There was no fighting my smile as I passed Alex, despite her down-turned mouth. It was clear she didn’t approve of any sort of relationship between me and Aspen. Which left the two of us faking it as hard as we could to convince everyone.

I stayed silent as we trekked back to Aspen’s house, but as we settled into my car—her in the driver seat, since she refused to relinquish my keys she still had—she paused before shifting the gear into drive.

“I’m sorry about that. You did good… covering, I mean. It’s an easy-enough lie to remember.”

“Your sister was kind of…”

“Mean? Yeah, the two of us have never gotten along. Not since I put pink hair dye in her shampoo when I was five. In my defense, I thought she’d like it. I didn’t realize the dye was for marking animals. Her skin was stained for the entire summer.”

“So, I’m not the only one you wreaked havoc on?”

“Clearly not. You were just the only one who gave it right back. I still stand by the fact that you initiated our rivalry.”

She finally started the car as I laughed while rolling down the window. It was another gorgeous day in Ashfield. I’d forgotten how beautiful it was when the end of summer met early fall.

“In my defense, how else was I going to make sure I won the line-leader spot for a month?”

“So you came up with breaking all the crayons and blaming me?”

“Yep, and it worked, didn’t it, cricket?”

“You know, I’ve always wondered why you gave me that nickname. The pranks involving insects didn’t start until later.”

“That’s my secret. Maybe I’ll share it with you one day.”

Her lips pursed as she clenched the steering wheel. I knew this was something that had been on her mind for a long time, and I wasn’t ready to tell her why I’d fallen upon that name. I didn’t think she was ready either.

In town, we picked up her car first, and I was immediately sad she wasn’t here, confined with me anymore, instead of in her little tin can on wheels. Not that my rental was anything to write home about, but it was at least built within the last five years. I’d need to look around at buying one while I was here. I could hand it off to my mom in my absence.

Just thinking about my mom forced my mood to take a nosedive. There were more secrets at play than just the house being condemned and her needing a job because she didn’t want to use any of the money I sent her over the years. Stubborn woman.

Evidently, that was who I got it from.

I followed Aspen to Rory’s house, which was only a short drive from the downtown area and the school. Once we arrived, Aspen explained Rory and her husband—hotel heir, Talon Beckett—had built a new house for themselves on the family property just as Alex had. She’d been thinking of renting out this small craftsman-style home, where she lived before they got married, but hadn’t taken the leap yet. I was her first renter.

Surprisingly, Aspen helped me sort through my few pieces of luggage. The house was the perfect size for one person. I was surprised Aspen hadn’t tried to snag this place for herself.

Rory had given the space a mid-century modern aesthetic. Aspen pointed out that her sister took the pictures on the wall, which showcased her photography skills.

Talent ran deep in the Easterly family.

Aspen left soon after, but not before I laid some ground rules for our mock relationship. We had to be seen in public twice a week. My goal was for people to post on social media that they’d seen us around town. I wasn’t a fan of tabloid photographers, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before they caught wind of my location and came to Ashfield, but it was an unfortunate part of getting Vanessa off my back. In the time it took to place my clothes in the dresser, she’d called, then texted fourteen times. Which was fourteen times too many.

Another rule was that Aspen had to do whatever I said when it came to teaching her how to date. I’d never had to work to get a girlfriend or a date, even before landing my multimillion-dollar contract with the Coyotes. If she was going to learn everything I knew, then she was going to have to follow my lead.

And lastly, we’d stage a breakup where she was the one dumping me. Unlike Aspen, I was leaving once my season started. She’d be stuck with all the rumors in town. For her sake, it was easier to have her end things.

That night, I ordered takeout from the Indian restaurant, but even the spicy flavors and the football game on the TV couldn’t pull my attention away from the constant ringing of my phone.

Knowing I was going to regret my decision, I picked up.

“Owen?” she squeaked before I could even say a word.

“Vanessa, stop calling me.”

“But… Owen, I—”

Frustrated, I hung up immediately, knowing all I did was add gasoline to the fire. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why she was so adamant about speaking to me. She made it very clear on our wedding day that the vows we rehearsed meant nothing.

I had never been more thankful that I discovered her deceit before we officially exchanged the declarations.

A bullet dodged.

Now, I just needed to convince her we were over for good.

Chapter Nine – Aspen

My usual Sundays were filled with finding ways to occupy myself around the farm—either checking inventory, cleaning storage areas, or prepping for harvest or soil rotations. But once I helped Owen sort through his things at Rory’s house, I’d driven to my favorite overlook and sat on the makeshift bench I put together when I was a teen.

I found this spot during a hike while on a field trip in middle school, and I’d been coming back ever since.

I was pretty certain I wasn’t the only one who used the jutted-out rock formation as a resting place, but it was so far off the trail that it was usually empty when I arrived.

The overturned log had weathered from the sun and rain, but it was still sturdy as ever, and as I laid back on the blanket I draped over the surface, I stared up at the cloud formations high in the bright-blue sky. All the while trying to convince myself that my truce with Owen was just that and nothing more.

I knew I was getting the better part of the deal we made. Not that I truly had time for a boyfriend, but I wasn’t a one-night stand kind of girl. I wanted to be with the person I lost my virginity to. Tryston had been the only person so far who piqued my interest. But the entire process of dating and forming a committed relationship, all for the sake of experiencing sexual intimacy, seemed like a scheme itself.

I could only hope that whatever I formed with Tryston would be long-term, but I knew it was probably unlikely. From the rumor mill, I learned he worked just as much as I did. And while that would be ideal in most situations, I wanted someone who could partner with me on the farm. Or, at a minimum, help with kids if we ever had some. And I had a feeling Tryston would find that emasculating.

Without provocation, my thoughts immediately conjured up a vision of me and Owen with a family. Just from my memory, I recalled how great he was with kids during his summers running baseball camps. I’d seen him on television enough times to know he was amazing with his young fans as well. Owen was definitely going to be one hell of a father one day, even though he’d grown up with a horrific man as his own.

“Stop thinking about him,” I murmured as I sat up. My skin was tan from working in the fields all summer, but tinges of pink spread across my legs and arms after being out in the sun today.

Sitting up, I wondered why Owen popped into my mind while I’d been daydreaming about Tryston. I chalked it up to the fact that I’d been with him for the past two days. Thankfully, I wouldn’t have to see him again until Tuesday, when he was taking me out on our first date.

I had no idea what that entailed, but he told me to dress “casual but nice.” This was his first test; otherwise, he said he’d be taking me shopping for new clothes.

And as nice as that would be, I knew it would be a waste of his money. They’d probably get one use and then sit in the back of my tiny closet.

The alarm on my phone sounded, and I knew it was the preset to remind me of my family’s Sunday dinner. I was dreading it, especially after the run-in with Alex earlier today. I’m sure, between her and my parents, the rumor of me and Owen being a thing was spreading like wildfire. Good in theory, bad in reality, because I was not the kind who enjoyed being the center of attention.

Probably because that was never my role in our family. I was in the shadows. The afterthought. The one who picked up pieces when no one was looking.

But Karma must have been on my side after helping Owen, because as I arrived back home for dinner, only a few ranch hands, plus Autumn, Colton, and Beverly, were seated around the table with my parents. Owen’s mom was quieter than usual as my mom passed around the pan of stuffed peppers. She was normally the most talkative during meals, but her eyes kept glancing over to the empty chair beside me, then casting downward.

It took me a few minutes to realize my parents and Beverly hoped Owen would be joining us for the meal. An invitation I hadn’t considered when I left his place, which was bad if we were supposed to be dating.

I tried to cover up my mistake by explaining that he was busy unpacking and speaking with his coach. Only the smallest of fibs, and thankfully, they seemed to buy it. Everyone but Autumn. I had a sneaking suspicion that Alex already spilled the beans to our eldest sister. Neither of them was a fan of Owen’s. It actually surprised me that my parents liked him so much. They always had. Growing up, they used to explain his picking on me was a way for him to tell me he liked me. I never understood that logic.