Fractured Sky (Tattered & Torn #5)(58)

“Well, I’ll be glad to have the extra set of hands.”

Aidan shuffled his feet, kicking at a piece of gravel, but his gaze was everywhere. Searching.

“You okay?”

His attention snapped back to me, and I saw the strain in his eyes. “Is Shiloh okay?”

I’d made an excuse for why I’d had to leave last night, not wanting to scare Aidan or Elliott. “What do you mean?”

His jaw clenched. “I heard Sandy on the phone talking to a friend this morning. Someone attacked Shiloh?”

I mentally cursed the gossip mill in our small town. When the police and EMTs responded to a call, it was impossible to stop the news from traveling. But this had to be a record.

I leaned against the fence and met Aidan’s stare. “Shiloh’s completely fine. Just has a bit of a headache.”

“Then where is she?”

“She went to visit her parents. She knew they’d be worried about her and wanted to reassure them.”

Aidan nodded, toeing a piece of gravel with his boot. “Someone hit her.”

Shit. I gripped Aidan’s shoulder. “And she fought right back. Kneed the guy in the balls.”

His expression brightened a fraction at that news. “That’s good.”

“She’s fierce. No one is going to take her out.”

I had to hope that was the truth. Shiloh was stronger than anyone I’d ever met, but the rest of the world didn’t always fight fair.

Aidan swallowed visibly. “Do you think it was my dad?”

His voice shook as he asked the question, showing such bravery in giving voice to his worst nightmares.

I wouldn’t lie. That wouldn’t help. Not when I wanted Aidan to trust me. “We don’t know. It could’ve been a few people.”

“But my dad’s one of them.”

“Hayes is going to ask him some questions.”

Aidan kicked another piece of gravel, this time harder. “He’ll just lie. He gets away with everything.”

“Not with hurting his horses. Not with hurting you. He’s gonna pay for both. And if he hurt Shiloh, he’ll pay for that, too. We all know the truth about him now. The sheriff’s department knows the truth. They’re going to stop him.”

The irony that I was placing my hope in law enforcement wasn’t lost on me. But I’d seen the determination in Hayes—and also the kindness. He’d do whatever he could to help.

“She’ll never forgive me if it was him,” Aidan said softly.

My ribs tightened, making it hard to pull in a full breath. “Aidan. Shiloh would never blame you for something your father did. Not in a million years.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.”

Aidan lifted his stubborn gaze to me. “How?”

“One of Shiloh’s best friends. Her name is Everly.”

He nodded for me to continue.

“Her father kidnapped Shiloh when she was ten. Shiloh loves her like a sister.” I’d seen it in the way she talked about the woman and her willingness to be a part of a wedding that I knew would be a struggle for her.

Aidan’s jaw dropped. “Are you for real?”

“Real as it gets. Shiloh sees you for who you are, and that’s an incredible young man who gave everything for his little brother. Nothing will ever change that.”





28





SHILOH





I pulled into a makeshift spot in front of my parents’ house, but I didn’t turn off the engine or make any move to get out of the vehicle. I simply sat and stared at the home I’d grown up in. The front steps where my brothers, sister, and I had played a game where we had to jump a certain distance to avoid sharks in the water. The rockers I’d often escaped to after a particularly bad nightmare, the sky being my one comfort. The front door I knew would always be open for me.

Swallowing hard, I switched off the engine. The only sound as I opened my door was that of the ranch: wind rustling the leaves, the faint strains of the cattle’s call, birds overhead.

Both of my parents’ cars were here. I looked at the front windows but didn’t see any sign of movement. I pulled out my phone and opened my texts.

Hayes: They’re up to date. They’re worried but dealing.

My stomach twisted in a series of intricate knots, the kind you weren’t sure could ever be unraveled. I’d brought this on. Me. If I’d just been honest since the beginning, maybe they wouldn’t be hurting so much.

I forced my feet into action, carrying me up the steps and towards the front door. My hand stilled on the knob a few beats before I twisted it open.

“Anyone home?” I called as I stepped inside.

“In here,” my dad answered.

I steeled myself as I headed towards the living room and his voice. Normally, he’d be out with the cattle or horses at this time of day. But he wasn’t working alongside the ranch hands. He was home. Waiting for me.

As I stepped into the open living and dining space, I took in my parents. They looked older, lines of strain around their eyes and mouths, and I knew I’d been the one to put them there.

I tried my best to get my mouth to curve into a smile but knew it came off as more of an awkward grimace. “Hey.”