So why was there so much pain? Why did that heaviness on his chest leave him feeling like a complete jerk?
Because he was. At this point, Dane was no better than the man who’d raised her. They’d both lied to her, deceived her, betrayed her.
She was still dealing with learning the truth about Ruiz. He couldn’t unload more secrets on her. Leaving was the best option—for both of them.
Keep telling yourself that, buddy. Maybe you’ll believe the lies.
Gripping the handle of his suitcase, Dane headed toward the elevator. He’d be back. This would be his suite when he returned, but he knew in his heart things wouldn’t be the same.
When he’d first arrived he could see only one woman here—his mother. Now he knew when he returned, he’d see only Stella.
She’d left an imprint on his life and on this place that would never disappear. There was something so permanent about her. They’d forged a bond whether he wanted to admit it or not.
And he didn’t want to admit any such thing.
Since he knew the layout of this place better than his own home, Dane slipped out in such a way that he knew Stella would never see him. He could be honest enough with himself to admit that if he saw her and attempted to explain why he was leaving, the guilt would consume him.
Dane had to push that aside. He couldn’t allow anything to steal the moment he’d been preparing for. Once this was all officially his, he’d feel better. All he had to do was finalize the sale, and get to Ethan. Working with his brother to bring down Robert would only add to the euphoria of finally reclaiming everything they’d been robbed of.
Once they came in contact with Robert, well, there would be a little surprise waiting for him. Their miserable bastard of a stepfather was done stealing and being deceitful. He wouldn’t be free to ruin anybody else’s lives or rob futures.
Dane started to head toward the back hallway from another hallway he’d sneaked through, but a familiar voice through the door leading to the back office stopped him.
“Come to me for any specialty needs for the fantasy rooms,” Stella stated.
“What about Savannah?” an unfamiliar voice asked.
“Her daughter has her first dance recital tonight and tomorrow. I told her to take the days off. Family is too important.”
“You know the staff talks. We like that you’re much different than our last manager,” the worker said.
“Yeah, well, that was my goal.”
Dane heard the hurt in her voice. He knew every moment she spent working here had to be absolutely soul crushing now that she knew the place would never be hers. She was a damn good manager and had compassion for her staff. She truly cared about this place, these employees.
Stella had just been dismissed in the most uncaring of ways only hours ago. But this morning, she went on with the business-as-usual attitude. She had her pride, sure, but she did this because she didn’t want the staff or guests to suffer.
How could he just take everything from her? How could he not want her to be part of this once he took over?
But she wanted the resort to be hers and he simply couldn’t allow that to happen. Mirage belonged to him.
Damn that guilt. Not only did the guilt threaten to choke hold him, he didn’t know what he’d do once he got home and she wasn’t there. She’d been the only person in his entire life to know what he fully suffered from. He’d never let anyone in like he had with Stella. She’d been so easy to talk to, so...
He couldn’t find the words. She was everything he didn’t know he needed. There was something so therapeutic about her, in the way she genuinely cared, in the way she made everyone else feel like they were the top priority in her life.
But when had anyone made her a priority?
Dane clenched his jaw and shoved the door open to the hallway. He needed to get out and get back to his ranch. An evening with his dogs, his horses, and a ride out in the country would help him think more clearly.
There had to be a way to not ruin Stella’s life and still keep everything he’d worked so damn hard for. He just needed to find it.
Dane left the resort, left the mountain, and didn’t look back in his rearview mirror. He’d learned the hard way that looking back only kept you in the past. Dane knew only one way to go and that was forward.
From this second on, he’d take charge of Mirage, work with Ethan to destroy Robert and find out some way to make things right for Stella.
Sixteen
After three days of riding horses, drinking bourbon on his enclosed back porch with his dogs at night and messaging back and forth with Ethan, Dane still wasn’t calm.
His nerves were on edge. He still hadn’t come up with a way to make things right with Stella. He had heard from her—she’d texted him, but he’d replied that he’d have to talk later.
Still taking the coward’s way out.
He wanted to offer her the manager position, but deep in his gut he knew she’d turn it down and likely tell him exactly where to take his offer once she realized he was the new owner.
But Stella was exactly the type of person who should be running the resort. Dane was in no position to be hands-on every day—not if he wanted to keep his ranch. Moving permanently to the resort was something he’d have to ease into, even though ultimately that was his goal.
Dane relaxed forward in the front porch swing and rested his elbows on his knees. Buck lay at his feet all curled up, but Bronco sat obediently on the other side waiting on affection.
As he rubbed the soft fur between his dog’s ears, Dane ran over and over through his mind what he would say to Stella when he saw her again. There would be no avoiding her, and he didn’t want to, but he needed space to sort things out. Even before he left the resort a few days ago, he’d known he needed Stella in the business.
And as much as he wanted to keep thinking of her in that capacity, Dane knew that trail of thoughts barely scratched the surface of everything he remembered when Stella came to mind.
Oh, hell. Who was he kidding? The woman never left his mind. Everything about her clung to his skin even as he dealt with every aspect of daily life. When he’d come home, he’d imagined her here. She’d said more than once that she wanted to escape to the middle of nowhere and unwind. His ranch certainly fit that criteria and now that he was back, he realized just how much he wanted to show her his place.
As the sun set behind the mountain peaks, Dane was glad he was alone. He wasn’t in the mood to talk or handle any issues. He just wanted the simplicity of swaying on the swing on his climate-controlled wraparound porch and petting his dogs. His mind was too full of worry and possibilities to consider adding anything else to the mix.
The past few nights since coming home he’d been so damn restless. Sleep hadn’t been his friend since returning from the war, but now the dynamics were completely different. He wasn’t afraid to go to sleep, he was afraid to wake up without Stella by his side.
When the hell had his heart gotten involved in this charade? That had never been part of his grand plan.
Knowing Stella, as soon as she found out the truth, she’d verbally attack him and make him feel like he wasn’t even worthy of being in the same vicinity as her. She had every right to annihilate him, and she would as soon as she learned he was Mirage’s new owner. He needed to tell her before she found out some other way.
He needed to be clear where he stood, as the owner, and that he wanted her to remain on board as the manager. Compensating her with a raise and a bonus might go a long way in securing her staying at Mirage. He had to find a way to convince her.
Dane’s cell vibrated in his pocket. When he went to grab it, Bronco jerked his head back, giving a glare from the instant lack of attention.
“Hang on, boy.”
The alert on his phone was from the gate announcing a visitor. From the vid
eo image, he knew who that unexpected guest was and there was no hiding from her anymore.
Dane typed in the code to access the gate and watched as Stella drove her SUV onto his ranch. The drive from the gate to the main house was just over a minute. Not nearly enough time to fine-tune the speech he’d rehearsed because the second she drove through the iron arch with his ranch name, she would know the truth.
A gut-sinking feeling rendered him motionless. His eyes stared off down the driveway, knowing any second he’d see headlights cut through the dusky night.
As dark gray clouds shadowed the sunset, Dane knew another storm was brewing...from all aspects of his life right now.
Dane came to his feet and snapped his fingers, immediately getting his dogs’ attention. He opened the front door and put them inside just as those lights cut across his porch.
The knot in his gut tightened, but he remained on the edge of his porch and waited for her to get out of the car. She’d come here for a reason, and had he not deceived her and lied to her face, stealing everything she’d worked for, he might believe that she had come to him to see if there was a chance for them.
Dane wasn’t that naive or stupid to think that anything good could come from a fling and a trail of deception. But now that she was here, he had to keep things businesslike and make her understand where he came from. It was time to put all his cards on the table and explain his past with Mirage. Surely she would understand the importance of family, considering that’s all she’d wanted for herself.
Sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans, Dane stared out at the drive as Stella killed the engine. He couldn’t see into the windshield that well, but he knew when he looked into her dark eyes, he’d see...
Hell, maybe he didn’t know what he’d see. Pain? Regrets? Rage? Likely all of the above.
She didn’t get out immediately. Keeping him waiting and wondering was the least that he deserved.
Unable to wait a second longer, Dane made his way down the wide stone steps. The first fat snowflake hit his cheek. His boots scuffed against the concrete drive, but he kept his eyes on that door, waiting.
When he reached the side of her SUV, Dane peered in to see Stella with her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking. Dane jerked on the handle and opened the door. More flakes fell, but he ignored the chill.
“Stella.”
Dane started to reach in, but she jerked her head up and slinked back.
“Don’t touch me,” she commanded as she held him with a watery gaze. “You’re nothing but a liar and I’m a damn fool for even coming here.”
He didn’t know that someone could look so broken, yet so angry at the same time. But Stella was definitely both.
“I am a liar, but you’re not a fool,” he corrected.
Ignoring her plea to leave her alone, Dane reached for her arm and urged her from the vehicle.
“Don’t,” she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Don’t try to make this better. You can’t.”
No, he couldn’t. Stella had taken hit after hit, but this was the first time he’d seen her so broken and completely vulnerable. He’d done this. He’d crushed her more than her father had...which was truly saying something.
The air seemed to turn colder, icier.
“Come inside,” he told her. “You can hate me and cry and anything else you want, but we need to get out of this weather.”
“I’d rather drive back to Gold Valley through a snowstorm than to be here with you.” She pulled her arm away and took a step back. “To think I came here because...”
Dane’s heart clenched. There was no way to keep his heart out of this because likely it had been involved from the beginning. Stella drove all this way for him—well, she drove for the man she thought he was.
“You’re the new owner,” she muttered, then let out a mock laugh. “My father is one hell of an actor because he pretended not to know you.”
“He doesn’t know me,” Dane confirmed. “The sale went through my broker and was done in the name of the ranch.”
“I’m aware of the ranch name,” she scoffed.
The snow came down so thick and fast, the entire area seemed to be blinding white. Dane didn’t wait to hear what else she had to say and he didn’t ask for permission. She already thought he was a bastard. Might as well go whole hog.
He scooped her up and ran toward the porch. She smacked at his back and cursed him the entire way. Damn she was sexy fired up like this. Not that he’d ever be worthy of having her again. Those memories of their time together were all he’d ever have.
Once he set her down on the porch, Dane kept his hands on her shoulders. He didn’t want to force her to do anything, but he didn’t want her to bolt before she could hear him out—especially if bolting meant trying to drive in blizzard-like conditions when she was crying and upset. That just sounded like a disaster in the making.
“Why?” she demanded as she stared up at him. She didn’t bother swiping at her tears, likely so he’d see the full impact his actions had on her. “Why did you lie to me? Sleeping with me was, what? Just a way to pass the time until you stole my future?”
“No,” he defended with a shake of his head. “I... Damn it.”
Dane dropped his hands, unable to ignore the agony on her face.
“You came to Mirage purposely to find me,” she accused. “Did you laugh when you got me into bed so quickly? I must’ve made this all so easy on you.”
When the wind kicked up and trees cracked outside the window, his dogs started barking their fool heads off. Stella jumped and glanced toward the front door.
“They’re not scared,” he explained. “When it thunders or gets too windy, they think someone is knocking.”
“I can’t imagine you get many visitors out here in the middle of nowhere.”
He didn’t, but his staff would always knock before entering. “Let’s get inside,” he told her. “You can yell at me all you want there, but I need to get in there before my boys tear up my front door.”
“I should leave,” she muttered, barely audible over the wind. “I came here thinking we’d see where things went. Now, I want to be anywhere else.”
“I get that,” he replied. “But it’s nasty out there and it’s a long drive back to Gold Valley. Might as well stay at least a little longer.”
He turned and reached for the door, ready to hold back his dogs so they wouldn’t lick Stella to death.
“I don’t want to stay,” she repeated, but the fight had left her tone and Dane knew she wasn’t going anywhere yet.
She’d never admit her vulnerability, and he admired her for that, but he also knew if he was ever going to get through to her to fully understand his side, then now was the time to explain himself. And Stella deserved an explanation.
Dane stepped over the threshold and gripped his dogs’ collars as he hustled them back from the door. Two overly excited golden retrievers wasn’t something Stella needed to put up with right now.
Once she was inside and had closed the door, Dane let go of the dogs and snapped his fingers. The boys immediately sat at his side.
“You don’t have to stay long, but I need you to hear me out.” He stared back at her, knowing she could bolt out of that door at any time, knowing he deserved exactly that. “It’s not safe to try to drive right now. You know how Montana weather can be.”
Stella’s eyes darted down to the dogs and back up to him. “You’re used to everyone doing exactly what you want, aren’t you?” she sneered. “I’m not going to be that person.”
Yet here she was, standing in his foyer.
“Mirage was always meant to be mine,” he explained, needing to get to the heart of the issue. “My brother and I both have resorts that were stolen from us before we were old enough or had any power to stop it.”
Stella narrowed her eyes
. “Stolen? That doesn’t even make sense.”
Dane ran a hand over his jaw, the stubble raked against his palm. “My mother was Lara Anderson. She built Mirage in Gold Valley and Sunset Cove.”
Stella’s eyes widened. “That’s why you were so determined? Because you think this is owed to you?”
“It is owed to me,” he demanded. “Robert Anderson was a complete bastard who took advantage of my mother by marrying her when she was vulnerable after her father’s death. When she passed, Ethan and I were still in high school and Robert underhandedly gained rights to those properties and left with our money.”
Stella stared at him for a minute before shaking her head and pressing her hand to her eyes. “I can’t grasp all of this,” she muttered. “I can’t figure out how any of this is my fault and why I’m being punished when all I wanted was to have a place of my own, to stand on my own.”
Dane took a step forward. “I can help you. I just can’t give you Mirage.”
Taking a step away from him, Stella leveled his gaze. “I don’t want your help. I don’t want pity and I don’t want...”
Her voice cracked as she trailed off and ultimately turned her back. Dane fisted his hands at his sides, knowing she wanted nothing at all from him at this point. The only thing she’d ever wanted had been ripped from her life...just like it had been ripped from his.
They both wanted Mirage. They both had had the resort pulled away from them when they were so close to obtaining it.
“I know how you feel,” he stated. “I’ve been there. I didn’t want to hurt you. I never wanted any of this to harm you in any way. I just wanted what belonged to me.”
Stella spun around, her eyes full of fury and unshed tears. “Didn’t want me hurt? What did you think would happen? Did you think I’d be so totally blown away by your seduction skills that I’d overlook you jerking my life from me?”
“I never thought that.” Though the way she worded it made him sound like an even bigger bastard than he already felt. “I just wanted to find a way to get the resort back in my family like my mother always planned.”
Montana Seduction Page 13
