Page 39 of Horned to be Wild
Serious collectors. Real appreciation for her talent.
All the things he couldn’t give her. All the things this polished man with his expensive car represented.
Jeremy finally turned to acknowledge him with a practiced smile that never reached his eyes. “I’m sure your… friend… understands that this is where your future lies.”
Ice crystallized in his veins. His jaw clenched so hard he thought his teeth might crack. The perfect morning, the laughter, the sense of possibility—all of it crumbled under the weight of this man’s casual certainty.
She opened her mouth to speak, but he couldn’t bear to hear her response. Couldn’t bear to watch her choose, to see the recognition dawn that Jeremy was right.
A strangled sound escaped his throat—not quite a word, not quite a growl. Without looking at either of them, he turned and plunged into the woods, his long strides carrying him back to the solitude that had been his only constant companion.
Behind him, he thought he heard Lila call his name, but he didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. His chest felt like it was being crushed in a vise, each breath a struggle against the certainty that had taken root.
She deserved the city. She deserved recognition. She deserved everything her talent could bring her.
And he was just a lumberjack with a gift for whittling. A minotaur in the woods. A novelty with a ridiculous bumper sticker.
The words echoed in his head with each pounding footstep: She doesn’t belong here. She doesn’t belong with you.
By the time he was halfway to his cabin, his breath was coming in ragged gasps, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the hollowness spreading through him. He’d allowed himself tohope, to believe that someone like Lila could choose someone like him, could choose this life.
But the truth had arrived in a gleaming sports car, reminding him of what he’d always known.
He wasn’t enough. He would never be enough.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Lila stood frozen for a long moment, staring at the spot where Torin had disappeared into the woods. She understood what had made him run but that didn’t make it any easier. After what they’d shared, it felt like a betrayal.
Behind her, Jeremy continued his monologue, his voice grating against her nerves like sandpaper.
“Honestly, Lila, it’s been quite amusing watching you play house in this quaint little village, but we both know this was never meant to be permanent. Your real life is waiting for you back in the city.”
Something inside her snapped. The hurt from Torin’s retreat transformed into blazing outrage—not just at him, but at Jeremy’s casual dismissal of everything she’d started to build here. The world she’d created. The life she’d chosen.
She whirled around, her face angry enough to startle Jeremy into momentary silence.
“My ‘real life’?” Her voice vibrated with anger. “You think my ‘real life’ is following you back to a place where I was miserable?Where you spent years telling me my art wasn’t serious enough, wasn’t commercial enough, wasn’t what you thought it should be?”
Jeremy blinked, clearly taken aback by her reaction. “Lila, darling, I’m only thinking of your career?—”
“No.” She cut him off, stepping closer. “You’re thinking of what looks good for you. Having an artist girlfriend who fits neatly into your perfect little world. Well, I’m not that person anymore.”
She gestured around at her cottage, at the garden beginning to bloom under her care, at the woods where Torin had disappeared. The damage from the storm wasn’t visible from the front but it didn’t matter—she wasn’t going anywhere.
“This is my real life. These are real people. And that male you just dismissed without even a second glance? He saw more in my art after a single look than you did in two years.”
Jeremy’s expression hardened, his practiced charm falling away. “That… creature? Please, Lila. Don’t be ridiculous. What could a monster possibly understand about fine art?”
The contempt in his voice, the same dismissive tone he’d used when talking about her paintings, pushed her over the edge.
“One hell of a lot more than you do. I’m not going anywhere with you. Not now. Not ever.” Anger sharpened her voice to an icy blade. “My ‘real talent’ is right here, building the life I choose, with people who truly see me. Get out of my driveway, and don’t ever come back.”
Jeremy stared at her, his face a mixture of shock and anger. “You can’t possibly mean that?—”
“The lady told you to leave. Now go.”
The deep voice made them both jump. They’d been so intent on their argument, neither one of them had seen Torin reemerge from the woods. Her heart skipped a beat as he came to her side, glaring at Jeremy.
