”
She chuckled. “I guess you leaving made me think a lot. I felt like a change, that’s all. And what better way to change than getting your hair cut off? And you won’t believe this, but I love it. I seriously love it. I feel so much lighter. And you won’t believe how much quicker it is for me to get ready in the mornings. I just have to wash it, dry it, and mess it up with my hands and it’s done.”
“I can’t believe you actually did it. That’s so cool. I’ve always said that you had the type of face that would suit any hairstyle. Send me a picture.”
“I will. I remember you telling me that. And I always told you that I would never cut it.”
“You see, you should’ve listened to me long ago. Ah, it’s really good to hear from you, Vic.”
“Yeah, it’s good to hear your voice too. It’s weird here without you. I mean, you just got back from shooting, and now you’re gone again.”
“I know. I didn’t expect that to happen.”
“Uh, so, I wanted to tell you a little bit about what’s going on. I know you don’t really want to hear, but I want you to at least be prepared. I wasn’t sure if I should call you, but I decided that if I were in your shoes, I’d probably want to know.”
I sighed. I didn’t want to hear anything, but I knew I had to. “Okay. Hit me with it. You’re right, I need to be prepared, and I can’t hide from all this forever.”
I heard Victoria taking a deep breath. “This is hard for me to say.”
“You can say it, Vic. I’m ready,” I said even though I didn’t feel ready at all.
“Okay,” she said. “They . . . uh . . . they released the porn movie that you were in.”
I groaned. That was the one thing I was hoping wouldn’t happen. Although I wasn’t sure why I was so surprised by it. I should’ve known that I couldn’t hide from my past forever. I couldn’t believe that for a while I’d thought that I could. I’d been living in a bubble, and now that bubble had burst. “Are you serious? They actually released it? What’s wrong with people? Why do they care so much? Why would they even do this to me?”
“Yeah, they released it. And that’s the sad state of the world we live in. People love nothing more than things like this. I’m so sorry. They’re idiots. Listen, Sloan, what’s actually going on? I didn’t know anything about this either, and I’m your best friend. I know you don’t have to tell me everything, but it’s all out there now. Will you at least tell me the truth? You know I won’t judge you.”
I sighed. It was the first real conversation the two of us had ever had, and I was starting to think that there might be a side to Victoria that I didn’t know at all. Maybe she wasn’t the self-centered person I’d always thought that she was. Maybe she too had just put up a wall to protect herself.
“I will tell you the truth. I owe it to you. But I’ll explain everything to you on Monday, if that’s okay? It’s not exactly the sort of thing you want to do over the phone. I hope you don’t mind. It’s just . . . it’s too much to explain right now.”
“Okay, I understand. I’d rather you tell me to my face too. So, you’ll be back on Monday then?”
“I’ll be back on Monday. I’ll see you then. I’ll come see you right away.”
“Let me know and I’ll get someone to get you and bring you straight to my place. Maybe don’t go home. There are still photographers out there waiting for you to come out. Some of them still think you’re holed up inside.”
I groaned. “Seriously? These people really need to get a life. Okay, that’s a good idea. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks again for phoning. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem, Sloan. And don’t worry. You’ll be fine. You’re stronger than you think.”
“I hope so, Vic. I hope so.”
“See you on Monday?”
“See you on Monday.”
I put the phone down and jumped when I saw Brady standing at the bottom of the stairs staring at me. He had a strange look on his face that I hadn’t seen before. Disappointment?
“So you’re leaving on Monday?” he said.
“I . . . .”
“And you didn’t think of telling me?”
“I didn’t really know what I was going to do, to be honest.”
“That’s not what it sounded like to me.”
“I’m sorry. I just . . . .” I didn’t know what to say. Brady was looking at me with so much hurt in his eyes, and I felt like my whole world was crumbling down around me. I’d never seen that look before.
“You know, Sloan, I’ve been good to you since you’ve been here. I didn’t once ask you what was going on. Of course I wanted to know, but I figured you’d tell me when you were ready. And I was willing to wait for that day. I thought that you and I had something special going on here.”
“We do,” I insisted.
“I’m not sure anymore. I know how I feel about you. But I actually don’t know how you feel about me. I’ve fallen for you, Sloan. I probably shouldn’t have done that, but I have. I couldn’t help myself. And I’m not one that falls for people easily. You know what I’m like. I don’t let people into my life. It was hard enough for me when you left the first time, but I just told myself that it wasn’t meant to be. And then you came back, and I fell for you all over. No, I fell for you even more. And now you’re just leaving?”
“I don’t know what to say.”
He sighed. “It didn’t matter to me what you were running away from. I would’ve accepted you no matter what. We all have a past, we’ve all done things we might not be proud of, and I know that you’re an amazing person no matter what anyone else says. I know it, Sloan. But I’m not your weekend getaway. You can’t treat me like that.”
“Brady, please. You’re not my weekend getaway. You’re more than that.”
“That’s not what it sounded like to me. I’m not sure who you were talking to on the phone, but you seemed pretty clear about your intentions and your plans. You’re leaving on Monday. That’s what you said. Sloan, I think you should go. Please, I can’t do this anymore. Just go.”
He walked out of the house, and I just stood there, staring at the space where he had been. I wanted to run after him and beg him to forgive me, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. He was right. I hadn’t been fair to him. Harold had told me that Brady was the one person that deserved to know the truth from me, and I still hadn’t told him.
I sighed, went upstairs and threw all my belongings into my bag. Then I called a cab to collect me. I stood outside and waited for him, then I climbed in and didn’t look back. I asked the driver to take me to a nearby hotel, but not the same one that I’d been to the last time. I didn’t want anyone to realize who I was. I thought about going straight to the airport, but I couldn’t bring myself to go back to New York just yet.
I checked in with a woman who barely glanced up at me, and I made my way to my hotel room. It wasn’t as nice as the place I’d stayed in before, and the people weren’t as friendly. But I was glad for that. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. I lay on the bed and thought about what had happened. I’d lost the love and respect of the whole world, and now I had lost Brady, too. But maybe this was all for the best. I wouldn’t be able to lie to Brady about my past, and I wasn’t sure if he would accept me when he found out the truth. Perhaps coming here hadn’t been the best idea in the first place. I realized that I didn’t actually care what the rest of the world thought about me. I only cared about what he thought about me. And right now, that wasn’t much at all.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Brady
The night that Sloan left was probably one of the worst nigh
ts that I’d had in a long time. It had been hard enough saying goodbye to her the first time around. This time was so much harder, and I knew it was because I’d allowed myself to fall for her. I was such an idiot. What did I expect to happen? Did I really believe that some famous actress would swap her life of luxury for life in the middle of nowhere? It might be a nice place for her to hide out and to get away from it all, but it wasn’t who she was. It wouldn’t take long for her to get bored of the place. To get bored of me. I lay in bed that night feeling angry at myself. I’d been hurt before by someone close to me, and I’d promised myself that I would never let it happen again. Why had I allowed her into my life?
Despite getting hardly any sleep, I still woke up way before the sun. I got out of bed and made my way over to the ranch. I couldn’t be in my house. The place felt too quiet without Sloan, and I desperately needed something to do. I had to keep busy, and if there was one thing that would help, it was work. It was Sunday, and the ranch was quiet. I headed straight to the barn, even though seeing Betty made me miss Sloan even more. I said hello to her and asked her what I should do. For the first time, I wished that Betty could answer back. Although maybe it was for the best. I knew exactly what I should do without anyone telling me: I should forget all about ever meeting Sloan.
I looked around the barn and wondered what to do first. Harold must’ve been in there the day before because there wasn’t all that much that needed to be tended to. But I’d make work even if there wasn’t any to be had. There was always something to do, even if it was small. I was busy looking around when I heard a noise behind me and jumped. I turned around and saw Harold standing at the doorway of the barn with a shotgun pointed at me.
“Brady? You almost gave me a heart attack,” he said with his hand on his heart.
“And you almost gave me one. Why are you pointing that thing at me still?”
“Oh, sorry,” Harold said and lowered the gun. “I honestly thought that someone was here trying to steal the horses. It happened at some other ranch recently. That’s why I came early, actually. I know it’s usually quiet on a Sunday and I wanted to make sure everything was fine. But what are you doing here? You know I gave you time off for a reason. Are you really sneaking off to do some work without me noticing?”
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