I felt so much relief after being back after a long while. The Blackwoods may have not been my biological family, but they were the closest people I had to family.

"The last I heard from you, Si. You were dating some guy named Joshua..." Zoe asked softly.

It was hours after my arrival, and Adrian had been gracious enough to make dinner. There was nothing the man couldn't do.

"Ah, yes. Well, he kind of went from boyfriend to fiancé," I replied right before I stuffed a piece of juicy steak in my mouth.

"What? Nooo," Zoe gasped, completely absorbed in the conversation now. My eyes flicked over to Adrian at the far end of the table, and I almost choked when I found his eyes locked set on me. It didn't seem like he had been eating, only watching me. His gaze felt like it was setting my body ablaze.

I looked at Zoe after I had swallowed, "No, not anymore." I said even before she could ask. I hoped she wouldn't ask me for the story.

Zoe looked at me for a moment longer before she went back to eating. She was my best friend after all. How could she have not seen my struggle?

"Zoe told me you expanded, Mr. Blackwood?" I suddenly asked, breaking the awkward silence that had been lingering in the air.

Adrian pulled his eyes away from me as soon as I shifted the focus back to him. He grabbed his glass of wine and swirled it a little before he took a sip. "Ah, yes. We have more land now, but it's been taking on so well." He replied curtly.

"Well? Dad's been producing milk and meat for the whole county. There was a local issue piece about him." Zoe said as she pulled out her phone to show me the article. Adrian was on the front cover and in a full cowboy gear. The man was handsome even without trying.

"We should ride out tomorrow, yeah?" Zoe suggested as she looked at me. "You'll see how beautiful this place is. Maybe it can convince you to stick around for good?"

I did not know what to say to Zoe. She hoped I stayed, and as sweet as that was, I had a whole life back in New York. Besides, with how hard Adrian's face muscles were clenched, I didn't think the man wanted me to be around longer than I had to.

"Maybe." I replied and coincidentally, something fell off the table at the same time. It was fortunate because Zoe would've insisted and the girl was quite persistent.

As we continued to eat, Zoe's phone started buzzing. When she saw who the caller ID was, she broke into a smile as she stood up. "I should grab more wine from the cellar. I'll be right back." Zoe announced as she dashed out of the living room.

I did not want to be alone with Adrian lest I find out exactly what he truly thinks about me. If his attitude had happened right after I'd been back, I might've understood that it was because I left and barely kept in touch. But it started way before I left.

Drawing in a deep breath, I turned to face him only to frown when I found his seat empty. Or maybe not. Adrian was bent under the table, hand reaching out for something. Something had fallen earlier. Had he not found it?

"Adrian, do you need some help?" I asked as I bent and disappeared under the table as well. The words died on my lips when I found Adrian, his face locked on my legs. He wasn't even making the effort to hide what he had been doing.

I had found it convenient to change into a dress for dinner. It was a New York thing: dress up and look nice when having a meal. Now, it didn't seem like such a good idea after all.

As Adrian's eyes met mine, heat coursed straight through my body and settled somewhere it definitely shouldn't. We both got back up at the same time only for our eyes to lock into each other again. None of us said anything. What was left to say? I found my best friend's father looking at my legs under the table.

Had he seen more? The black lace panties I had on under the red dress? Were my legs parted enough for him to see my covered pussy? Heat flooded my face and burned with every passing second we stared at each other.

"Sienna-" Adrian had started to say when we heard footsteps coming up the steps. Zoe was back from the cellar in the basement. Whatever Adrian had to say was forgotten instantly.

"Found it. It's not as good as the one we opened earlier, but I think it should do," Zoe announced as she walked into view. As soon as she sat down, Adrian stood up and excused himself.

Zoe looked at him with a frown before she looked at me. I shrugged cluelessly. It was anything but. The rest of dinner was actually very pleasant. Zoe and I finished a whole bottle of wine while talking.

It was a few minutes to midnight when we finally decided to call it a night. Zoe's room was closer than mine, so I stumbled through the hallway in the dark. I wasn't fully drunk, but I was tipsy enough to use the wall for support.

"I'm telling you, man, I can't—"

I paused mid-step when I heard a muffled voice across the hallway. The door was slightly open so the dim lights from the office illuminated into the hallway.

It was Adrian's voice on the other side of that door, talking to someone. I took soft and quiet steps until I stood right outside, my eyes peering through the small crack of the open door.

"My decision is final. Sienna cannot stay here."

The sound of my name caught me off guard, and I took a step back, louder than I intended. The soft creaking of the wooden floor behind me announced my presence.

Adrian pulled the phone from his ear, tilted his face up slightly as if he was smelling the air, and with a deep groan, he turned around. I was out in the dark hallway, but it felt like his eyes could see straight through the very darkness I was in. He didn't say anything more, and I didn't stay to find out if he would.

Who was he talking to?

And what did he mean when he said I couldn't stay?

I stirred awake the next morning from the sound of horses neighing and cows mooing. It was very different from waking up in New York with traffic blaring. In comparison to that, this sounded almost peaceful.

I dragged my feet off of the bed and walked to the door that led to the balcony. The view from up there was beautiful. The sun was already out, and the fields stretched out to a beautiful vegetation. Workers moved about with precision, each busy with their workload while children played about.

I stretched out, yawning softly as I turned around to walk back into my bedroom. From the corner of my eyes, I caught a figure standing at the far end of the compound, perched up on a black horse.

Adrian?

I watched as he softly guided his horse so he could turn towards me. The second his dark gaze landed on me, I was quite aware of two things. One, I was still in my flimsy nightgown that left absolutely everything to imagination, and second, Adrian's words from last night.

"I've already decided: Sienna cannot stay here."

The words echoed in my head as I stared right back at him. When someone else rode out, Adrian looked away instantly as if he had been caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

"Good morning, boss." The man greeted enthusiastically as he joined Adrian.

Adrian's expression changed from the cold exterior he had been wearing to something warm and inviting. Apparently, I'm the only one Adrian Blackwood couldn't be human with.

"Good morning, Gabino." Ready to set off?" I heard Adrian's voice ask as his horse started moving. The rest of his words were muffled but I could've sworn I heard something along the lines of 'Is that her?'

I went back inside my room, brushing off the deep, knotted feeling inside my stomach. It bothered me greatly how much Adrian's coldness affected me. The man was unpredictable: one moment he can't stand me, and the next, I find him staring at me in ways he shouldn't.

"Zoe? I thought we were going riding today?" I asked, confusion masked on my face when I walked into Zoe's room.

A small suitcase lay open on the bed, and she was folding clothes and toiletries into it. It looked like she was traveling. When she saw me, she sighed deeply, as if that would explain the entire situation.

"I'm so sorry, Si. I had the weekend off, but something came up at work. It's urgent—" Zoe worked at the local paper. She had a thing for news, always has since high school, so I wasn't surprised when she bought shares of the local paper company.

"Is everything alright?" I asked, worry etched in my voice as I jumped in to help her sort her stuff. "Do you need me to come with? I can pack a bag," I offered.

"No. Sienna, you came here to relax. I don't want to drag you into my crazy. But thank you. I just have to sort out a problem in the next town." Zoe explained as she reached for the zipper and closed the suitcase. "Now I might be gone for a day or the entire weekend, but not to worry, Lia will be here in a couple of hours, and she'll keep you company, most of the time anyway."

"Lia?" I asked as I leaned against her vanity mirror.

"You remember Gabino and Maria's granddaughter, right?" Zoe inquired as she pulled the handle of the suitcase up. "She was still a junior when we were seniors. She comes to help out from time to time, so you'll be in safe hands. Besides, Dad's here too."

Right. He's here.

I walked Zoe out to her car and watched as she drove off the rusty driveway. With both Zoe and Adrian gone, it suddenly felt quiet and slightly lonely. I had to remind myself that coming here had been with the intention of getting some quiet and peace for myself.

With my boots strapped on tightly, I followed the rough path that led to the stables. Zoe and I used to sneak out there to smoke back when we were still in high school. The place had hardly changed. Sure, a few renovations had been done on the outside, but once you walked inside, everything was still as it was.

I pushed the barn door open and walked in. A horse's neigh startled me, and I turned around to see one of the horses out of its paddock.

"Easy... Easy girl." I coaxed as I reached my hand forward to calm the horse down. It took a few more tries before she leaned her head against my hand. "There you go girl. Good girl." I whispered softly as I rubbed my palm gently on its shiny black fur. She was a beauty.

"Do you want to go for a ride? Yeah?" I asked, already reaching over to saddle her up. They say you can take a girl out of a farm, but you can never take the farm out of her.

It surprised me just how easy it was after so many years. What felt even more magnificent was being on a horse after so many years. The horse was majestic, and the wind that brushed against my cheeks as I rode was gentle, as if breathing new purpose into my life.

Until it didn't.

One second, I was riding deep into the fields; the next, I felt a sudden, sharp pain before everything went absolutely dark.