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Odette takes a step closer to his desk

“Does she?” She swipes the stack of pictures, fanning through them “You know, I alondered why you kept th … and I always felt like some sort of third place consolation prize And I understood, Oliver You were a er And your daughter ca second fiddle to them … it was Renata”

My father es his temples

Without warning, Odette grabs the crystal anniversary clock off his desk and hurls it against the fireplace on the other side of the room

It smashes into a million pieces

I take it as my cue to leave

Grabbing s, I make a mad dash for my car

I have to find Wyatt

I have to tell hi

34

Wyatt

I’ arding Oliver Abbott, when a silver Toyota flies over the hill and turns down our drive A second later, Blaire e in such a hurry she hardly shuts the door behind her

She dashes up the front walk, and the closer she gets, the

If she caht for us one last time …

I rise and she crashes intoht it steals my breath

“I know,” she says, her words ”

“What are you talking about?”

She cupsmine “I know my father has the deed to your ranch And I know your mama broke his heart and it killed him to watchfrom him I know he’s the one who made you stay away from me”

The heaviness that’s been living in ins to clear little by little, with each passing breath

“You were caught between a rock and a hard place,” Blaire continues “You did the right thing You did what you had to do You kept your faether You did all of that …” her voice breaks “ … and you waited forme”

I crush herthe salt of her tears as three-thousand-sixty-five days of secrets and solitude fade into the background

I don’t knohat this means for the farm quite yet—but I knohat it means for us

35

Blaire

“I don’t knohat’s worse” I pressto his heartbeat as we lie in a tangledin love with so in love with someone you’re forbidden to be with”