The Ranch (A Second Chance Romance)

Still, we’d both done a pretty good job at avoiding an outright argument.

“We’ve spent the better part of twenty-four hours together,” Nolan said at last. “It’s been fast and sudden and unexpected. Perhaps a little time apart will be for the best, so everyone can cool off, and we can all go back to being friends.”

Friends.

That was a telling word. Not anything more than friends. Not lovers or partners or whatever other word might fit the three of us together.

Just friends.

I didn’t get Nolan’s reasoning aside from wanting me and Poppy to cool off, but I had an inkling he had a point. He was more of a deep thinker than a mouth-running talker, so when he said something you could bet it was something considered.

He and I didn’t talk a lot about feelings or emotions or anything like that, but I was there with him when all that cheating bullshit went down; I remember he seemed to be equally as heartbroken as me when Poppy cut the two of us out of her life without a single fucking word.

Not that I blamed her. I didn’t. None of it was her fault. But I still remembered exactly how devastating it had been for us, and I guessed Nolan remembered it, too. And I guess she had no fucking clue how cut up we were. She had no idea how much she meant to us then because like a pair of fucking dickwit teenagers, we hadn’t thought to tell her.

And Nolan might’ve thought a clean break would be better than reliving or rehashing any of the stuff from six years ago.

I for sure couldn’t handle that kind of heartache again.

No fucking way.

So yeah, maybe a break was for the best. At least we all still had the option of parting as friends. I wasn’t sure if that would have been an option if all those old nostalgic feelings had carried over for another few days.

“Yeah, I guess you’re probably right, Nolan.” Poppy nodded after several long seconds of silence. “I don’t even know anymore. I just want to go home. By which I mean, back to my hotel room at Lakeview. My parent’s house hasn’t been home in many years; I don’t want to go there.”

“The resort, huh? Okay. We’ll be there in a few minutes.” I mentally reassessed the route and pressed the gas pedal down a little further.

One thing was for certain, though. Now that we’d all made our opinions known, the silence had turned awkward and heavy.

And those next few minutes to Poppy’s place? They were guaranteed to pass like hours and yet not be nearly long enough.

Chapter Fifteen

Poppy Evans

Why couldn’t things be simple? Was I the one who had complicated the situation? Had I caused the mess I was in?

Perhaps partially?

I didn’t lead either of my guys on at all, but I didn’t shut them down completely, either.

Still, I’d been clear enough that we couldn’t have anything other than a few days together, and Cooper had even admitted that he’d understood.

So why did it leave me miserable?

The silent ride back to my room at Lakeview just about killed me.

It was only marginally better than going to visit my folks. I’d happily put that trip to hell off forever, but I’d have to go the next day. A good night’s sleep in my hotel on my own might give me the strength I needed to face them.

I shuddered at the prospect. I’d be expected—once again, just like every time I visited home—to try and atone for something I didn’t do.

I never cheated. I never tried to cheat. Why didn’t they accept that?

At least if I had Mom to myself without Dad or Prue around to intervene, I usually counted on her to take my side—even if she never seemed to be able to speak up for me when it mattered the most.

A tiny bit of support from the sidelines was better than nothing, right?

It was all I’d ever received, so it would have to be enough.

Nolan nudged me from the back seat. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” I answered without caring how sincere I sounded.

I would be fine, and I knew that. And they’d both be fine without me.

That didn’t mean everything wasn’t going to suck in the meantime.

I’m going to tell Mom what happened. As soon as I get to see her, I’m going to sit her down and tell her everything.

The thought occurred to me out of the blue, but it was so strong that I sat up in my seat a little. Or maybe that was just from the uncomfortable churning in my stomach at the thought of confessing what actually took place.

I still wasn’t ready to tell my dad. God, no. That wouldn’t happen soon. Perhaps never. But Mom?

I nibbled at my lip. I wasn’t sure how she’d handle the news. Better than my dad, for sure, but that wasn’t setting the bar very high.