Page 38 of Omega's Refuge

“You have your whole life to work. How often do you come to a place this amazing?” His voice was husky.

“I could always come back for a vacation once I’m employed.” I smiled.

“Yeah, but you won’t return,” he said softly. “You’ll get busy with life, and forget all about this place.”

“No, I won’t.” I met his gaze. “I’ll always remember this trip. This experience. I’ll… I’ll always remember you too, Rex.”

“Yeah. People say that, but then they never come back.” His smile was strained. “Anyway, you keep fishing and I’ll let you guys know when it’s time to leave.” He walked away toward the pack horses.

I went back to fishing, but found it difficult to forget Rex’s disappointed expression. In his line of work, he met new people all the time, but then they left and he probably never saw them again. That’d be hard on a person, especially if some of those connections were more personal in nature.

I disliked the thought that the attraction Rex and I shared might be something he experienced with other guests. But it probably got lonely here on the ranch. Was that why he’d given me so much attention—to break up the monotony? Was I just another omega in a long line he flirted with?

Does it matter?

I was being silly. What I needed to focus on wasn’t Rex, it was Steve. What drama would I face when I got home? Was Rex correct that Steve would regret how he’d treated me on this trip? Did I care? The pain and anger I felt were still very raw, and I couldn’t imagine giving Steve another chance. Not that I thought he’d want one. He was probably happy as a clam screwing Tony day and night.Fucker. Had he taken Tony back to my place and had sex inmybed? Nothing would surprise me at this point.

I felt like puking at the thought of them in my bed. Gritting my teeth, I pulled in the line of my fishing rod, and dropped my pole on the grass. I wanted to escape my tumultuous thoughts, but they went everywhere I went. With a harshbreath, I sat down on the ground, feeling dejected and angry. My earlier happy mood had vanished.

I was surprised when Joe came over and sat down beside me. “How are you holding up, kid?” His expression was sympathetic, and I suspected he hadn’t bought the story about Steve being called away for work.

I hesitated. “I’m fine.”

“That’s good.” We sat in silence for a bit, with just the sound of the river and birds in the cottonwood trees overhead. Then he said, “You know, when I was about your age, I was friends with an omega named June.” His smile was pensive. “She was my best friend.”

“Is that right?”

“Yep. June and I were inseparable all through our teens. Not romantic, mind you, just close pals.”

I didn’t respond, instead opting to tug at blades of grass as I listened to his story. I knew he wasn’t just sharing memories. He had a point he was trying to make.

“We ended up going to the same college too, and one night when we were both drunk, we kissed.” He laughed. “That was it for me. I was head over heels from that point on. See, I’d had a little crush on June our whole friendship, but she’d only seen me as a friend. But that night, things changed.” He winced. “Or so I thought.”

“She didn’t feel the same?” I asked.

“Well now, that’s the tricky part. She said she did. She flirted with me and even dated me for about a year. I was completely in love with her, and she told me she felt the same.” He sighed. “But you know what I learned from that experience, Tanner?”

“What?”

“Actions speak louder than words.” He shrugged. “I’d heard that phrase a million times over the years, but it hadn’t meant anything to me. Not until June broke my heart over and over again.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, don’t be sorry. Thank heavens June turned me down. That way I met Martha, who’s truly the love of my life.”

“You do seem really happy.”

“We are. Happier than I ever was with June. You see, I was hung up on theideaof June. I was caught up on theideathat our love was special. Because we’d known each other our whole life, I figured that meant our love was meant to be. I thought our love was stronger than any other new love could ever be.” He guffawed. “What a crock of you know what. The love I have with Martha blows what I felt for June out of the water.”

I smiled tentatively. “You got over June?”

“I sure did.” He sighed.

I grimaced. “I’m guessing from the conversation we’re having that you didn’t believethe story about Steve going back home because of work?”

“No.” His gaze was shrewd. “It was obvious you two were butting heads from the minute you got here.”

I winced. “Does everyone in the group think the same thing?”

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