Page 45 of Camilla & Dallas
Before he could respond, the door to the training center opened and she glanced over his shoulder to see Isabelle entering the building. Her eyes narrowed. She had been less than thrilled at the prospect of them hashing things out that one day when Dallas had practically forced himself into their house. Clearly, she didn’t trust Dallas as much as she used to. She might have wanted Camilla to share her feelings. But that didn’t mean she was one hundred percent team-Dallas.
Dallas pulled away. “I’ll wait outside.”
Camilla nodded. “See you in a minute.” She watched Dallas leave, then met her sister’s eyes.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
Isabelle was four years younger. She didn’t know what it was like to find the kind of love Camilla had. Still, it was sweet she wanted to look out for Camilla the way she did. “Yeah, I know what I’m doing,” Camilla said with a smile.
“I like Dallas as much as the next girl.” She worried her lower lip. “But I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”
She waved a hand at her sister. “Don’t worry about me. I’m sure you have your own guys to fend off.”
Isabelle continued to frown. “Camilla?—”
“It’s fine, Izzy. I promise. We’re just barely getting past the awkward stage anyway. There’s a lot to figure out. It’s not like I’m going to run off into the sunset with him. We’ve got a long way to go before that sort of thing is even a thought.”
Still, her sister didn’t look convinced. Camilla laughed, pulling her sister into a hug. “You worry too much. Where’s the carefree girl who used to have a crush on any man beneath a cowboy hat who filled out a pair of jeans the right way?”
Isabelle flushed. “Maybe I’ve realized that happily ever afters aren’t as easy to come by.” Her words were loaded with something that caught Camilla off guard. Not even a few months ago, she would have said the same thing—for herself. But she’d always been interested in setting her friends up with their perfect matches. Maybe she needed to start worrying about Izzy now.
Her sister flicked her hands toward Camilla. “Go have fun with your boyfriend. I’ve got some stuff to do with the puppies. They’re due for their shots and need their nails trimmed.”
Camilla opened her mouth to argue but changed her mind. Izzie would talk when she was ready. No one knew better than Camilla that sometimes the only thing to help a situation like this was to let time create a buffer.
19
Dallas
Dallas stared at his phone reading the same line over and over, wishing he was dreaming. He’d put out some feelers with Mack about finding a permanent job in this area, but his supervisor had shot him down. The folks working up at the Canadian site were interested in him due to the past work he’d done with the species up north.
True, Dallas hadn’t told Mack his reasonings for wanting to stay in Colorado. He doubted that his boss would be thrilled to know he wanted to risk his career for a woman. People didn’t get into this job because they wanted stability. Most of the people who worked in his department thrived on the constant moving and going to new places.
Once upon a time, he’d thought he would too.
That had been after Camilla refused to reach out to him. After he’d waited for weeks for one letter or one email or even one call that indicated she wanted to keep the lines of communication open between them.
He blamed himself and rightfully so. He’d dug the grave he’d been standing in when he realized that he’d lost the most important thing in his life.
Camilla.
He rubbed at the back of his neck. Deep down, he’d known what Camilla’s answer would be. She was big into her family. It had taken a lot of courage for her to leave her parents and move to Copper Creek, but she’d had her siblings. There was no way she’d want to spend her life traveling, jumping from one town to the next.
He let out a frustrated breath as he shoved his phone into his pocket. He’d had so many hopes. He’d wanted his supervisor to tell him there was a way to keep him in Colorado. He’d wanted Camilla to be interested in the adventure that his career would offer. He’d wanted so much to not have to broach this subject at all with her, but it appeared that wasn’t going to happen.
The door to the training building opened and Camilla stepped out. That smile on her face… what he wouldn’t give to see it every single day from this point forward.
“Ready?’ she asked.
His focus trailed down her curvaceous form, and he brought his fist to his mouth to bite his knuckle. “You look amazing.”
She laughed, giving him a little shove. “I’m covered in dog hair.”
Dallas wasted no time reaching to hold her hands, then tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I said what I said,” he whispered huskily.
Her plump lip was pulled between her teeth as she grinned wider at him. “You’re incorrigible.”
“I’mhonest,” he corrected her and once again, she laughed. Oh, how he loved that sound. “Come on, let’s grab your camera. The place we’re going is beautiful.”
