Vanishing Dreams: Vanishing Dreams (Devil's Bend #2)

by Nicole Edwards

  “I’ll give us one more chance, Dalton,” Katie said softly, causing him to turn his head to see her looking at him. “But we have to agree to something.”

  “Name it,” he replied.

  “No more lies. You’ll have to accept me for who I really am, Dalton. You can’t expect to change me, ’cause that’s not gonna happen.”

  Dalton nodded. He would agree to wrangle the moon for her if that was what she wanted. He had known from the first time he’d laid eyes on her that Katie was going to be his. She was it for him.

  Even after she’d driven him away, when he’d been with other women, the only person he’d seen was Katie. Always Katie.

  As much as he’d denied it all this time, Dalton knew without a doubt that he would never be able to stay away from her.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Starting over.

  That was a new concept for Katie, and she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about the idea. She wasn’t opposed to it, she just wasn’t sure what to think of it yet.

  She feared that Dalton was making promises she wasn’t sure he could keep. And for what reason? Because he felt sorry for her? Because he was worried about Lexi? Or was it because he didn’t want her to shut him out of the baby’s life?

  Katie could’ve easily assured him that the last one wasn’t going to happen. The baby deserved to know its father, and Dalton deserved to be in the loop. That was the last thing she would ever want to do — keep the two of them apart.

  As for the other questions… She didn’t know the answers, but she knew that the chemistry between them was unmistakable. There was no denying it, even if she wanted to. She’d spent the last few months thinking of him, wishing she could’ve done things differently. But those had been selfish thoughts at times. She loved Dalton. She wanted to be with him, but in the same sense, she wanted to spare him the hassle of what her day-to-day entailed.

  Dalton was the only man who owned her heart. Hell, he owned her soul if she really thought about it. But her heart … that was the fragile piece she was worried about. Without even trying, he’d shattered it so easily, and Katie wasn’t sure her heart had been repaired enough to endure something like that again.

  Although, she had to remind herself that the blame ultimately lay at her feet. She’d been the one to make the decision. He had just gone along with it, never fighting for her.

  And that’s what she feared most. Didn’t matter that she’d pushed him away, he had turned around and walked without looking back. That was something she had a hard time dealing with. It hadn’t been an easy thing to deal with.

  She knew without a doubt that Lexi wouldn’t be able to handle it if things fell apart between them.

  So why was she relenting? Why was she giving in to this man when she knew she should just turn around and walk away from him? He could still be a father to their baby even if they weren’t together.

  But walking away again wasn’t that easy.

  Her heart wouldn’t let her.

  “No more lies,” Dalton finally agreed to her ultimatum. He rolled to his side and pressed his palm against her belly, his eyes meeting hers.

  Katie turned to her side, pressing her face against his neck, inhaling his sexy, masculine scent. They were silent for a few moments before she pulled back and looked directly into his brilliant brown eyes. “I missed you, too, Dalton.”

  The edges of his lips tipped up slowly until a full-blown smile registered on his incredibly handsome face. The mischievous twinkle in his eyes sent a tremor through her. This man was dangerous. To her sanity, for sure.

  As though they’d just made the final decision for the rest of their lives, Dalton began to right his clothes before standing up and holding out his hand for her. Katie got to her feet and slipped her panties off her ankles. He’d ruined another pair, and the thought made her smile.

  “So what now?” she asked, handing the panties to Dalton when he held out his hand.

  As he tucked them into the pocket of his jeans, he smiled at her. “Now, we go check on Lexi. Make sure she’d doing all right with Austin. I’d like to work on getting her on a horse.”

  Katie’s eyebrows rose. She wasn’t sure that was even possible. Dalton seemed to know what she was thinking because he said, “She’ll get there. Eventually. You should see her, Katie. She loves the horses.”

  Katie nodded, agreeing. The way Lexi had lit up that morning when she’d talked about the horses, and about Dalton, it was evident she’d found something else to obsess over. And as much as she liked to see Lexi smile, Katie knew it might not turn out the way anyone wanted it to. But that was something she’d have to deal with if and when they got to that point.

  “So, dinner? My house?” Dalton asked.

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  After they had climbed down from the hayloft, Katie had spent the next couple of hours following Dalton and Lexi around the stables and the arena while he introduced her little sister to the horses, explaining how they took care of them. He had informed her that it was the same spiel they’d given on Friday, when the day-care center brought her, but Dalton wanted to give Lexi a more personal experience.

  Needless to say, Lexi had been on cloud nine.

  So when Katie informed Lexi that they would be going to Dalton’s for dinner that night, she wasn’t met with much resistance.

  Thank God for small miracles.

  Now that it was six o’clock, Katie was pulling down the dirt drive that led to Dalton’s house. The one he’d built months ago and recently moved into. Until today, she hadn’t been back there since the morning she had snuck out of his bed, a little more than four months ago. Hadn’t had a reason to come to the ranch since then, either.

  As they pulled up to the house, Katie’s eyes widened.

  It was impressive. Even more so than the last time she’d been there. The landscaping had been completed on the front of the house, making it look more like a home and less like a construction zone.

  Compared to Cooper’s old farmhouse that had been undergoing renovations for the last year, the place Dalton now called home was brand new, although it still had the same country charm as Cooper’s place.

  The house was white with a deep porch that wrapped around it. Back when she’d come there before, the porch had been empty. Now there were several rocking chairs and a few boxes that held brightly colored flowers. There still wasn’t a concrete drive; however, there were now stepping-stones that led from the dirt driveway to the house, so Katie pulled up near them and put the car in park.

  “We’re here,” she told Lexi, who was sitting silently in the backseat.

  “Is this Mr. Dalton’s house?” Lexi asked.

  “It is. What do you think?”

  “It’s pretty,” she offered before Katie grabbed her purse and slid out of the car.

  She opened Lexi’s door and waited for her sister to climb out. Expecting Lexi to take her hand, she was completely shocked when her sister bolted for the front porch. That was when Katie looked up to see Dalton standing there, leaning against the porch rail and smiling at them both.

  “Hello, ladies,” he greeted with that sexy drawl.

  “Mr. Dalton!” Lexi exclaimed, running up onto the porch to stand beside him.

  “Miss Lexi,” he said in turn. “How are you tonight?”

  “Good.”

  Katie approached slowly, a butterfly circus erupting in her belly as she did. Seeing Dalton, being this close to him again, made her heart pound and her palms sweat. She had missed him so much. Missed seeing his gorgeous smile.

  “Come on in,” he instructed, motioning to them both before turning toward the door.

  Katie watched as Lexi latched on to Dalton’s hand, the little girl looking up at him as though he were some sort of miracle.

  And maybe he was.

  Katie followed the pair into the house, taking everything in. She could smell food, a delicious aroma that had her stomach growling, a reminder that she hadn’t
eaten that day. Then again, for the last few months, she hadn’t been eating much. Only enough to ensure the baby was getting the nourishment it needed. Some sort of self-punishment, she assumed.

  Not that she questioned it. Too much guilt had been resting firmly on her shoulders.

  Glancing around, Katie admired the house now that it was complete. The floors were a gleaming dark hardwood, the cream-colored walls bare, still lacking any sort of decoration. She knew he’d been on tour, unable to completely move in, but considering how nice the outside looked, she’d assumed the inside would’ve been more complete. She’d been wrong. That or he just wasn’t into decorating.

  The furniture looked expensive and new. An oversized table that seated eight stood alone in the formal dining area; a single couch and a small end table resided in what Katie assumed was the living room.

  She continued through the house, following Dalton’s voice until she reached the kitchen. It was open to the family room, and not much had changed in there, either. Although there was considerably more furniture. No longer was there just a lone recliner and a television. There were now two brown leather couches that matched the recliner, filling the space. Unlike the recliner, the couches were a little more worn, probably having made the trek from Dalton’s previous house. Clearly, Dalton spent time in that room.

  “Mr. Dalton said I could set the table,” Lexi declared as she rounded the bar with three plates and silverware in her hands. Her sister didn’t slow on her way to the small breakfast nook. With a clatter, she put everything in its place before returning to the kitchen.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” Dalton offered when Katie moved closer to the bar.

  “Water?” she asked. She was trying to lay off the caffeine as much as possible. It wasn’t an easy feat, but she was managing.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Katie watched Dalton navigate the kitchen. He alternated between stirring something on the stove and putting ice in three glasses, then pouring tea in two of them and using the dispenser in the refrigerator door to add water to one.

  “Would you mind taking the glasses to the table?” Dalton asked Lexi, who beamed up at him, clearly excited about the task.

  He was good with kids. That she noticed immediately.

  Dalton didn’t treat Lexi as though she were breakable, and Katie appreciated that. So many people looked at Lexi as though she might shatter into a million pieces from a look. What they didn’t know was that Lexi was strong. Stronger than anyone gave her credit for.

  Having been through more shit in her eight years than most people had their entire lives, Lexi continued to move forward, never looking back. Katie admired her sister. Sometimes she wished she was as resilient.

  “You okay?” Dalton asked as he passed her, carrying a pan to the table.

  Katie nodded, realizing she’d gotten lost in her own head.

  Time to snap out of it. Time to enjoy the moment, she told herself.

  Tonight was supposed to be a fresh start. She knew she should be thankful, but there was still a small amount of fear that resided in the far recesses of her mind, spurred on by her heart. She wanted to believe that everything would work out for them, but thanks to her past and the decisions she’d made, Katie was weary.

  But as she turned to look at Dalton, watching him interact with Lexi, she made a promise to herself.

  It was time to stop punishing herself. She was a survivor. And it was time that she let go. Time to move forward.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “So, what grade are you in, Lexi?” Dalton asked when the three of them were seated at his kitchen table.

  “Third,” she said as Katie piled spaghetti on her plate. He had noticed that once he had set the dishes on the table, Katie had gone back to the kitchen and searched until she’d found the cabinet that held the plates. She retrieved another one and now he knew why. After placing Lexi’s spaghetti on one plate, she put the meatballs on another, careful not to include too much sauce.

  He hadn’t thought about the fact that the little girl may not want her food touching, but now as he watched her, he realized that was exactly the case.

  “What do you like most about third grade?” he asked, reaching for the spoon once Katie put food on her own plate.

  “Going home,” she admitted truthfully.

  Dalton fought the urge to laugh. He knew she was serious, but he couldn’t help himself. Somehow he managed to hide his smile, nodding.

  “What are we gonna do tonight?” Lexi asked as everyone ate.

  “Whatever you want,” Dalton answered, glancing over at Katie. She’d been quiet since she’d walked in the door, and he wondered what was on her mind. She looked nervous.

  “Can we play a game?” Lexi asked, glancing back and forth between the two of them.

  “Sure,” Katie agreed half-heartedly.

  “Or could we watch a movie?” Lexi questioned.

  “If you want,” Dalton told her. “It’s your night, kiddo. If you wanna watch a movie, we’ll watch a movie.”

  “Okay,” Lexi stated, turning her attention back to her food.

  The three of them ate in silence for a few minutes. Dalton had no idea what to say, and he felt like an idiot. This had been his idea, after all. He should’ve been carrying the conversation, but he was having a hard time. He didn’t know what to ask. Didn’t know what to say.

  Katie was a stranger to him once again. For all the effort they’d put into getting to know one another in the beginning — regardless of how standoffish she had been — it seemed as though they were back at square one. Or maybe that was his fear talking. They’d made love in the hayloft, which had put them as close as two people could possibly be.

  And it wasn’t that Katie looked like she didn’t want to be there. She just looked timid, as though she was afraid of saying too much. He needed to reassure her, to let her know that this was where they belonged. He wanted her there more than he wanted anything else.

  Which meant he needed to show her. And then, he got the feeling they would be able to move forward.

  Lexi was the first to finish her food, surprisingly eating everything on both plates. She sat quietly, her hands folded in her lap. Dalton wished she would’ve tossed out a few questions, helped to fill the silence, but he didn’t get that lucky. When Katie was finished, he helped clear the table, but she managed to beat him to the sink, insisting on doing the dishes. He tried to talk her out of it, disclosing that he would be happy to do them later, but she refused to stop.

  Dalton had no choice but to join Lexi in the den.

  “Do you have Frozen?” she asked.

  “Frozen?” he asked, confused.

  “The movie.”

  Dalton grinned. It would take him a little while to get used to being around a kid, but truth was, he liked Lexi. Enjoyed having her around. Especially when she smiled. She was so darn cute, with her long black hair and big gray eyes. She looked so much like Katie it was eerie. They easily could’ve passed for mother and daughter, except for the fact that Katie didn’t look old enough to have an eight-year-old. Yet she did. Even if she hadn’t given birth to Lexi, Dalton knew she’d raised the little girl. And he hadn’t been lying when he’d told Katie she’d done a good job. A fantastic job, actually.

  Lexi was a great kid, and he found himself wanting to watch Disney movies with her just because she’d asked.

  “Let’s see what we’ve got,” he told her, grabbing the remote and flopping onto the couch when she took a seat in his favorite recliner. After turning the television on, he hit the necessary buttons to get to the Netflix menu. It didn’t take long to find a movie she wanted to watch, although they hadn’t found Frozen before she insisted on watching something else.

  Katie joined them a few minutes later, taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch from where he was. Dalton watched her for a moment, and she must’ve felt his eyes on her because she glanced his way. When he had her attention, he patted the cushio
n beside him. She slowly eased her way down until she was sitting beside him.

  Without hesitating, he placed his arm along the back of the couch, his hand resting on her shoulder. They might’ve been having a hard time communicating, but touching her felt right. The feel of her pressed up against his side was more than he anticipated, and it wasn’t long before she was leaning her head against his chest and he was embracing her, holding her to him.

  They finished watching the first movie, and Lexi asked for another, so he once again flipped through the menu until she made her selection. He thought she was going to last all night, but the next thing he knew, Lexi was sound asleep in the recliner, her little eyes closed, her mouth slightly open, a soft snore coming from her nose.

  Dalton looked down at Katie, expecting to see that she was asleep, but then she moved.

  “You doing okay?” he asked.

  “Honestly?” she countered.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m doing better than I thought I would.”

  “You wanna talk?” he asked, hoping she wouldn’t decline.

  “Sure.”

  When Katie got up, Dalton rose to his feet and took her hand, leading her toward his bedroom. It wasn’t that he was expecting anything, but he didn’t want to wake Lexi, and for the time being, he still wanted to hold Katie.

  Leading her to the bed, he watched as her eyes widened. “I promise, I’m not trying anything,” he assured her, smiling. After their romp in the hayloft, he couldn’t promise to keep his hands off her all night, but for now, he really did just want to hold her.

  Katie nodded and then joined him on the bed. Dalton reclined on the pillows and pulled Katie up against his side. When she was resting her head on his chest, he exhaled deeply.

  “She’s a good kid,” Dalton told Katie.

  “She’s got her moments,” she replied with a smile in her voice.

  “You’ve done a great job taking care of her.”

  “Haven’t had much of a choice.”

  Dalton considered that for a moment. “Why’d your mother leave?”