Page 82 of Merry Christmas, Cowboy

Nicole marched intoa room just off the foyer, a library with wall-to-wall bookshelves. At any other time, she would relish thumbing through the incredible book collection, perhaps finding a new author to read, but unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen tonight. She reached the center of the room and turned to face Johnny. He looked handsome in a three-piece suit, his hair combed just off the side, a new style for him, but he also appeared drawn and tired. Perhaps he’d lost a few pounds.

“Nicole, thanks for seeing me. I’ve been trying to reach you. You never answered,” he said sweetly, an attempt to cover up the accusation in his tone. “I know you have every right to still be angry with me, but I’m here to beg your forgiveness. To see if we can still have that future we’ve dreamed about.”

“Johnny, stop right there.” She put up her hand. “You can’t be serious. You come here and ask me to forgive you? You expect me to forget everything that’s happened to me for the past three months, and just let you waltz back into my life.”

“We can start over, Nicole. We can.”

“You left me on our wedding day.”

“I am so sorry for that, Nicole. I was… confused. Really, really confused. But I’m not anymore. It’s you I love, Nicole. I made a huge mistake, I acknowledge that, but it doesn’t have to destroy our lives. We can move on from this. Together.”

Nicole began shaking her head. She was looking at Johnny Dupree, seeing him in the flesh, but he wasn’t the man she’d fallen in love with any longer. She looked at him differently now. How could she ever trust him? How could she place her heart, her faith, and her love in him again? He’d destroyed that and humiliated her in the process.

All the same insecurities about herself came rushing back. She didn’t like feeling this self-doubt again. As if she was a bad judge of character, as if she’d should’ve recognized the signs. She’d questioned her own judgment and wondered if she’d somehow been at fault too.

“Sit down with me, Nicole. Let’s talk this out. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Please, please just listen to me.”

At first, she didn’t want to speak to him, but now, she thought it best to hear him out. Because she needed to understand. She needed a full explanation. It would serve to clarify things in her head. She took a seat on a dark leather sofa and he sat down beside her. His dark brown eyes gleamed, as if he’d just won a victory. And maybe he had. “You have ten minutes, Johnny.”

Nicole listened to him, as if she were in a hazy dream, hearing his apologies, and the heartache that he’d claimed to go through after their breakup. He spoke about his ex-girlfriend, and how after a short time, he realized he didn’t love her. Not like he’d loved Nicole. Secretly, she suspected the woman had dumped him and that just proved she couldn’t believe anything coming out of his mouth. Nothing he said touched her. Nothing he said made any difference. It was clear her feelings for him had bottomed out.

After several minutes, Nicole had heard enough. She rose from the sofa, and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Johnny. There’s no future for us anymore. I can’t go back. It’s best if we say good-bye now.”

She walked out of the library and into the foyer. “Wait, Nicole! You don’t mean that.”

He followed her, taking long strides to catch up with her. She turned to him. “I really have to get back to my date.”

“Your date’s right here, Nicole.” Garrett came out of the ballroom, looking fierce and protective. “Are you okay?”

She marveled at the relief she felt, having Garrett there. “I’m fine.”

“What?” Johnny appeared shocked. “You’re leaving me for this guy?”

Nicole didn’t respond. It was none of his business what her relationship with Garrett was.

Johnny darted a quick glance at Garrett. “Garrett Brown, right?”

Garrett nodded, his lips tightly pursed.

Then Johnny turned back to her. “Nicole, this guy’s leaving town ASAP. Don’t you know that? He’s already sold his ranch. Just ask Blake Charles. Yeah, that’s right. He’s not sticking around, but I am. I’m moving back for good.”

“I don’t believe you,” Nicole told Johnny.

“Believe it. I’ve been doing some house hunting in the area and when I asked Blake about Cottonwood, he told me it’s as good as a done deal. The ranch was off the market.”

Nicole shot a glance at Garrett, and he didn’t deny it. He said nothing to dispute Johnny’s claim.

“Garrett?”

He closed his eyes briefly, giving her his answer.

She swallowed hard and fought the urge to scream. She needed to get out of here; she couldn’t stand between these two men and have a rational thought. She pivoted around and headed for the exit. Only once the cool air hit her, could she actually breathe.

Garrett chased after her, reaching her by the side of the house. He took her arm gently. “Nicole, I can explain.”

“Is it true?” she asked. “Have you sold Cottonwood?”

“It’s a good offer, Nicole. It’s what I’ve been working toward. The sale will insure Cody a good life. I want the security for him. I’ve always wanted that.”

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