by Tia Souders
Danny barked out a laugh. She could hardly believe it. She had choices.
This should be good news. So why did she feel so twisted up inside?
“Do I have time to think about it?”
Greg nodded. “Take the week and let me know.”
Danny nodded. “I will.” Then, before she realized what she was doing, she drifted forward and drew Greg into a stiff hug. “Thank you.”
RHETT IGNORED THE PRYING eyes as Sunday service ended and the congregation passed him on their way out. He couldn’t blame them for looking surprised, it had been almost two years since he even stepped foot near a church, and now, there he was, waiting outside.
Baby steps.
His mother caught sight of him first and offered him a wave, just before he laid eyes on Danny who was, much to his dismay, walking alongside Silas, who looked none too happy to have her company.
Get in line, Rhett thought.
After he saw her talking to some city slicker in a suit yesterday, he wasn’t so sure either of them had a chance.
Rhett hadn’t overheard their conversation, not because he was being polite but because, by the time he showed up, they were already embracing and saying their goodbyes before the man left again. Still, in that short interaction, he’d seen enough body language to know Danny was well acquainted with the visitor. It didn’t take long to puzzle the pieces together and assume the man might be Neil, her ex, come back to win her heart. After all, only a fool would’ve let Danny go without a fight.
Figures she’d barge into his life and make him fall for her only to leave again. Right when Rhett finally opened up and could see the possibilities in his future.
Yesterday, he’d spilled his guts to Mae Beth. He’d told her he couldn’t love anyone again, not while he was still holding onto her so tightly. It was time to let go. He needed to feel free to move on without a world of guilt and sorrow weighing him down. For the last two years, he’d been nothing short of miserable, but he was tired and lonely. And he wanted to be happy again.
Had he been foolish to think Danny could be a part of that?
His heart leaped in his throat when Danny lifted her gaze and noticed him standing there. Suddenly, he was annoyed with himself. Instead of running off yesterday, he should’ve talked to her. Who knows what she thought about him? Between all their time spent together these last two weeks, and all the kisses, and what happened with his family . . . For all he knew, she thought he hated it when it was quite the opposite. That night she’d ignited something inside him again.
Rhett briefly said hello to his family members as they approached, trying to deflect their questions while he kept his gaze locked on Danny until she stood right in front of him.
“You’re late.” She grinned.
“Yeah,” he said, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand. “It’s been so long, I forgot where it was.”
Danny laughed.
“You have a minute?” he asked.
Danny nodded, staring down at her hands while he led her toward a little flower garden next to the church.
“I came to see you yesterday,” he said.
“Oh?”
Rhett stared at the side of her face, wishing he could translate her expression. “Yeah, but you were with someone,” he shrugged, “so I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Ah, that must’ve been Greg.”
“Greg?”
Just how many men did she have crawling after her?
“My old boss. Or, one of my old bosses. He came to tell me that they bought Neil out of the company and offered me my old job back.”
“Oh.” Rhett’s stomach sunk. Sure, she’d said all that stuff about how much she loved Cedar Falls, but that was before she had options. “You’re not going, are you?”
Danny hesitated before her eyes slid to meet his—two vast pools of blue. And when she didn’t say anything, Rhett panicked. “What about how much you’ve come to love Cedar Falls, and your job at Montana Wilds, or all your new hair clients? You could open your own salon. Can you really just leave all of that?”
“Montana Wilds was always temporary.”
“It could be permanent.”
Danny bit her lip. “I don’t know.”
Rhett swallowed. From where he was sitting, it seemed like she did know. She just didn’t want to tell him. It looked a whole lot like she already made up her mind.
He clenched his hands into fists, and her eyes caught the movement.
“Is there any other reason to stay?” she asked.
Rhett froze. He knew what she was asking. Isn’t that part of the reason he came looking for her this morning? To make sure they were on the same page? To clear the air regarding her visitor?
But all his fears began trickling in, and he just couldn’t find it in himself to give her what she wanted. He couldn’t ask her to stay for him. Not when he was still so broken inside. Not when he was so unsure of the depths of his own feelings—his future—and what that might look like. He had just barely begun to skim the surface of what it might mean to move forward with his life, grief aside.
As it turned out, he needn’t say anything because his silence spoke volumes.
Danny stood and glanced out into the parking lot.
For the first time, Rhett noticed Tess, sitting in her truck, waiting for her.
“It was nice seeing you here.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Maybe next time you can make it inside.”
Rhett stood and reached out, wanting to say something to make her stay, to make everything better, but the words wouldn’t come.
“Thank you for everything, but I think my time at Montana Wilds is over.”
Rhett gaped. “Danny—”
“My stay there was always temporary. But things have changed, and I don’t think I’ll need the job at the ranch much longer, so consider this my two weeks’ notice,” she said, then walked away.
CHAPTER 16
Rhett barreled toward the stables when he caught sight of Noah. It seemed everyone was avoiding him. Tess had called off that morning, and Danny was nowhere to be found. Even Noah had been scarce for the better part of the afternoon. And he couldn’t blame them. Everyone knew the significance of today. It marked the two-year anniversary of Mae Beth’s death.
A dark cloud hovered all morning and into the afternoon, and though he’d known for a while this day was coming, there was no amount of preparation that could make it any less painful. No matter how long Rhett lived, he wasn’t sure this day would ever go by without him reliving at least a part of that horrible night.
But as if this day couldn’t get any worse, he went to Danny’s cabin and found a note pinned to the door with his name on it, explaining that something came up and she’s willing to honor her two weeks, but she needs a couple days off first.
Rhett snorted as he thought about it. A couple days off. She was probably using it to secure a position back in Pittsburgh. In the meantime, Rhett had foolishly hoped to change her mind.
Rhett made a beeline for Noah, who ducked around the corner in an obvious attempt to evade him.
“Hey!” Rhett shouted at his back.
Noah paused. Even from several yards away, Rhett could see the tense set of his shoulders.
Was he really so scary?
“Oh, hey, Rhett.” Noah slowly turned. “Didn’t see you there.”
Rhett scowled. “Where’s Danny off to? And why did Tess call off?”
He suspected why, but still, he wanted to know.
Noah stared at his feet. “Uh . . . I’m not sure . . .” He scratched his head. “Did you talk to Tess?”
Rhett sighed. “No. If I’d been able to talk to Tess, I would’ve squeezed it out of her myself. She called Ben, the head chef, to cover for her. All I had was a voicemail.”
“Hmm.” Noah scratched the stubble over his jaw.
“Do you know something?”
“Me? What makes you think I’d know—”
Rhett’s jaw tightened. “So help me, Noah, if you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’m gonna tell Tess it was you that sent her all that secret admirer stuff back when you were seniors in high school.”
Noah’s eyes went wide with fear. “How did you know?”
Rhett rolled his eyes. “I know everything, and it’s not like it’s some big secret you’re in love with her.”
Noah’s throat bobbed. “Does Tess know?”
“How should I know?” Rhett barked.
Noah flinched, and Rhett sighed. “Back to Tess and Danny . . . Tell me what you know.” The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced they were together.
“All I know is that Tess helped her move what little stuff she had out of her cabin today, and then they talked about getting lunch.”
“Wait, what . . . ?” Rhett shook his head and rubbed his forehead, trying to understand. He felt a blooming headache coming on. “What do you mean they moved her stuff?”
“Her stuff from the cabin,” Noah said with a frown. “Wait, didn’t Danny tell you?”
“Tell me what?” Rhett said between gritted teeth.
“She moved out of the cabin today. She’s cutting her stay at Montana Wilds short.”
Rhett fought the urge to curse. She had told him she was leaving. Still, he hadn’t expected it to be so soon. He thought he had time. And did this mean she made up her mind? That she’s taking the position the suit offered her back east?
He clasped his hands behind his neck and stared up into the sky. He should’ve told her how he felt. Yesterday, when he spoke with her, he sensed she was looking for some sense of validation to confirm he had feelings for her and that the last couple weeks had meant something to him. But he’d been too scared—to let go, to get hurt, to truly feel.
“And you have no idea where she is now?” he asked, his voice cracking on the words.
“I’m not sure. All I know is that Tess mentioned Danny has a flight back to Pittsburgh in the morning.”
“CHEERS TO NEW BEGINNINGS.” Danny raised her glass toward Tess’s.
“And to a kick-butt career, free of moody men like my brother,” Tess said ruefully and clinked her glass to Danny’s.
Danny tried for a laugh, but it didn’t quite make it past her throat. Instead, she took a sip of her wine, wishing more than anything Rhett were here to toast with her, that he cared enough about her to take part in her celebration.
She understood how hard it must be for him to move on. She couldn’t imagine the pain of losing a spouse, nor would she pretend to. Still, after their time spent together, she supposed she had hoped it might be the start of something more. But when given the chance to tell her how he felt, to make another move, he hadn’t.
Under normal circumstances, Danny would wait for him, give him time. After all, they’d just barely met. But she’d heard straight from his mouth he’d never truly love again. And she, too, had been through a lot these last months. The last thing she needed was another broken heart. So she’d cut her losses and put distance between her and Rhett before she fell for him further.
Sitting her glass back down in front of her, Silas leaned over the bar top, shooting her a flirtatious smile. “So when’s your flight leave?”
“First thing in the morning,” Danny said.
Silas had been nothing but nice to her since she’d arrived in town and first shown her face at The Water Hole. And though he hadn’t made any further advances toward her since that first time they met, she sensed that if she gave him even the slightest indication of interest, he’d seize the opportunity to ask her out again.
“You gonna miss me?” he asked with a wink.
Tess snorted, clearly unamused at his attempts at flirting, but Danny couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course. But maybe you’ll finally learn how to make a decent Cosmo in my absence.”
“Ohhh.” Silas tipped his head back and laughed. “Point made. Sorry we don’t have snobby drinks here in Cedar Falls.”
Danny grinned. She enjoyed Silas’s teasing. His laughter came easily, whereas, Rhett’s was hard-won, but that’s what made it all the more special. Eliciting a laugh from Rhett was like watching a rainbow—beautiful but only present under just the right conditions.
“It’s not a snobby drink,” Danny said, defending herself. “It’s a classic drink. Any bar in—”
“—the city can make them. I know, I know.” Silas turned away, and for a moment, Danny worried she might have offended him. But then she noticed him slinging booze bottles, adding a familiar combination into a metal shaker. A scoop of ice later and the familiar clink of the shaker filled the silence before he poured a cranberry-colored liquid into a martini glass, then garnished it with a curl of orange and set it in front of her.
“One fancy cosmopolitan, ma’am,” he said with a flourish.
“I printed him out the recipe.” Tess smirked.
“Hey, I made a couple of my own tweaks.” He shot Tess a dirty look, then turned back to Danny. “Try it.”
Danny gaped for a moment as a feeling of warmth filled her. These were her friends—real friends, who truly cared about her, regardless of what may or may not have come to fruition with their own brother.
Ignoring the thickness in the back of her throat, she took a sip and smacked her lips. “It’s delicious.”
Silas straightened with a triumphant smile. “Delicious enough to come back to us?”
Danny chuckled. “I guess you’ll just have to wait to find out.”
Tess frowned and her attention shifted to the door.
Nerves fluttered in Danny’s stomach as she turned to see what caught her attention, desperately hoping that it was Rhett.
But, of course, it wasn’t.
Was it too much to hope her absence today on the ranch would lead him to seek her out?
Danny scooted off the stool in front of the bar, taking another sip of her drink before she waving at Bones, who lifted his keys out in response.
Looks like her ride had arrived.
CHAPTER 17
Rhett paced back and forth in front of the lodge. He should probably stop before he scared the guests, but it was all he could do to keep himself from going insane. It was nearly ten o’clock in the evening, he had yet to hear from Tess, and he couldn’t shake the feeling something terrible was about to happen.
It was just nerves, he told himself.
Naturally, his anxiety would be heightened today.
That’s all this was—superstition and post-traumatic stress.
He paused and toed a clump of grass with his boot.
So why didn’t he feel better about it? And why—oh why—hadn’t he gotten Danny’s personal cell number?
Oh, yeah, because she worked for him, and she was staying at Montana Wild, so it hadn’t occurred to him he might need it when she was merely a stone’s throw away. He hadn’t thought she’d leave without so much as a goodbye, not when she’d been so persistent about working there. Ever since that very first afternoon when he caught her picking through the flower garden by his house, she’d been determined to stick it out. And now that she’d left, he regretted everything.
He should’ve told her that she meant something to him. When she asked him if there was a reason to stay, he should’ve told her, yes, stay for him. He should’ve told her that two years ago, his heart was ripped from his chest, and up until a couple weeks ago, he felt like he’d never get it back again.
But then he met her.
And somehow, she made him feel things he never thought he’d feel again. She wiggled her way into the empty cavity of his chest and slowly brought him back to life. And though he had a long way to go until he could fully give her his heart—or whatever was left of it—he wanted to. He just didn’t know how.
Rhett exhaled and shoved his hands in his hair, staring up into a star-studded sky when his phone rang.
He all but ripped it from his pocket and nearly cried in relief at Tess’s name on the caller ID
.
He hit answer and pressed it to his ear. “Tess?”
“I saw I had a bazillion missed calls from you. What’s up?”
“What’s up?” he asked, his tone incredulous.
He fisted his free hand by his side, incensed at her lackadaisical attitude. “What’s up is that you called off work so you could go who-knows-where with my employee for the day, who is also nowhere to be found, I might add. And now, she up and quit without notice. Then when I call you to get a little more information, like when Danny might return or where she’s gone, I get no answer. All day.”
“There’s a lot of mistruths there,” Tess said, sounding unimpressed. “First, she told you she quit. She just decided on further introspection that she might not give you the courtesy of two weeks work. Second . . .” She trailed off, then said, “Okay, so everything else is pretty accurate, but I don’t know why you’re so bent out of shape about it. I called Ben and let him know I wouldn’t be in. He’s perfectly capable of running the kitchen in my absence.”
“I’m not mad about you taking a day off,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’m mad because you helped Danny get her stuff from the cabin behind my back.”
“So you’re mad she left?”
“Yes!”
Was she not listening?
“Because you’re falling for her,” Tess said.
“I’m not talking about this with you. Is she there? I want to talk to her.”
“Sorry, but no dice. You just missed her.”
The sinking in his stomach returned. “I thought she wasn’t leaving until morning?”
“My word, news spreads fast around here,” Tess muttered. “Regardless, all I know is she left with Bones. She said something about him being her ride, but before you flip out, I don’t think—”
“She left with Bones?” Rhett roared. “You let her get in a car with him? Are you insane?”
“Yes, but, Rhett, I don’t—”
Rhett ended the call, cutting Tess off. He didn’t need to hear any more to recognize the sinking feeling in his gut.
