Chapter 65: Austin

Attempting to sleep was pointless. Every time my lids drifted shut, images of Randi popped into my head. Memories from years ago. Except it was the version of her I'd seen today, not the one who'd actually created the stories my mind held onto. No matter how hard I tried to push her from my thoughts, my resentment prevented me from letting her go.

A lack of rest on a cattle ranch was never a good thing, much less after the week we'd had. The work was physical, and the days were long. Add to that an ache of resentment that settled into my gut the second I pulled into Cross Acres, and I had been less than pleasant to the other guys all day. For the most part, they'd all given me a wide girth and let me be. They'd been around long enough to know not to ask questions. There was plenty to do without making conversation, so I kept my hands busy with it. I'd also managed to stay as far away from the farmhouse as possible since the first light had come on.