Andrew woke on Saturday morning to sunshine streaming through his window. For a moment, he didn’t know where he was. He’d been waking to the sound of an alarm, and only letting the sun in once he opened the blackout curtains in his hotel room.

But the tour had ended yesterday. He’d returned to the lodge about mid-afternoon and gone in his bedroom. He hadn’t come out once, and surely Celia would’ve rallied everyone in the family by now.

He didn’t care. He needed all the help he could get. Because Becca wouldn’t talk to him, and she’d given her notice that she was quitting.

“She can’t quit,” he said, just like he had about ten other times in the past three days. But he didn’t know how to get her to stay. She’d been so good at dealing with difficult conversations when they didn’t involve her.

But now, she’d basically shut him out. He had ways of learning things though, and he knew she had a meeting with Mayor Berry on Monday morning. He’d told her to take a few days off, but that was over a week ago, before she’d heard him call her annoying and that no one could possibly stand her for very long.

His chest tightened, and tightened until he felt sure a rib would crack. Why had he said those things? Dwight had called because someone had been talking about him and Becca online. They claimed to have a picture of them kissing, but Andrew knew that simply wasn’t true. He’d only kissed Becca in one of their hotel rooms, and there wasn’t anyone around to see that.

So he’d denied it.

“Lied about it,” he muttered to himself, though he’d always known he’d have to deny the relationship if someone brought it up.

He looked like the living dead, and his hair stood up at odd angles. He didn’t care. He cracked his bedroom door and listened to see if anyone was in the kitchen. He couldn’t hear anything, so he went down the hall, past the empty office, and into the vacant kitchen. He knew how to make coffee, despite everyone’s assumptions, and he got a pot going while he hunted around for a loaf of bread.

With a stack of toast and a cup of coffee, Andrew stepped into the backyard. He didn’t know where Bree was at the moment, but she’d obviously been hard at work on the grounds. The trees had all been trimmed back. The rose bushes too. Grape vines. Everything had been clipped and rounded and readied for the oncoming winter.

Andrew was actually surprised it hadn’t snowed in Coral Canyon yet. The Tetons always had snow on them, but he expected the weather to turn any day now.

“I can’t believe I’m standing here thinking about the weather.” He wandered down the sidewalk a little bit, finishing his toast as he went to the stables.

Someone was inside when he entered, and his first instinct was to leave. He didn’t want to see anyone, and he certainly didn’t want them to see him. Becca had said the cowboy version of him was her favorite, because he was the most real.

He wondered what she’d think of him now, in gym shorts and a T-shirt, hair a mess, and unshaven for the past three days.

Jake worked in the stables, and when he saw Andrew, his face burst into a grin. “Hey, there, Andrew,” he said, coming down the aisle to shake Andrew’s hand. “You’re back in town then?”

“Yeah, back in town.” Andrew really wanted to be back on tour—at least the first two and a half weeks, when Becca was talking to him, kissing him, soothing him.

“So you want me to go back to just evenings?”

Andrew didn’t know what he wanted. “Let’s keep the schedule for now, Jake.”

“Sure thing.”

“Thanks.” Andrew finished his coffee and moved down to Wolfgang’s stall. “Hey, bud.” The horse seemed to remember him, and he didn’t ask any questions about schedules or women or anything else Andrew didn’t know how to answer.

“I’ll come back this afternoon and we’ll go for a ride, okay?”

Woflgang nickered as if he understood English, and Andrew smiled at the gentle horse. “What am I going to do about Becca?” he whispered so Jake couldn’t hear him. “She won’t even talk to me.” He’d never felt so heartbroken before, and he never thought he would.

Becca had changed his life in more ways than one, and he wasn’t sure how he could survive even a single day without her.

But survive he did. Celia had left food in the fridge, so he had plenty to eat. He spent a couple of hours on Wolfgang’s back. Then he retreated to his bedroom and put something on his tablet he simply stared at.

Sunday morning dawned, and Graham texted to find out if Andrew wanted a ride to church. Andrew hesitated, thinking of the last time he’d been in a chapel. Not only that, but Graham and Laney would take one look at him and want to know what had happened on tour.

Andrew looked into his own eyes and hardly recognized himself. Did he have so many sides that even he didn’t know them all?

I’m too tired, he sent to his brother, and he stepped into the shower so he couldn’t engage in any argument that might come from Graham. He should be glad he didn’t have to drive the minivan.

Andrew skipped shaving for another day, thinking maybe he’d grow a beard now that the tour was over. Maybe then he’d know who he wanted to be, as if such a thing could be determined by something as simple as facial hair.

He didn’t go into the office for a week, and that was a new record for him. As was the beard he’d been growing. He felt somewhat like a hermit, as he avoided Celia and Bree when they were in the house, and spent all his time with the horses or by himself.

He’d tried calling Becca exactly once, and she’d answered with, “Andrew, I don’t think this is going to work out. I’m sorry.”

She was sorry? He hadn’t known what to say, and she’d said, “Good-bye, Andrew,” meaning more than the phone call.

His heart felt like someone had taken it out of his chest, shattered it on the ground, and then tried to put all the shards back together. He honestly hadn’t known it was possible to develop such strong feelings for someone in such a short time.

But he now knew he was capable of falling for someone. But he wasn’t in love with her. Oh, no. Maybe he could’ve gotten there, had he gotten a bit more time with her.

The day before Halloween, Carla called and asked if he was coming in the next day, as there was a building-wide party and each department competed for the best costumes. He didn’t want to ask if Becca would be there, but the department usually dressed in a theme and entered the competition together.

“And so you know, Becca cleaned out her office. She said she’d finish the final reports at home, and her last paycheck could be mailed.”

Andrew heard the tentativeness in her voice and knew she wanted more details. “Thank you,” he said. “Yes, I’ll be in tomorrow. What should we do?” Now that their department was down to two, it shouldn’t be too hard.

“I was thinking,” she said. “Your family has a Santa suit, don’t they?”

“Yes,” Andrew said, suddenly reminded of the upcoming Christmas holidays—and how all of his plans had included Becca.

Andrew made it through three days at work before Graham and Beau showed up in his office.

“Hey,” he said, surprise coloring the word. He leaned away from the paperwork on his desk. “What’s going on?”

Graham looked grim, and he entered the office and closed the door behind him. “This is an intervention.”

Andrew scoffed and started to smile when he realized his brothers weren’t kidding. “An intervention for what?”

Beau removed his cowboy hat and ran his free hand through his hair. “You and Becca Collings.”

“There is no me and Becca Collings,” Andrew said, his tone dark now.

“I told him you two were, in fact, dating.” Graham took a chair across from Andrew, not a hint of regret in his face or his voice.

“Great.” Andrew waited, thinking if they said what they’d come to say, they’d leave.

“What happened?” Graham asked as Beau dragged over a chair and sat beside him.

“We weren’t compatible.”

Beau laughed, and Graham simply smiled. “We know that’s not true,” his oldest brother said.

“I did something stupid, and she’s mad at me,” he said, realizing as he spoke that no, she wasn’t mad. She was hurt. He’d said horrible, mean things, even if they weren’t true.

“Have you tried talking to her?” Graham asked.

“Yes,” Andrew said. “She won’t.”

“And that’s okay with you? The Andrew Whittaker I know doesn’t just let someone avoid him.” Beau exchanged a glance with Graham. “Remember when he ran for senior class president and he needed more votes? He went house to house, passing out little candies and asking people to vote for him.”

“I did not.”

“I do remember that,” Graham said. “And he won too.”

“I’m sitting right here.”

“Look,” Graham said, leaning forward. “If you like this woman, and I think you do based on what I’m seeing in front of me, you go talk to her.”

“Yeah, the beard’s nice,” Beau said with a smile that said it really wasn’t all that nice. “And I like how you’re letting your hair grow out.”

“Shut it,” Andrew said.

“C’mon, Beau. Let’s go grab lunch.”

“Am I not invited?” Andrew stood, thinking lunch with his brothers was just what he needed.

“I’m sorry.” Graham cocked his head. “Did you hear something?”

“No, I don’t think I did.” Beau opened the door and walked out, leaving Andrew fuming in his office.

“I know you can hear me,” he called after them.

Graham came back and said, “Go talk to her.”

Andrew flexed his fists and waited until his brother was out of earshot. “Easy for you to say,” he muttered, though he’d heard the stories of how Graham had gone to Laney and they’d talked through what was keeping them apart.

But Andrew didn’t think simply showing up at Becca’s with a pepperoni and sausage pizza, an apology, and a smile would be enough.

Problem was, Andrew didn’t think he’d make it through the holidays without her. And he had no other ideas for how to get her back. He only knew he had to try.