Page 29 of Captive at Rescue Ridge

And how had she treated him?

She’d freaked out, closed up, and cut him out of her world.

So, yeah, getting close to him again would only cause more heartache, even though a little voice in the back of her mind said this time would be different. She was an adult now and could let someone in. Lethimin.

Even the thought caused hives to welt the skin of her arms and chest. Panic gripped her like she was being chased by the bastard who’d abducted Owen and her mother.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned the hard way, people only change when they’re ready, and there isn’t anything you can do to change that no matter how much you might want to,” Archer said, cutting into her thoughts. Had he learned the lesson the hard way because of her?

Annalee wanted to apologize for her past actions and let him know that she’d been running scared and that none of that had been his fault. The words fell short, dying on her lips. Wasn’t he the one who’d once said words were cheap and that actions spoke louder?

“These jerks somehow convince my mother she’d be worse off without them,” she said, forcing her thoughts away from the past and back into the present. “So, she lets them stay, and they’ve gotten her into all kinds of bad situations, from being busted for having drugs on her that she didn’t even realize she was carrying to a Ponzi scheme that almost got her arrested. She fell for a real estate scam by giving my social security number out for some jerkoff to get a shady loan.”

“You’d think at some point she would learn from her mistakes,” he said before adding, “I know I have.”

Was the last bit referring specifically to her?

“I never have to wonder where I got my bullheadedness from,” Annalee said, trying to lighten the heavy mood. “When the woman digs her heels in, she really commits and no amount of evidence can convince her otherwise.” And then she turned the tables on him. “What about you? Considering the kiss we shared, I know you’re not in a relationship. Is there no one around you’d consider dating?”

“I just got back into town.” His voice tightened. “And I don’t do serious if that’s what you mean. Dating is fine. Spending time together is great. But it’s time to have a talk when they show up with an overnight bag and a toothbrush.”

Why did his response catch her off guard? Archer had always struck her as the settling-down type.

“Are you telling me there’s been no one serious?”

“Not in a long time,” he said.

Not since her?

11

“Ilike my freedom.” Archer wasn’t sure why he felt the need to defend himself over his dating habits, but his pride couldn’t have Annalee thinking he spent every Saturday night alone.

Were holidays lonely lately? Sure. That was a small price to pay for the other three-hundred-sixty-plus days a year when he was fine being on his own.

“Same,” Annalee said, surprising him with the response. “Plus, you know, with my mother’s track record of getting involved with losers, I figure the best way not to fall into the same trap is to not even go there.”

“Do you date losers?”

“No,” she said, her tone defensive.

“Then, what are you worried about? Are you afraid that you can’t tell the difference?”

“No, it’s not that.” She leaned her head back against the headrest. “All the guys are opening doors for you and bringing flowers…in the beginning.”

“I’m guessing it doesn’t take long for the mystery to fade and you to realize they’re just human beings.”

“Something like that,” she said.

If the walls were going to stay up, he might as well poke at them. “Real relationships aren’t perfect.”

“Is that why you’ve avoided them?” she quipped.

Damned if his tactic didn’t backfire. Annalee had always challenged him on every level and didn’t let him get away with jack. It was one of the many traits he’d loved about her.

Archer laughed. He couldn’t help himself. “Guess we’re cut from the same cloth when it comes to committed relationships.” Although, his thoughts were beginning to change on the subject. He was beginning to see that a relationship might not be the worst idea. Several of his siblings had found the real thing and were happier than he’d ever seen them.

Their abusive father was gone now. Beaumont couldn’t hurt them any longer. Did this mean Archer was considering making the ranch his home? Would making new memories there erase the old ones? For the first time, he could see how that might be possible. How he could make a life in Saddle Junction. Owen was dead set against the idea. His twin planned to stick around long enough to get the place settled. He’d been planning to talk to the others about selling his shares to them so he could start his own thing in another state—Kentucky, he’d thought.

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