was happening to me.”
“So you left.”
“I had to. I had to sacrifice our marriage in order to save the feelings we had for each other,” Bailey insisted.
That made absolutely no sense to him. “I don’t understand.”
She smiled. “I don’t expect you to,” she told Wyatt wistfully. “But just know that I always loved you. And I always will.”
Bailey had managed to catch him off guard again. Wyatt had lost count of how many times that made since he’d opened his door this morning.
But just know that I always loved you. And I always will.
Her words echoed in his head. Wyatt frowned. Was his ex-wife just playing him, professing that she felt something for him as a means to an end?
“Don’t say things you don’t mean,” he retorted, growing angry. “It’s not going to propel me to make up my mind any faster.”
Bailey tried not to take offense at being dismissed this way. She had hurt him and that cut him a lot of slack in her opinion. But he should have known better.
“I didn’t say it for that reason and I don’t say things I don’t mean,” Bailey reminded him tersely.
She rose to her feet and began walking toward the door.
Wyatt was right behind her. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going for a drive to clear my head—and to cancel my reservation at the Lodge,” she answered. As quickly as it had threatened to flare up, her temper had receded again. Her voice softened as she told him, “I’ll be back later. You still keep your doors unlocked?”
“Yes.” Roaring Springs was a relatively small community and trust was a way of life here. For the most part, neighbors all looked out for one another.
Bailey nodded. She thought so. “Good. Then I’ll let myself in when I get back.” About to open the door and leave, she stopped as something else suddenly occurred to her. Turning back, she looked at Wyatt as she asked, “You’re not with anyone, are you? I mean, I won’t be walking in on your girlfriend or mistress or significant other when I come back to the ranch, will I?” Her eyes washed over his face, searching for an answer.
“A little late to be asking that, isn’t it?” Wyatt retorted, somewhat amused by her question. In the last six years there’d been no one who’d even remotely stirred his interest—especially the way Bailey had. As far as he was concerned, that part of his life was over.
The slightest hint of color rose to her cheeks. Wyatt was right. It hadn’t occurred to her until just this moment that he might have moved on. She hadn’t, so she’d just assumed he hadn’t, either. Was he making fun of her? Or was this his subtle way of hinting that he actually was involved with someone else.
She avoided his eyes as she told him, “I didn’t exactly rehearse any of this beforehand.”
“That’s obvious,” he commented. And then he took pity on her. Embarrassing Bailey didn’t make him feel any better about what had gone down between them. “And no, there’s no girlfriend or mistress or significant other to worry about.”
“No one?” Bailey asked, wanting to be absolutely sure he was being honest.
He caught the note of suspicion in her voice. “Why? Would you feel better if there was?” Wyatt asked, interpreting her question to mean she was worried once she got what she had come for, he might try to make her stay.
But he had no such intentions. He was neither a masochist nor a slow learner. Being unceremoniously dumped once was more than enough for him. He had no desire to suffer through that again. His heart didn’t need to be cut out of his chest a second time.
“No,” Bailey quickly denied. “I just wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t accidentally mess up your relationship.”
His eyes met hers. “Once was enough,” he told her in a cold voice.
Bailey had no idea how to respond to that. At the time, she hadn’t thought she mattered all that much to him. She quite honestly didn’t even think he’d notice she was gone immediately because he was so fixated on building up the ranch to the exclusion of everything else. Other than representing another pair of hands he could call on, she could have been anyone.
For a moment she debated apologizing, telling him she was sorry. But she really wasn’t sorry. Because if she hadn’t left, she would have never become a veterinarian, never become her own person.
For now, she decided it was best just to leave the subject alone.
“I’ll be back later,” she repeated as she started to leave again. Pausing, she added, “And thank you for hearing me out.”
“I haven’t said yes yet,” he reminded her, following her to the front door.
“I know. One step at a time.”
Opening the door, she walked out just as a tall, lean, muscular cowboy was coming up the walk. Their eyes met for a split second, and then Bailey lowered hers and hurried off to where she had parked her car.
Foxworth Colton’s mouth dropped open as the woman registered belatedly in his brain. Like a cartoon character, Wyatt’s cousin/adopted brother turned around and watched the woman he had almost walked into quickly get into her car and drive away.
Still stunned, Fox turned back to look quizzically at Wyatt.
Harrison Colton, Fox’s father, had died following a deadly accident where he’d unintentionally driven his car off the road. Fox’s mother, Dana, who’d been in the passenger seat, had lingered long enough to ask her sister, Mara, to care for her children. Wyatt’s parents had both agreed to take in Fox and Sloane.
Because they were close and always had been, when Wyatt had inherited the Crooked C from his grandmother, he’d set aside forty acres on the southern part of his property and offered it to Fox so that his cousin was able to breed his horses. In return Fox worked closely with Wyatt and could always be called upon to help out when Wyatt needed him.
No one had been happier for Wyatt than Fox when Wyatt had gotten married. Fox had also been there for him when Bailey had suddenly taken off for parts unknown. Fox had been the one to slowly ease Wyatt away from trying to drown his pain in alcohol when that process threatened to get the better of him.
Fox’s patience and efforts had paid off. Wyatt had finally gotten back to his old self, albeit more closed off emotionally than he’d been previously.
But that could all change again with Bailey coming back, Fox thought.
Maybe he was mistaken. Maybe that only looked like Bailey. After all, why would she suddenly come back after all this time?
“Hey,” Fox said, doing his best to sound cheerful, “that wasn’t—?”
“Bailey?”
