Page 9 of A Midlife Vanishing Trick

“Don’t you call me that!” she snapped. “What the hell are you doing back here, Stanley?”

His brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean by that? I live here. This is our home.”

She couldn’t help but chortle. “You sure about that? Because last I checked, you’ve been gone the past four years. At some point, I figured you’d gone and found a new home for yourself. And now you’re here.”

Allison hadn’t even realized just how much anger she’d been carrying all this time. For years, it had been cloaked in sadness and longing. Now that Stanley was here, standing before her, all that rage came spilling out. And she had no intention of hiding it. She glowered at him, fuming amidst feelings of relief as well as excitement from the kiss they’d just shared.

“You’ve got some nerve,” she said, jabbing her finger at him, “crawling back after abandoning me all those years ago.”

He shook his head. “But I didn’t—”

“Do you have any idea what it was like for me, waiting for you to come back after that evening?” She scoffed, her eyes blurred with tears, but she quickly brushed them aside. “You must have thought I was a fool, huh? That you could just waltz back into my life after four years and expect me to welcome you with open arms and a kiss?”

Her lips still tingled from the kiss. She ignored that.

“I didn’t abandon you, Allison,” Stanley said. “I got lost.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “Really?Thatis the best you can come up with?”

“No, I’m serious. I’ve been on Frost Mountain this whole time. I don’t even know how it’s possible that I’m back here, but you have to believe me. I never abandoned you—”

“Get out,” she said.

His eyebrows rose slowly. “What?”

“Get out of here. I don’t want you in this house. I don’t want to see your face. I don’t want you near me. You left before. You can leave again.”

“Allison—”

“Go!”

She figured he would refuse. It was as much his house as it was hers. They were still legally married and the property was still in both their names. She had as much power to send him out of the house or off the property as he did to make her leave. Allison sucked in a breath, bracing herself for the inevitableNo.

But it never came. A look of hurt appeared in his eyes, and he nodded.

“I’ll be in the barn if you need me,” he said. “It was nice seeing you again, Allison.”

He left the room. Allison remained rooted to the spot, listening to the sound of his receding footsteps until she heard the front door swing shut. She turned to the window just in time to see his broad-shouldered figure marching from the ranch house to the nearest barn.

She turned away, walking over to the tray he’d left by her bed. Steam rose from a coffee mug. He’d gotten it right—black, just how she liked it.

Allison felt her chest contract. She needed to call Celine, right after she made herself a new cup of coffee.

Chapter Three

One Hell of a Summer Surprise

“Easy, girl,” Stanley said to the horse, stroking her flank. “Easy.”

The brown horse’s name was Betsy, and she’d been stamping her hooves impatiently, the way she would if she was hungry or wanted to be let out of her stable.

Stanley thought he could relate to that. The snow leopard in him had always enjoyed the feeling of being out in the open. If it was nighttime, he might have shifted and gone for a sprint across the ranch. For now, though, he’d like to take Betsy for a ride. He gazed around the large barn at the other stables, some containing horses. He’d always loved horses. Since his childhood days, he’d learned how to ride and take of them.

Riding a horse had always been his go-to solution whenever he needed to mull things over or get some air, especially at times like this when his mind was racing.

Betsy nickered softly, and he ran his fingers across her flank again. “You’ll be out in a bit,” he assured her, “and we’ll go for a ride, eh?” The horse gave another whinny, and he chuckled. “Yeah, I missed you, too. It’s good to be back.”

Only he wasn’t so sure about that last part.

---