Page 53 of Cowboy's Healing Heart

"What the?—"

"What?" Krystal follows the line of my gaze. "Who are they?"

"It's my father."

"And the woman?"

"Nobody."

My temples throb as I process what's happening. My past and my present collide in the worst possible way.

Krystal's phone buzzes. She glances at it, her face going pale. Without a word, she hands it to me.

Jordan Hendricks:The world's about to get a lot more interested in your new man. The clock's ticking.

I glance over at her, driving to her cabin. "Who is he?"

"My ex."

"Fuck," I mutter. I look up at Krystal, trying to gauge her reaction. "Are you okay?"

She shakes her head, pulling up something on her phone. It's a picture from our dinner Friday night—me, Krystal, and Ashanti, all smiles. Posted on Ashanti's social media.

"I should have known," Krystal whispers. "I should have been more careful."

I reach for her, needing to comfort her, to reassure her. "Hey, look at me. This isn't your fault. We'll figure this out together, okay?"

She meets my eyes, and I see the fear there, the uncertainty. It kills me to know I'm the cause of it.

"I won't let him do this to us," I say, my voice firm. "I promise."

For a moment, I think she believes me. Then her walls go back up, and she pulls away.

"We should go inside," she says, her voice flat.

I nod, hating the distance between us. As we get out, my father approaches.

"Shane," he says, his tone clipped. "We need to talk."

I stand straighter, squaring my shoulders. "Not now, Father. I need to make sure Krystal's okay first."

He frowns, but before he can argue, Courtney steps forward. "Shane, it's so good to see you."

I tense as she leans in to kiss my cheek. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Krystal stiffen.

"Courtney," I say, keeping my voice neutral. "What are you doing here?"

She smiles, all perfect teeth, and practiced charm. "Your father thought you might need some support, given the circumstances."

I clench my fists, anger bubbling up. "The circumstances you helped create, you mean?"

Her smile falters for a second before she recovers. "Now, Shane, you know that's not fair. We're all just trying to do what's best for the company."

"The company," I spit out. "Right. Because that's all that matters."

My father steps between us. "Enough. Shane, we need to discuss the DoD contract. It's been five months. Innoventis needs you to assume your roles as CEO."

I shake my head, feeling trapped. "I can't do this right now. I need to talk to Krystal first."

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