that Donovan appreciated the way his father managed his employees.
After dinner Donovan felt restless. He tried to fight it, but after a few minutes of an intense internal battle gave up. He needed to see Raven. Grabbing his keys and hat, he told his parents he’d be back later and drove up the road to the Reynolds’ property. For all he knew, she could have moved away as her older brothers had. Or as much as he hated the thought, she could be married with kids. He should have asked his parents. Well, it was too late now. If she no longer lived there, her parents could tell him how to get in touch with her.
Though each of the ranches was a decent size, the ride by truck only took ten minutes. During that short drive, Donovan recalled the last time he’d seen Raven. They’d met at their special spot. She’d been anxious to tell him something and he hadn’t been able to determine whether she’d been excited or scared. His friend Billy had been home on leave from the army and he’d phoned Donovan before Raven could share her secret. He’d been willing to stay with her, but she’d encouraged him to hang out with his friend. He’d promised to come to her house later so they could talk. Then he’d witnessed the murder and his life had been irrevocably changed. If he could turn back time, he would have stayed with Raven.
Over the years, when he’d been especially lonely for home, he’d wondered what Raven had wanted to tell him. He’d imagined all sorts of things but doubted he’d ever come close to the truth. He supposed he could ask her now but he wouldn’t. Ten years had passed. Though the moment had been indelibly marked in his mind, he doubted it was the same for her. For all intents and purposes, his life had ended when he’d left town. Hers had not.
He pulled into the circle drive in front of the large ranch house where Raven had grown up. Unlike his parents, the Reynolds had made changes to their home. The porch swing where he and Raven had spent many pleasant evenings had been replaced by dark brown wicker furniture with floral pillows. A wooden chest with a padded top was centered in front of the love seat.
As he waited for someone to answer the door, it occurred to him that this was the second time in as many days that he was standing on someone’s porch waiting to tell them he was alive. For a moment he thought about leaving, but decided that ten years was long enough to go without seeing Raven. Besides, no matter how she found out, she was going to be shocked. And he’d missed her too much to wait. Over the years he’d dated other women, but he’d never given his heart to any of them. He’d been living a lie and hadn’t been in a position to be honest with anyone without risking their lives, too. If he’d had to leave town suddenly, he couldn’t have taken anyone with him. He hadn’t wanted to risk the pain of separation again. Though time had passed and his feelings had faded, Raven was the only girl he’d ever loved.
The door swung open and there she was. Raven. His heart stuttered and all he could do was stare.
She was even more beautiful than he remembered. More beautiful than in his dreams. Tall and skinny when they’d been teenagers, she’d filled out and now had slim curves. Her straight black hair hung over her shoulders, gently caressing her breasts. But it was her face with her big brown eyes, high cheekbones and full lips that captivated him.
“Hi. Can I help you?” Though she looked at him quizzically, she smiled.
His breath caught in his throat and he lost the power to speak. Over the years he’d imagined seeing her again and thought of what he’d say. How he’d feel. But he’d underestimated the emotion that would consume him as he finally came face-to-face with the girl he’d loved. His vision blurred and he blinked away the moisture in his eyes. Time had intervened and he no longer loved her the way he had at nineteen, but there was still an unnamable something there. A connection that had compelled him to see her even though she’d surely moved on with her life.
“Sir? Are you okay?”
Donovan had no idea how much time had passed but it had been enough to arouse her concern. “Raven.”
She gasped and looked at him. Really looked. “Don—Donovan?”
“Yes.”
The color drained from her face and she froze. Then her entire body began to shake. She reached out her arms and slowly began to sag to the floor. Donovan stepped inside and managed to catch her before she hit the floor. He scooped her into his arms and carried her into the front room and lay her on her sofa.
How could he be so stupid? Showing up out of the blue was boneheaded and inconsiderate. After ten years without hearing from him, she had to believe he was dead. He should have anticipated this kind of reaction. Even his mother, who’d never given up hope that he’d return, had nearly fainted with shock at the sight of him.
He should have let his mother throw the party like she’d wanted. That way nobody would react as if they’d seen a ghost when they saw him. He’d told his mother she could tell whomever she wanted that he was back, but he didn’t know who she’d told so far. Not that it mattered now. Clearly the word hadn’t reached Raven.
Her hair had fallen over her face and he brushed it aside then watched, waiting for her to come around. After a minute her eyelashes fluttered and she began to stir. She opened her eyes and stared right at him then lifted her hand and touched his face. “It’s really you.”
“It’s really me.”
She pushed herself into a sitting position then scooted around and put her feet on the floor. She was still wobbly although her color was returning.
“Easy.”
Raven reached out and wrapped her arms around him. He inhaled her familiar scent. She smelled of outdoors and sunshine with a slight hint of lavender soap. He closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the feel of her. Although their bodies had changed and matured over the past decade, she still fit perfectly in his arms.
After a moment she pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes. The joy he saw in her gaze was unmistakable. “When did you get back?”
“Yesterday. Dinnertime.”
She touched his face again as if trying to convince herself that he was real. “You came back yesterday?”
He nodded.
“Where have you been all this time?”
“Working on ranches in Texas.”
“But you never called. You never came back.” She sounded confused. Hurt.
He could imagine that she felt angry and betrayed, among other things. At least that’s what he would feel in her position. He’d known this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation, but it was more difficult than he’d expected. The heartbroken expression on her face seared his soul.
“I’m back now.” He wished he had the words to take away her pain but he didn’t think they existed. He wanted to tell her the truth, but she was so shaky he didn’t think she could handle the shock of discovering her life had been threatened. He would tell her the truth when she was stronger.
She snorted. “That’s all you have to say? You’re back now?”
She pushed to her feet then stumbled. He immediately grabbed her elbow to steady her. Her weakness only steeled his resolve to protect her. A body could only take so much and obviously she couldn’t handle another emotional blow now.
“I guess. It’s good to see you.”
She
