Page 93 of Redemption

He frowned. “Everything okay?”

“You tell me.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Sweetheart, what’s going on?”

“Sweetheart,” I scoffed. “I’m surprised you’re not lording your victory.” Had he always been after the ranch? He’d come here straight out of prison, maybe he knew about the deed after all. Then he bumped into me and realized he wasn’t going to get his hands on the place.

Until I handed it right to him.

He looked around, confused. “Wh-what victory, what do you mean?”

I glanced away. Of course he would play dumb. “The girls. You won. Whatever it is you wanted, you got it.”

He reached for me. “Won? I don’t understand.”

I stepped back. “I trusted you; I can’t believe I opened up to you, and told you everything only for you to go and immediately tell the girls. For what? So youcould talk them into a guest ranch thatyouget to build? Haven’t you done enough to us? You’re so calculated and cruel that you just had to take it one step further?”

His expression shuttered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do, you know exactly what you did!” I shouted.

“I haven’t told anyoneanythingyou’ve said to me. Those are conversations between us,” he dipped his voice lower, softening it. “They mean something to me and I would never do that to you. Do you really think I would betray you like that?”

The earnest look in his eyes, imploring me, had me faltering. I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

He reared back. “You really don’t know me by now?”

I just stared at him, wanting to believe him but I’d already fallen for his schtick once. When I didn’t reply, he shook his head and kicked at the grass.

“Will you ever see me as anyone but the man who took your mom away from you?” His tone was filled with despair, the words rasped from him.

I bristled, folding my arms over my chest. “Why are you bringing that up?”

“Because I need to know if you can ever forgive me?”

“Do you need my forgiveness?”

“Of course I do! I need to know that you can forgive me so we can move forward!” His voice raised, startling the birds pecking at the grass and they flew off with a disgruntled caw. He scrubbed a frustrated hand over his jaw.

I watched the emotions fly over his face and thought of his nightmares. This wasn’t about me, not really. “I think you need to forgive yourself.”

He whipped back to face me. “You don’t, do you?” hechallenged.

“You think it’s that easy?” I snarled. “A few orgasms and sweet words and what, all is forgiven?”

“Of course not, but I thought this was more thanorgasms and sweet words.I thought this was serious, I thought this could be forever!” he shouted. His admission startled me but before I could process the words or react, he continued. “You think it’s easy for me to picture our wedding day and know the reason your mom isn’t going to be there is because of me? Like with all those amazing women back at the ranch? You think it doesn’t break mysoulto look each one of them in the eye and see the sorrow and know that it wasmethat put it there?”

“Jack—” I began but he kept going.

“So many times I nearly left and walked away, finding it too hard to face you all each day. But I didn’t. I stayed because I owe you, I owe you all everything I’ve got and always will. I owed it to Charlie.” His chest heaved with emotion and the release of all the words he’d been keeping inside.

His expression slipped into a blank mask. “But hey, if this is all justorgasms and sweet wordsthen I guess that makes it real easy to walk away, don’t it?”

He spun and stalked away, the ground practically shaking under his bootheels. He gripped Pickles’ reins and lifted himself into the saddle with a grace I still admired. He tugged the reins and flexed his heels, urging Pickles to move and then he was tearing back across the pasture.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Jack

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