Only You (Wild Creek Ranch Series Book 4)

Chapter Thirty-One

The next whole week, while Antonio was prescribed rest. Sawyer, Carlos, and Miguel battled with the burnt remains of their hard work. Carlos believed José had torched the plantation farm, but they didn't have any evidence to prove it. However, since the farm was insured thanks to Sawyer's foresight, and they could claim returns for the damages caused.

Antonio heavily depended upon Sawyer now, since he wasn't allowed to take much stress after his attack. For the next eight months, Sawyer helped them set up the plantation again. It had been nearly two years that he had been away from Renée. Life had been a roller-coaster ride for him ever since he had arrived in Mexico.

Finally, his hopes started building up as things started looking better and again, money started pouring in. Finally, one evening, happy with the sales of their latest crop, he sat down on his bed in a relaxed mood. He would surely talk to Antonio and his mom and take the first flight home. He scrolled through his new smartphone to check on what his family had been up to back at Fordsville. Did Rhett get married to Adelaide? Did Rex find his green eyes beauty? And what about Ryder? Did he marry Anastasia? But mostly he thought about his Renée. What was she up to? She should have just gone to her third year at college.

He stared at Rhett's social media page. There were no posts about his wedding. In fact, the last photograph uploaded was of two years back, before he had left for Las Vegas. It was a photograph of him with Adelaide when he took her out for a date. Did that mean that Adelaide hadn't returned yet?

He scrolled through Rex's account too, but found nothing. It seemed life had been a standstill at Wild Creek Ranch. There was no post in anyone's profile for the last two years! He felt a little guilty thinking that he might be the cause if it all.

He next checked Ryder's account to see if he had proceeded anywhere with Anastasia. But to his horror, he found a post from Matt where he had tagged all his friends. It was a sort of challenge or a dare where every friend had to tag their fiancée or girlfriends. Matt had posted a picture of Renée and him, dancing together. The photograph looked recent, as he could see how much Renée had grown up in the last two years. She was looking gorgeous in a forest green dreamy gown, her eyes looking more pronounced in the dress. But it was the caption that drove him crazy.

My future wife, my Renée!

It made Sawyer's heart stop beating. His breath was stuck in his throat as he realized what it all meant. Renée was engaged to Matt, and they were to be married. His world crashed around him and he realized what he lost in all this. He got back his mom, but he lost the only person whom he had cherished all his life. His Renée! She had moved on!

He kept the mobile phone down and lay down quietly on his bed. The energy to live had been wrenched out of his soul. He switched off his light and quietly lay in the dark room, thinking about what he should do now. With Renée planning to get married to Matt, he had no wish to return to Fordsville any longer. Matt was a capable guy. He wasn't an orphan who depended upon the Wilsons. Matt was a better choice for her than he would ever be.

Sawyer sighed at his condition. Two years had passed by, yet he hadn't a earned a single penny for himself. He had spent nearly half his life working and helping others and didn't have a single penny in his account to buy his own ranch. He didn't wish to take help from his family, who had already done a lot for him. With Renée getting married, the wish to start his ranch also died in his heart. What would he do with a ranch when the person who he was buying it for wasn't there in his life anymore?

There were many knocks on his door. Maybe Juana or Carlos were calling him to dinner, but he had lost his appetite.

The next few days, he trudged on at Veracruz Farms, overworking himself. His only source of happiness were his siblings, who loved him unconditionally, and he loved playing with them. They climbed all over him whenever he was around. After realizing that Renée had moved on, he dropped his plans of returning to Fordsville forever.

Wildcreek Ranch, Fordsville

"Congrats, bro. So when's your wedding?" Blade, one of Ryder's friends, asked Matt. All the friends were sitting on Ryder's porch, sipping beer and sharing jokes. Everyone looked at Matt with curiosity.

"Are you planning to get married or what?" asked Ryder with curiosity.

"What? You don't know that he's marrying your sister?" asked Blade with surprise. Matt looked a little uncomfortable.

"What? Who told you he's marrying Renée? As far as I know, Renée isn't interested in marrying him. She loves someone else," said Ryder with displeasure.

"Didn't you see Matt's post yet?" asked Blade, looking more surprised than before. Ryder checked and then fumed with anger.

"How did you post that?" he growled, punching Matt in his face. A fight followed thereafter, and the others tried to separate the two. The physical fight ended and a verbal fight started. Ryder compelled him to delete the post. Matt broke his friendship with him and left Wild Creek Ranch with no intention of coming back, ever. The picture had been taken on Ryder parent's anniversary party last weekend when Matt and his family were invited.

Matt was drunk and had pulled Renée for a dance and had asked Ronald had clicked the photograph for him. After that stunt Matt had pulled, Ryder broke up his friendship with him. He and Ryan had been busy with their graduation ceremony at college the whole of last week. Now, freshly graduated, they are ready to start work full time here at the ranch.

Renée went on with her dismal life, concentrating only on her studies. Life wasn't fun for her anymore, with Anastasia having returned to Las Vegas to her parents' house. However, she didn't give up hope of Sawyer returning. Her granddad and uncle Kevin still tried to search for Sawyer everywhere, engaging different private investigators, but to no avail. Adelaide still hadn't returned from New York, and Rhett's condition was no better than hers. In fact, after Anastasia left, even Ryder was in the same boat. He wanted to go to Las Vegas to meet her and tried to convince his parents every day to let him go.

Three Years Later

However, the only one happy in this situation was Ryan. He had caught a glimpse of Georgia after five long years at the departmental store a day back, but before he could approach her; she had disappeared. Was he hallucinating, or was she really there? After she had disappeared, he had found out that she had left Fordsville. Did it mean that she was back?

A strange excitement filled his whole body, and he looked forward to meeting her again. However, his wish soon came true, and he saw her at the marketplace three days later. She was at the florists buying a beautiful bouquet of red roses. He stood outside, staring at her. She looked lovelier than before in a pale lemon yellow sundress. She came out of the shop and bumped straight into him.

"Georgia," he said, as if in a daze. Georgia looked up at him with troubled eyes that mirrored a lot of pain. The bouquet fell from her hands. Her eyes glistened with tears seeing him after so many years. He had grown up, his body had filled in so well. Despite what he had done to her, she couldn't forget him. She still loved him and seeing him suddenly right in front of her made her upset.

"Where did you go away, Georgia?" he asked in a hoarse voice. Georgia came out of her trance. The words and the insult the professor had lashed out at her still rang in her ears. She stooped and picked up her bouquet and ran to her car, leaving Ryan gaping after her.

She drove away without looking back, wiping the tears off from her eyes with the back of her hand. Ryan stood transfixed on the spot. He wanted to run after her; he wanted to apologize for hurting her but couldn't. After she had left, there wasn't a single moment when he hadn't remembered her, when he didn't repent his actions. He had wanted to undo the hurt that he had caused her, but to no avail. He didn't know where she had gone.

He slowly went back home, thinking of a way to see her and apologize. He had to meet her. Her behavior made him realize just how much he had hurt her.