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Chapter Ten

You can feel some people’s presences before you even lay eyes on them Some of those presences are peaceful and put you at ease Like Jesse’s And some make you every shade of uncomfortable and disarm you Like Garth’s

The trouble with ood-for-me compass was seriously screwed up I’d always known that to a certain extent, but only after co way I didn’t knohat I wanted to do about it, if anything, but I was acknowledging it in a way I hadn’t before

A dark, few-noted chuckle sounded fro of presences

"What are you doing still lurking around?" I said, spinning around "All the guys left a fewat the spot I’d last seen Jesse and Sunny until the man in black interfered

Garth smiled that dark one of his that would have ood atlurking," he said in that deep, thick voice "And yeah, the guys did leave a few uy left even a few minutes before that" Garth walked towardhim His horse had a dark mane and tail Like owner, like horse "But that sure hasn’t stopped you fro if you look long enough, Jesse fking Walker will ically reappear"

My whole body tensed I hadn’t heard such a harsh word delivered in such a spiteful tone in so long that it caughtthe cooler farther into the truck bed The sooner I got into the cab, the sooner I could get away frootten what he’d said to me at the rodeo or how he’d said the words with such cruelty "I didn’t see you earlier Do you just decide to show up for henever the hell you please?"

I heard him and his horse uys like Garth, people like hi they intiive hioddaside duate closed, and when I turned around, I found Garth not even two feet fro, so I crossedsurprise you didn’t notice anyone else just now Because you, irl,"--I bristled at the little part He didn’t olden boy atop his golden steed Riding off to his golden tower and his golden faolden’ story?"

Garth’s mouth lifted on one side "Only that there’s no place for you in it"

My eyebrows caether Was there no limit to Garth’s cruelty?

"People like you, my tainted, deliciously flawed Rowen, are not and never will be anything close to golden"

Nope There was no lis like he’d just punched me in the stoer, he’d see how deep he’d cut me, so I shoved by him and marched for the driver’s side door My as-close-to-perfect-as-I’d-ever-experienced-afternoon had just been shattered by a few cutting words frooing to be on olden way," I snapped back

"I didn’t mean that as an insult, Rowen I meant that as a compliment" Garth leaned into the side of the truck and ran his eyes down olden person to another, ill never be known as the ones to take the easy path We will never be known as the ones to wag our tails and play fetch because that’s what the world expects of us You andbreed"

I wanted to spit nails right through that s expression of his He didn’t know et to know hi breed And that’s only because when you say shit like that to people, they start plotting a way to kill you"

Garth laughed as I fought to get the door open "What do you think Mr and Mrs Walker are going to say when you and Jesse tell them you two have become a hot little ite to say because I didn’t know What would they say? I couldn’t be sure They were good people, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t haveseats when they found out about Jesse and ive you their blessing when they find out their precious son is dating the ranch freak?"

There was that word again I’d heard it hundreds of times, and it had rolled off s Ranch, where all my defense layers melted away, it sliced me in such a way I kneould leave a perive you his great-grandirl who’s no doubt been in the back seat of soher ry I was sad I couldn’t decide what I was more of, so I just stood there, silent and motionless