My mother called marrying Walter Hawthorne a fresh start. I called it moving into a house that already had too many ghosts. In our small Colorado town, the Hawthorne name means land, money, and power—and Walter rules all three with an iron fist. But it’s his twin sons who make the ranch feel dangerous. Cash has dark hair, a reckless streak, and is always one bad decision away from disaster. Colt is blond, quiet, and controlled enough that his silence feels like a threat. They couldn’t be more different. Except for the way they watch me. I was supposed to become part of the Hawthorne family. Nobody warned me what that might cost.
StepfamilyI was the youngest in the family. Only 16. The house was massive, three stories, with a wrap-around porch and several bedrooms. Walter had told me I'd be sharing a room with one of his sons. The son who didn't have his own room. I was told to drop my stuff off in the room and get settled. I slowly walked down the hallway, my footsteps creaking on the old wood flooring.
I couldn't help but notice how much bigger the house was compared to our old apartment. The windows were large and let in a lot of natural light, the floors were hardwood and there was an actual living room with a fireplace. I glanced over at my mother, seeing the same look on her face as she took in her new home. She seemed almost giddy, a complete 180 from her usual tired expression. It made me wonder how long she'd been craving this life.
I sat quietly in the backseat, my eyes glued to the window, watching the world outside rush by. The ranch was massive—rolling hills, pine forests, and fields that stretched on forever. The sky was painted with orange hues as the sun set behind the mountains. I could feel the weight of the Hawthorne legacy pressing down on everything around us.