She sits back with a soft gasp, her eyes drinking me in like she can’t believe I mean it.
“That’s why I came back. I don’t want to go anywhere without you. Come with me, please.”
She still doesn’t say anything. Her soft lips are parted. Tears continue to trail down her face, a tear getting caught on the edge of her mouth. She licks it away and then looks to Jackson.
“I won’t let you down,” I continue. “I won’t run away. And I will never lie to you again. I promise. I’ll take care of you guys.”
She blinks and looks at me. Jackson’s staring at me too, and I glance between them.
“Come with me. Come to the ranch with me.”
Jackson starts nodding, his head bobbing up and down, faster and faster. “Let’s do it, Annie. There’s nothin’ left here.”
“What about Gramma? The diner?”
“We were planning on leavin’ anyway.”
“I know I was savin’ for it, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever actually make it.”
Jackson snickers and rolls his eyes. “Aw, Annie.”
“It was a survival technique. I needed somethin’ to make life with Dean bearable.” She sucks in a breath and holds it.
I run my hand down her arm, then slip my fingers between hers. “You don’t have to stay here. We can build a new life. Get a fresh start.”
“Aunt Mirren can look after Gramma,” Jackson says. “She doesn’t even know who we are anymore. This is our chance. Let’s take it. Please, Annie. Mama would want us to be happy. This ranch sounds pretty cool.”
I swallow, worried that I’ve built it up too much.
But it was amazing.
And we could make it amazing again.
Annie’s sunshine could wipe out the darkness that still lingers there. We could clean the place up, make it new. Make it what it once was.
Squeezing my hand, Annie catches my eye, a tentative smile growing on her lips.
Her head starts bobbing, and I grin. Even though it hurts, the smile stretches across my lips, and I can’t even stop it.
Letting out a watery laugh, she shuffles into my space, and I pull her onto my lap. It hurts, and I have to stifle my groan, but then her arms are around my neck and her chin is on my shoulder.
“Let’s do this. Let’s go to the ranch.”
I wrap my arm around her waist and hold her against me. Kissing the side of her ear, I softly whisper, “I love you, Annie.”
Her lips brush my cheek as she leans back to look at me.
Her eyes tell me she feels the same. They’re practically glowing, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of forever looking at them.
50
Goodbye Buckland Springs
It’s taken us a ridiculous amount of police interviews, hospital visits and insurance meetings, but we’re finally allowed to go.
Tucker and Mirren have been instrumental in helping us out, and I’m eternally grateful to both of them. Not only did Tucker let Michael stay with him, but he’s going to wrap up the insurance claim for the diner, and I’ve signed a form that’s given him power of attorney.
Thanks to Michael’s willingness to share details of Sloan’s operation with the FBI, he’s been let off, so we’re free to go.
Free to start over.
The idea thrills and terrifies me.
I’ve never left Buckland Springs.
Mirren gives me a hug, her arms holding me a little too tight, but I don’t have the heart to tell her. She’s sniffing in my ear and saying, “You’re doing the right thing, kiddo. This is the start of your new story. And your mama would be real proud. She always wanted this for you.”
I pull out of the hug and smile at Mirren while she goes on to tell me how much she’s gonna visit Gramma and that I’m not allowed to worry about a thing.
Franks cuts her off, pulling me into a squeezy hug, just like her mama’s. “You better text me every day.”
“I will, Franks.”
A second pair of arms engulfs me from behind, and Billy wraps us both in his bear-like arms. It gives me the giggles, and then Franks starts doin’ her laughing, crying thing.
I pull out of the hug before she snots all over my shirt.
Holding her cheeks, I say it like I mean it, “I’m gonna be fine.”
“I want you to be better than fine.”
I grin. “I will be. I’m gonna be great.”
“That’s better.” She kisses my cheek, then slashes a tear off her face. “I love you, Annie Bird.”
“Love you, Miss Franks.”
Tears burn my eyes, and I have to step away from her before I lose it completely. Saying goodbye is hard. Thankfully, Gramma was oblivious when I saw her yesterday. She patted my arm, her sweet smile and voice making my heart melt. “That’s nice, darlin’. You tell your grandpa hi from me.”
All I could do was kiss her and walk away.
Just like now.
Michael’s leaning against Dean’s Bronco, giving us space to say goodbye. I wanted to take Grandpa’s Dodge, but it was decided that the Bronco was a more practical choice. So I’ve given the Dodge to Franks. She couldn’t believe it and squealed into the phone so loud my ears were ringing. They’re still fuzzy after the explosion, but Trudy Keyes assures me they’ll heal up just fine.
She has actually been quite kind about looking after us. Maybe she feels like she owes me for going back in for Hank. I don’t know. I was expecting her to hate me for pulling her husband into this mess, but she popped over after Dean’s funeral and gave both Michael and me a free medical checkup. She cleared him to drive but warned him not to push it.
I catch his eye, and he grins at me. His face is healed up and back to its normal shape with only remnants of yellow bruising left to remind us of that harrowing afternoon. I’m so relieved his concussion was only a mild one. Things could have been so much worse.
The explosion rockets through the back of my brain and I shudder, forcing my mind to a safer place.
Like Harborton, Montana.
The ranch.
I can’t wait to see it.
According to Google Maps, it’ll take about twenty-five hours to drive there. We’ll take it slow. Stay in motels along the way. Both Tucker and Mirren have given us some money to help us along. I promised to pay them back once the insurance for the diner comes in. They told me not to worry, but I’m gonna stick to my word.
“Love you guys.” I raise my hand in a final farewell, walking backward until I reach Michael. His hand rests on my hip while he opens the door for me.
Jackson jumps in the back, and as the engine rumbles to life, fresh tears build on my lashes. Billy has his arm around Franks while she cries against his chest. Mirren’s giving me a brave smile, but her eyes are glassy, just like mine.
Michael reverses out of the driveway and takes a left out of town.
As much as I want to go, it feels weird to be leaving. Buckland Springs has been rocked pretty hard by this whole thing. Bad stuff doesn’t happen in this place. Their beloved police chief got shot by a gangster. I’m sure some are blaming me for that, but…
“Can we make one final stop before we leave?”
Michael looks surprised, but nods. “Sure.”