Roping The Cowgirl's Heart

Chapter 32

Savannah

I sat on the porch, staring out at the fields, when I saw Liam's truck pulling up the driveway. My oldest brother was back, and I had a lot I needed to discuss with him. As he got out of the truck, I went to greet him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Liam, it's good to see you," I said.

"Hey, Sav," he replied, hugging me. "What's going on? Grace said you needed to talk to all of us."

"Yeah...Let's go inside... How was your trip?"

"It was fine... How about things here?"

"Well, that's what I want to talk to you guys about."

I take a deep breath, as I gather my siblings in the living room. Liam, Grace, and Ethan all look at me expectantly, sensing something is going on.

"I have something important to tell you all," I begin, wringing my hands nervously. "I... I'm not going to be marrying Michael."

Liam's brows shot up in surprise. "I thought that was your plan to save the ranch?"

I sank down onto the couch, my siblings gathering around me. "It just doesn't feel right. I can't go through with it, not when my heart isn't in it." I looked at each of their faces, hoping they would understand. "The ranch means everything to me, but I can't marry someone I don't love. I just can't."

Grace reached out for my hand. "Savannah, I'm proud of you. You're doing the right thing."

Ethan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Sav. We're behind you 100%. This ranch is not worth you sacrificing your happiness over it."

Relief took over me, grateful to have their support. "That's why I wanted to talk to you all about. We need to start moving whatever belongings you want to keep from the ranch. The will states that if I don't get married, the ranch has to be put on the market, and that deadline is coming in a month. So the ranch will be put on sale within a month."

Liam's brow furrowed. "A month? That's not a lot of time."

I took a deep breath, "Start packing up anything you want to keep. We'll need to have it all moved out before it sells."

The three of them nodded. I let out a long sigh, the weight of my decision settling onto my shoulders. I knew it was the right thing to do, but that didn't make it any easier.

My siblings and I all hugged. We shared some tears because we were losing our home, despite everything we tried.

Later on that evening, our friends started filing in, ready to have some fun together. I decided to not tell any of our friends about the decision I just made.

The evening was fun. It was good to see everybody together here at the ranch. Probably what is going to be the last time we'll have everyone on the ranch. Ethan and Rogerio had everyone dancing with their energetic performance. And I couldn't help but be swept up in the joy of it all. Even Liam seemed to be enjoying himself, chatting lively with Maggie.

As the party began to wind down, I found myself alone on the porch again, gazing up at the stars. I jumped slightly when the door opened, and Liam stepped out to join me.

"Hey," he said, leaning against the railing. "You doing okay?"

I nodded, giving him a small smile. "Yeah, just...taking it all in, I guess."

Liam was silent for a moment before speaking again. "I'm proud of you, Savannah. I know how much this ranch means to you, but you're doing the right thing by not marrying Michael."

I choked a bit. "I'm just...hoping I'm making the right decision... I hope this will not haunt me for the rest of my life..."

"You'll be okay, Sav," Liam assured, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You are doing the right thing... We'll all be okay..."