Page 57 of A Love So Sweet
“Or me,” Treat added.
“Did I hear my name?” Rex came through the door. His eyes locked on his father’s, then slowly met Treat’s. “Talk what through with me?”
“I was telling your father that he needed to stop holding things in, and if he has issues with the ranch, to talk them through with you…or Treat, I suppose,” Ben said.
“Treat’s never here,” Savannah argued.
“Of course.” Rex kept his eyes locked on his father. “You can count on me, and Savannah’s right. Treat’s never here.”
Treat met Rex’s cold gaze and said, “I will be from now on.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Twenty-Seven
MAX SPENT THE long flight praying that she could carry out her plan, then second- and third-guessing it altogether. Several times she’d been ready to nix the whole thing, and by the time she arrived in Washington she was a nervous wreck. After listening to Treat’s message, she felt sick to her stomach. It was bad enough that his father was ill, but that she wasn’t there with him because of Ryan made her feel a hundred times worse. In his message, Treat had asked her again not to see Ryan alone, but now it was more important than ever that she finally lay her past to rest so she could focus on their future. Despite the ache in her heart, she had to believe she was doing the right thing.
She checked into a hotel near the airport and riffled through her clothes, looking for just the right thing to wear. Something that said,I’m strong and capable. You didn’t break me.
Hopefully not forever, at least.
After shuffling through her clothes, trying on a few outfits, and shedding tears, Max knew what she had to wear. She went to the front pocket of her suitcase, where she’d stuffed Treat’s T-shirt that she’d slept in. She inhaled the scent of the man she loved and then pulled it on. Tucking it in was interesting, to say the least, since it hung almost to her knees. She finally gave up and gathered the long shirt in her hands, tying the bottom into a knot at her waist. She threw a sweatshirt on over it and put on her most comfortable jeans, then stared at the two pairs of shoes she’d brought to the Cape.
Sneakers. In case I freak out and have to bolt.
THE CROWNE INN was built on the flattest piece of ground Max had ever seen. It stood alone among parking lots and grassy lawn. There was no place to hide. She drove slowly past the hotel, scoping out the place where she would finally confront her demons. The building looked like any other hotel, a few stories high, big windows, mostly curtained, and a circular drive that led to a covered entrance.
As fear bloomed inside her, settling in her gut like lead, she tried to remember why she’d thought going there made sense. She turned the car around, driving by the hotel in the other direction, contemplating getting back on the highway and returning home. She crossed in front of the hotel two more times, until she was sure the police would spot her and arrest her for stalking.That would be just my luck.
She surveyed the parking lot again, and a shiver ran down her back. The hotel was far off the beaten track. Anything could happen out here. Maybe that was Ryan’s plan. Lure her to a remote location and do something horrible to her. He’d said he had something to talk to her about. Maybe that was a ruse. Wait—she’d contactedhim. She was being stupid. They were in a public place. She’d be fine. Shehoped.
She parked at the far end of the parking lot, giving herself plenty of time on the walk inside to change her mind and turn back. She held on to the hem of Treat’s T-shirt, trying to remain courageous. When she reached the entrance, she stopped and breathed deeply. She paced the sidewalk, then unzipped her sweatshirt so she could see Treat’s shirt beneath, pulling forward memories of the way he cared for her, the way he’d nurtured her strength and her heart. That’s what she wanted, to be loved and to heal. She had to do this. To cleanse herself from the memories that stalked her like prey and pulled her back from every forward step she took.
Inhaling deeply, and feeling like she was living on deep breaths, she entered the hotel. A burly, dark-haired man glanced up from behind a newspaper in the lobby as Max walked past.
The perky woman behind the desk smiled and said, “Welcome to the Crowne Inn.”
Her high-pitched enthusiasm cut right through Max’s anxiety like a knife, causing her to freeze in the middle of the large, open lobby.Walk. Leave. Do something!Her mind warred with itself, confusing her legs into unmovable pillars. Was she insane? This was the worst idea ever!
She finally managed to turn around and headed for the doors. She wasnotstaying here.
“Max?”
The hairs on the back of Max’s neck stood on end at the sound of Ryan’s voice. She was vaguely aware of the man who had been reading the newspaper rising to his feet. She clenched her fists against the fear crashing over her and reminded herself that she wassuperbly strong.
She forced herself to turn around, trying her best to feign a smile, but the way her teeth were grinding together, she knew she hadn’t pulled it off.
She could hardly breathe as she looked at the man she’d trusted and thought she’d loved. The man who had hurt her so badly, she’d fled like a thief in the night. He wore a dark blue suit with a gold badge over his breast pocket that readRYAN COBAIN, HOTEL MANAGER, and he was smiling as if he was truly glad to see her. That’s not what he’d looked like at the end, in those weeks she’d spent stifled by his aggression.
He took a step forward, and again she had no control over her legs as they took a step back.
He stilled, his gaze turning apologetic. “Max?”
She willed herself to stand tall, and this time her body obeyed. She looked down at Treat’s shirt, wishing she had dressed a little nicer. Ryan had an edge on her in his nice suit and on his turf.Wait! What am I thinking? I am in control.She willed herself to pull it together, straightening her spine as she drew her shoulders back. She felt the familiar strength she’d called upon so often with her career, the powerful energy that began in her gut and traveled into her limbs.
She took a step forward, then another. She could do this! She extended her hand. “Ryan,” she said in a frosty tone she didn’t recognize.
He took her hand and buried it within both of his. She steeled herself against the initial jolt of panic.
