Page 50 of Sweet Madness

Space Note

“Hey, cupcake, did you know that scientists have calculated that the moon is 4.3 billion years old?” — S

Chapter

Fourteen

TANGLED

Shaw

“The freckles on his face are my favorite pattern, even more so than any constellation.” – E

Stepping out of the shower, I quickly dress in a simple gray tee and black sweatpants, needing to feel comfortable after the long day I’ve had. It is hot as hell, nearly reaching 100 degrees.

With wet hair and a towel draped over my shoulders, I padded barefoot into the kitchen, my footsteps loud against the cool wooden tiles. Opening the fridge, I reach for a cold beer and look for something to eat. That’s when I realize I’ve been so caught up in my usual routine that I’ve forgotten I’m no longer alone.

Fuck. I realize I haven’t prepared anything for Ella. Did she eat? I wonder, peering into the fridge packed with numerous fresh items and even stuff I don’t eat. I made sure to stock it with everything she might want or need once I was assigned to her.

Guilt claws at me for forgetting to feed her while I spent the late afternoon outside tending to the animals and fixing things. The fences needed repair after years of deterioration caused by livestock brushing against them. It’s about damn time I fixed them after months of putting it off.

And after Ella got her way and we spent all morning roaming the town, stopping at every store she found interesting or cute, we came back to the ranch and went our separate ways. I continue with my daily routine at the stables, saddling the horses and caring for the cattle, while she is supposed to start her online classes. To make a longer day even more exhausting, I have to deal with the legal shit that comes with owning a ranch.

That’s the part I dislike the most. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty and working the land. It’s the paperwork that is a pain in the ass. I would rid myself of the task if I trusted someone else to handle it, but sadly I don’t and have no choice but to do it myself. Phoenix is not a man of numbers and business. He’s all about the land and getting his hands dirty. It’s up to me then.

I can’t fail this land. For her. That’s why I work like a dog trying to keep this ranch and land alive. I owe it to them. I wish I didn’t fucking owe them anything, yet I do. And I can’t do shit about it but keep my head held high and my feet firmly planted on the ground, working until I’m no longer in fucking debt with the devil. I hate that I had no option but to accept his help, even though at the time I didn’t have a single clue who threw me the lifeline.

When memories of what led me here try to resurface, I push them down and force them back to where they belong—the place where everything that once hurt stays forgotten, where it all stays numb.

My chest tightens, and my thoughts instantly steer in another direction. To the petite heiress with a smile as bright as the fucking sun. The girl I have no business letting infiltrate my mind. But she’s been there all day, slipping over me and threatening to sink in. Ella.

Her lovely smile. A smile that lights up whenever she sees me. God knows why she wastes them on a miserable fuck like me. The damn goat that made her so happy. Fucking pink. I never gave the obnoxious color much thought until now; it’s all around me—it’s all I see.

Don’t go there, Shaw. She’s not for you. You break beautiful things, or have you forgotten?

But then I think of how empty and cold it felt while we parted ways today—when she wasn’t around. Fuck. That’s the thing about being out in the cold for so long; you start to forget how the sun feels on your skin, and that girl with her brilliant smiles, sweet heart, and wacky ways has made me feel things I haven’t felt in years—some I’ve never felt before, and that’s fucked up.

Someone like me, who has seen more ugliness than beauty, would only snuff out her lovely light.

As I twist off the cap with a satisfying hiss, a faint noise from outside catches my attention. It’s dark outside; what could the noise be? Maybe one of the horses got loose. It’s happened before. Peanut hates being confined to small spaces.

With a heavy sigh, I set the beer bottle down on the kitchen counter and move toward the glass door that leads to the back of the house. I peer through the glass, my eyes drawn to the garden where a soft glow dances among the trees. I frown at what I see. The branches are adorned with bright fairy lights, like stars falling from the sky. It looks almost magical. The fuck? Are those old Christmas lights?

I’m surprised they still work after being unused for so long.

Curiosity piqued, I stepped into the garden. The evening air is crisp and filled with the scents of summer and tulips from not far away. Looking down at the stone path that leads to the middle of the garden, I’m surprised to find scattered flowers and small white rocks beneath my feet. Each step makes my chest feel tight.

Then the sight before me is almost as if I’ve stumbled upon a secret world hidden in my own backyard. A secret world I never expected to find.

Pink. That word comes to mind again. Deep in my gut, I know this has Ellaiza Kenton written all over it. There’s no question in my mind that she did all of this.

That’s how she feels to you, doesn’t she? Like a creature from another world. Like an unknown galaxy that you’re itching to discover. I ignore the confusing-as-fuck thoughts and wander deeper into the garden, following the trail of lights that lead me further into the quiet, starlit night. The only sound is the rustling of leaves in the breeze and the distant chirping of crickets. It seems like a normal night at the ranch, but I can already tell it’s not.

A usual night here feels empty and lifeless. Not tonight, and all because of her. My lovely heiress. Dangerous. So dangerous.

I’ve known it all along. From the second she looked at me as if she had finally found me, the girl crash-landed into my life and sprinkled every aspect of it with some sort of voodoo shit or magic. She has infiltrated every thought, leaving me defenseless.

The way she adapts to my small town with so much grace and a positive attitude surprises me. I thought for sure she would turn this situation into a nightmare for me, yet she makes this lonely ranch feel… less cold and more… colorful.