I smiled at her and wiped away my tears. “I’ve never felt that way before. Just the way he looks at me does weird things to my heart, Mother. When he smiles at me, I have to catch my breath.”

My mother dabbed a tear away before it had a chance to move down her face.

My father pointed at me. “You’re only eighteen. You don’t know what love is, Emma. Besides, what is going to happen when you go away to college? You’ll have to leave Garrett behind. He is obviously going to make his living as a cattle rancher since he walked away from his scholarship at Texas A&M. He won’t be able to provide you with a comfortable lifestyle. It would be a struggle your whole life.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You don’t know that, Father.”

“We are in a drought, for Christ’s sake, Emma!” my father shouted.

“Charles! Do not yell at your daughter,” my mother said as she stood up and walked in front of my father.

I slowly got up and looked directly at my father. “So, Father, you are saying that Garrett is not good enough for me because he chose to stay home and be there for his mother, who had just lost her husband. He decided he wanted to take care of the cattle ranch his father had worked so hard to build instead of going off to college to play football and leaving it for other people to tend to. How selfish of him to pick his mother over football like that.”

My father glared at me. “This has nothing to do with football. It has to do with going to college and getting a degree to better himself.”

“So, because Garrett isn’t going to college to better himself, I’m supposed to just walk away from him like he means nothing to me?”

My mother took a few steps closer to me. “Emma, honey, just listen to us for one minute.”

I took a step back and shook my head. “I only have four more months of high school. Why can’t I just stay with Margie and finish out school in Mason?”

My father let out a laugh. “The only reason you want to stay is because of that boy.”

“Now, he is that boy?”

“You better watch your tone with me, young lady.” My father pushed his hand through his hair and let out a long sigh. “Emma, I don’t want to argue with you about Garrett. I think what he has done for his mother is very honorable. I truly do. But I want more for you. You are my only child. I want the world for you. Your mother and I are able to provide you with more than what a lot of girls your age have, and I won’t allow you to walk away from a future. We are moving to Austin, and you will finish high school there. Then, you will go to college at the University of Texas, like your mother and I did, and you will get a college degree. Once you are finished, you may choose to do as you see fit with your life. Until then, this talk of marrying Garrett Mathews is done.”

I put my hand up to my mouth and began sobbing. I shook my head as I looked at my mother and then at my father. I slowly dropped my hand and said, “I hate both of you, and I will never, ever forgive you for this.”

My mother let out a gasp, and my father’s mouth dropped open.

“Emma Rose Birk, you apologize for saying such a hurtful thing to your mother this instant.”

I turned and started to run out of the house, and all I could hear behind me was my father yelling for me to come back.

I needed to get to Garrett right away. I needed to get as far away as I could possibly get from my parents.

“Emma, if I get caught, I’m never going to forgive you for this,” Margie said as I stared out the window.

“I promise, you won’t get caught,” I whispered.

Margie had lied and told her parents she was picking up Peggy and going to the library for a few hours. She was really driving me out to Garrett’s, and she and Peggy were going to meet Billy and Raymond down at the river for a few hours.

“Emma, your father called my father and asked if you were at our house. I’ve never lied to my parents, and today, I’ve already told them three lies for you.”

I rolled my eyes and looked back at her. “You and Peggy are meeting Billy and Raymond at the river. I’m sure once y’all see them, you will forget all about the lies you told your parents.”

From the backseat, Peggy let out a little squeal. “Don’t be a square, Margie. This is going to be fun. As long as Emma doesn’t get knocked up, we will all be okay.”

I turned and looked at Peggy. “What?”

She winked at me. “Please. If my parents told me I was moving, the first thing I would do is give up my virgin pin to Raymond as a good-bye gift to myself.”

Margie let out a giggle.

I turned back around and looked out the window. “I’m not saying good-bye to Garrett because I’m not leaving. I’ll ask his mother if I can stay with them. I’ll ask Garrett to marry me if I have to, but I’m not leaving him.”

From the corner of my eye, I could see Margie turn and look at me. She pulled up to the Mathews’ gate and put her car in park. “Emma Rose, look at me.”

I turned to face her.

“I’ve known Garrett my whole life. I know the type of person he is, and he would never allow you to leave your family. He is going to want what is best for you.”

I felt the tears building in my eyes because I knew she was right. Garrett would tell me to be a good little girl and do what my parents said.

I shook my head and looked straight ahead. “No,” I whispered. “He gave me his heart. I won’t leave him.”

Peggy put her hand on my shoulder. “Emma, if he said that, he meant it. He’ll wait for you. He is going to want what is best for you, but he is true to his word.”

I quickly wiped the tears away and got out of the car.

“Where are you going?” Margie asked.

“I’ll walk from here.”

Margie jumped out of the car and ran around it. “Bullshit you will. That walk is a few miles long.”

She pushed me back inside the car and then opened the gate before getting back in the driver’s seat to head toward Garrett’s house. Before she got to the house, she turned down another dirt road.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“Billy was going to call Garrett and tell him to meet us at the barn. This road pulls up just shy of the barn. Mrs. Mathews won’t know we are here, so she can’t tell my parents that she saw me dropping you off.”

I looked at Margie and then turned to look at Peggy. “Oh, I see. I take it y’all have snuck out before?”