Page 28 of Camilla & Dallas

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Nodding, Camilla reached for her iced coffee. “Yeah, okay. Maybe I will.”

Camilla flexed her trembling hands.No amount of shaking them out would allow her any sort of peace. She hadn’t spoken to Dallas after she’d run from him. And now the embarrassment was eating at her. She wasn’t the young, naïve girl she’d been when he left. She’d grown. She knew what she wanted. And apparently, in her heart, she wanted Dallas.

The ATV he drove was at the house when she’d returned from her errands with Isabelle and Charlie. The fact that he was here somewhere only made her nerves get worse. She was willing to completely disregard her questions regarding why he was even here rather than out at the cabin, and all because she didn’t want to chicken out and not do what she’d promised Charlie she would.

With a new sort of determination, she headed for the barn. Camilla didn’t know why it was the first place she wanted to look. Something tugged at her to head in that direction and who was she to ignore it?

She stopped short when she saw him.

He was clad in a white T-shirt and jeans rather than the button-ups he usually wore. Sweat dotted his brow, and he wiped at it with the back of a gloved hand. He was hauling bags of dog food and horse feed from a stack outside the barn to the place where they stored it inside.

A quick glance was all it took for her to notice he was alone. Wasn’t Roman supposed to be handling this shipment today?

Her thoughts were halted when Dallas stopped his work and lifted his head. Their gazes clashed and it was like the last seven years had never happened. Her breath stalled in her chest. Her heart thumped greedily against her ribcage. It was like theirsouls had finally come to the realization that they couldn’t ignore one another anymore.

Camilla recognized that look on his face; it had been the way he stared at her when they’d first met. Lust, attraction, desire—whatever it was, she didn’t care. All she knew was that it was the only clue that Charlie had given her the right advice.

“Hey,” she murmured.

His hands dropped to his sides and his focus darted to the door behind her like he expected someone to come in after her. Roman, maybe? “Hey.”

She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Can we talk?”

He shuffled a step forward, then stopped himself and nodded. “Sure.”

Moving closer, Camilla told herself that this was the only way. She reminded herself that she was a strong, capable woman, and she really had nothing to lose. But when she came to a stop in front of him, she lost her nerve. How could she tell him that she loved him when he had made it clear he didn’t feel the same?

Instead of confessing everything, she dropped her attention to her feet. “I’m sorry. For how I acted the other night.” Heat blossomed beneath her skin. Her behavior had been immature. She could do better.

“Hey,” he whispered, bringing a hand gently to her cheek. “You don’t need to apologize. I do.”

She shook her head, immediately regretting it because his hand dropped and their contact ended. “I already told you. I forgave you for leaving.”

His jaw worked, and he seemed to be considering his next words carefully. “But I said something you didn’t?—”

“It doesn’t matter,” she interrupted. “I was having a bad day. It’s not a good excuse, but that’s how it is. I was so worked up. Ithad been forever since we’d been together like that…” Her throat closed up. She was getting too close to the truth for comfort.

“I get it.”

She searched his eyes, not daring to hope that was the truth.

Dallas blew out a breath, his gaze never trailing from hers. “I never thought we’d be able to…”

Their unfinished words hung in the air, teasing them both. Could it really be that simple? Was he holding back because he didn’t know she was willing to consider more? Without thinking, she lifted a hand to his face. The scruff of his beard tickled her palm, and he leaned into her touch like he’d done a hundred times before.

Her breath hitched as she stepped into him. They were so close. It would be so easy. She wanted this. She wanted what they’d had. The way he’d left still didn’t make sense to her wounded heart, and she had a feeling that all it would take was one kiss for them to heal the rift between them.

Maybe this was her fairytale.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she breathed out his name. “Dallas.”

Something akin to anguish seeped from his chest. She had only opened her eyes for a second before Dallas wrapped his hand around her wrist and removed her hand from his face. He took a step back. Then another, shaking his head but not speaking. “I can’t be the reason you have regrets, Camilla. I won’t.” Dallas stepped around her and headed out the barn doors into the sunny day.

She spun around to demand what he meant by that, but his legs were too long and his strides too quick. He’d disappeared, leaving her more confused and hurt than ever.

13

Dallas