Page 62 of Trail to Trouble
“So, where did Katrina come from?”
“Katrina was my grandmother’s name on my dad’s side, and Holmes was my grandmother’s maiden name on my mother’s side. I didn’t know how else to pick a new name.”
“It’s a nice name. How deep are you into hiding?” he asked, cutting to the chase.
Her facial features stiffened, and she pulled her portfolio tight to her chest again.
He cringed inside. Had he asked too much, too soon?
Her eyes shifted to the doorway, and he feared she’d bolt.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked,” he stated.
“It’s okay. I probably owe you an explanation for disappearing the way I did,” she said in practically a whisper.
When he thought about it, she didn’t really owe him anything. The Dear John letter she’d left behind almost ten years ago said it all. She cut him loose for his own good, as well as her well-being, and that of her brothers. They all knew in their hearts, the Garcias were responsible for three deaths, so for the safety of everyone, she disappeared. He got it.
“Share with me what you want. I don’t want to pressure you.”
She snagged her bottom lip with her teeth and hesitated, letting him know that at least a small part of her wanted to continue talking with him.
The door to the conference room opened, drawing his attention. Sally poked her head through the crack.
“Sorry to interrupt, but your four o’clock appointment is here. Do you want to meet with him in here or in your office?”
“My office. I’ll be there in a minute.”
She nodded and shut the door.
“Hannah, can I take you to dinner tonight so we can catch up?”
His heartbeat ratcheted up a notch when those familiar gold flecks sparked in her emerald eyes. She was going to accept his offer.
Silence.
When those sparks of gold faded, he knew he’d be disappointed at any moment now.
“I can’t, and my name is Katrina.”
Those words felt like a champion boxer’s blow to his stomach. Her use of Katrina reaffirmed that Hannah no longer existed.
After all these years, they’d finally reconnected, only to have it end the same way—apart. He nearly doubled over in pain.
She spun and bolted out of the room.
He’d taken three long strides after her before he halted on a dime.
With as much as it pained him, he’d abide by her wishes. Pressing his palm to his chest did nothing to relieve the refreshed pain from the old wound.
Katrina practically ran out of the building, not allowing herself to glance back. She knew if she looked into Hunter’s beautiful eyes one more time, she’d cave and leap into his arms. She had longed for the comfortable embrace of his arms countless times over the past ten years. Good heavens, she missed him. This hiding was bullshit, but had to be done. It was best for everyone.
Those damn Garcias. She loathed the day she met Sebastián and fell for his charms. Though it didn’t take long for her to figure him out. She’d thought when he’d been sentenced to ten years, she’d freed herself from his and his family’s control, but she was wrong. Every decision she’d made during the past ten years had been made with him in mind. What she called herself. Where she lived. Who she associated with. Her social media presence was nil because she didn’t want to be found. Who in the hell at thirty-two didn’t have a social media presence? She, that’s who. Explain that to someone who wanted to connect.
She started her SUV and pulled out of the parking lot of the downtown headquarters of Stars Sporting Goods.
Stars Sporting Goods. Now that she thought about it, Hunter or Orion, was named after a constellation, so theStarname made complete sense.
How had they both ended up living in the same city and not run into each other? Wait, did he actually live in Green Bay? His five stores were located throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Did he live in the U.P.? She recalled how much he loved it up there, working for his uncle as a guide. She sank into her seat. She’d never know. because she could never make contact with him again. So much for landing this account and the promotion it would likely garner her. Damn, Sebastián. Damn him for ruining her life.
