“How did you know I’d be here today…now?”
“Because I know you. I knew the first thing you’d do when the assignment was over was come here.”
She turned and looked back at the house. “Did you know nobody was here?”
“Not until I got here.” He shoved off from the tree and approached her. She stiffened, afraid that if he touched her, she’d shatter into a million pieces. He shoved his hands into his pockets as his gaze lingered on her.
“You’re the strongest woman I know, Cassie. I’m not just talking about your physical strength and agility, I’m talking about your single-mindedness and focus, your inner strength that allowed you to survive fairly well-adjusted despite your background, but the worst thing your mother did to you wasn’t leaving you on the streets of L.A.”
She looked at him in surprise. “What do you mean?”
He took another step toward her, his gray eyes holding a hard edge. “The worst thing your mother did to you was teach you to be afraid to love and in your fear you’re hanging on to ghosts.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She would never admit it, but his words frightened her for some reason.
“You have the family you need,” he said softly. “Oh, they aren’t blood related, but who says family is about blood? You have Max, who absolutely, positively adores you, who would do anything to keep you safe and make you happy. And whether you know it or not, Cassie, you have me. You’ve had me since the moment I met you. I love you, Cassie and I’d love to be the family you need, the family who loves you and makes you feel safe.”
His words made something break loose inside her. The pain, the sense of betrayal that had forever burned a hole in her heart seeped away. Tears once again burned in her eyes and this time he touched her…he pulled her into his arms and held her as if to keep her from blowing away in a storm.
“Let it go,” he said softly as she cried into his chest. “Let them go.”
As the sobs ripped through her she realized that’s exactly what she was doing. Like that dead bush in her yard that she’d clung to for far too long, she’d been holding on to ghosts…the ghost of a mother who never was, the vision of a family that had never existed. It was time to let go.
As she let go of the dreams of a child, the desires of a woman filled her soul. She realized she’d been so busy seeking what she’d never had, she hadn’t realized what was right in front of her. Max…and Kane…her family.
She raised her face to Kane, whose gray eyes held the welcome of homecoming. “I love you, Kane.”
“I know. I’ve just been patiently waiting for you to figure that out. Come on, let’s get in that shiny red Mustang of yours and go home to your place.”
“Yes, I’d like that.”
He smiled at her, his eyes lit with pleasure. “Want me to tell you what I intend to do with you when we get there?”
“No, don’t tell me,” she said with breathless anticipation. “Surprise me.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-5304-3
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Copyright © 2004 by Carla Bracale
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†Sisters
†Sisters
‡Mustang, Montana
‡Mustang, Montana
‡Mustang, Montana
‡Mustang, Montana
**The Delaney Heirs
**The Delaney Heirs
**The Delaney Heirs
**The Delaney Heirs
‡‡Cherokee Corner
‡‡Cherokee Corner
‡‡Cherokee Corner
‡‡Cherokee Corner
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