Page 7 of Camilla & Dallas
“Tell him to go somewhere else. There are plenty of other people in this town who could answer his questions.” She’d heard the stories. The wolf sightings in Copper Creek were getting out of hand. Just because Mateo knew Dallas didn’t mean they had to be the ones to host him. Dallas could stay in town and access their property from the back end. But tostay here? Mateo was clearly trying to make it sound like Dallas wouldn’t even cross paths with Camilla, but she knew better.
“He wasourfriend, too. Just because the two of you?—”
A disgruntled sound escaped Camilla’s lips, and she threw her hands into the air. “I don’tbelievethis.” She couldn’t stand there listening to her brother make excuses for his behavior. He knew. Heknewhow hard it had been for her to get over her shattered heart—the one Dallas had a hand in breaking.
She didn’t hear her sister’s footsteps until they echoed against the wooden steps leading to the front door. Camilla spun around, her expression hardening when she noticed Sophia wasn’t alone.
Cameron stood at her sister’s side as if he felt the need to protect her. That was rich. No one was scarier than Sophia when she was on a rampage. Camilla folded her arms, her eyes narrowing into slits. “Let me guess. You’re on Mateo’s side?”
Sophia snorted. “Hardly.”
That caught Camilla off guard. Her arms dropped to her sides, wondering if maybe she’d get some support in her argument. “Really?”
Her sister glanced over her shoulder toward her husband, then grimaced as she faced Camilla again. “No one understands better how annoying Mateo’s decisions can be?—”
Camilla’s walls immediately went up. Shaking her head with a derisive laugh, she put Sophia in her place. “When Mateo hired Cameron, he had no idea that you two knew each other. That’s really nothing like what I’m dealing with. Heknowswhat Dallas did. There’s no excuse. He’s invited the enemy.” Camilla didn’t miss the flicker of annoyance that crossed Cameron’s features. It was too short for her to get a really good look at, but there was something there. She was well aware that Cameron had been considered the enemy when he’d first shown up. But he’d eventually won Sophia over. He’d paid his penance.
There would be no forgiveness for Dallas. What kind of man disappeared without saying a word? He didn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt.
“You’re right,” Sophia said quietly. “I’m on your side here. What Mateo did… it wasn’t right. He knows it.”
Camilla scoffed. “If he knew it wasn’t right, then he wouldn’t have done it. He wouldn’t have even considered letting Dallas get close again. He doesn’t care and you know it.” Her eyes darted to Cameron over Sophia’s shoulder. He reached out and squeezed Sophia’s shoulder before murmuring something quietly to her. Then he left.
After Cameron was no longer in earshot, Sophia moved closer. Her voice lowered and her expression softened. “Mateo said you were being dramatic, and I made sure he understood he’d overstepped. He’s too stubborn to apologize because he probably thinks enough time has passed that you shouldn’t care if Dallas is hanging around.” Sophia pressed her lips together into a tight line. “The way I see it, there is no set amount of time that can fix what you went through. Only you can decide how long it will take for you to forgive him.”
Camilla nodded, her throat tight. It was too painful to swallow. She couldn’t even express her appreciation for her sister having come to her rescue. Sophia was the only one who had a semblance of understanding. And Camilla had nearly alienated her.
Her sister must have seen the turmoil on Camilla’s face because she closed the distance between them and pulled Camilla into her arms. Her arms rubbed up and down Camilla’s back as she hummed a song that only the two of them could hear—a lullaby their mother used to sing when they’d had nightmares as children.
When Camilla pulled back, she forced a smile. “I’m going to call Cheyenne. I wonder if she knows that Dallas is coming back to town.”
Sophia’s brows pinched. “Why wouldn’t she?”
“Because when Dallas left, he broke ties with her, too. They’re not on the best of terms from what I understand.”
A thoughtful expression fell across Sophia’s face, one that still held a degree of confusion. There wasn’t a stronger family unit than the six of them. The Palmer siblings had moved here to work for a singular goal—to make something of themselves, a name for themselves. And they’d done it. Camilla couldn’t understand hating a sibling enough to cut ties with them. Not even her fury with Mateo at this very moment would be enough to make her want to shut him out of her life.
And she had the perfect excuse.
Sophia nodded, then offered a small smile. “Don’t worry. When he gets here, we’ll shield you. We don’t even know if he’ll want to talk to you. But if he does, then you can always use us. Roman and Cameron both agreed to play interference. All you have to do is ask.”
“Thanks, Sophia.”
Was it bad that Camilla felt embarrassed over her reaction? After talking things over with Sophia, she started to look at this situation with clearer eyes. Her sister was right. Dallas was supposedly only coming to do research on the wolves that were encroaching on private property. What were the chances that he even wanted to see her at all? He hadn’t come to her, after all. He’d gone to Mateo. Maybe he planned on remaining scarce. The only person who might be able to answer those questions was Dallas’s sister herself. Cheyenne might not know Dallas’s intentions intimately, but she was the only other person who knew Dallas well enough to make an educated guess.
And Camilla was determined to figure it out.
5
Dallas
There was something about being back in Copper Creek that Dallas couldn’t put his finger on. He’d be lying if he said it was the crisp, fresh air. Or that it was the people he’d grown up with. No. None of that held the allure of coming back.
Coming home.
Copper Creek had been home for nearly all his life. He’d grown up here. He’d learned who he was here.
He’d fallen in love here.
