Page 80 of Cabin Fever

Then I heard more laughter, but it wasn't coming from Carter. It was coming from a distinctly female voice. I got up and walked over to the entrance, which was left open. Standing there, I saw Carter with his arm around Emily. He was hugging her from behind.

My neck burned and something cold snaked through my limbs. That's how he held me when he wanted something more than a hug. I flexed my hands to make sure I still had feeling in them.

I couldn't help but be reminded of Derrick. The laughter. The talk. The way he held her. I listened for a moment but had to hold the barn wall in fear I would faint. And the last thing I wanted to do was fall unconscious into sheep excrement.

"That's amazing, Carter. I'd never done that before. You're so good at it."

I pushed my fisted hand up to my mouth to muffle a yelp. This was officially the shittiest day of my life. My boss was probably going to fire me on Monday, and now my boyfriend was cheating on me with the diner waitress.

I wanted to run. I felt the urge to turn and leave and never come back. It seemed no matter where you went, whether it's up a mountain or into the heart of the city, crappy men were everywhere.

But running wouldn't solve anything. It didn't help last time. Derrick was still trying to take over my dad's company. And leaving wouldn't stop Carter from fooling around with this woman.

Things had changed. I was a different person. If someone wanted to use me, then they needed to suffer the consequences. Carter may have gotten his cast off on Wednesday, but he didn't know tae kwon do like I did.

Carter let go of Emily and stepped back just as I moved toward him with fury radiating from my body. But I stopped a few feet from them when Emily turned, holding something in her hand.

The sheep shears.

His head turned, and he noticed me. Carter's smile grew.

"Olivia, you're home. Emily stopped by a while ago. I'm teaching her how to shear the sheep on the practice one. She's really good. I might even say a natural." He leaned over and elbowed her in the shoulder.

Emily's head lowered and even with a winter hat on, her hair managed to curtain her face.

"I don't think I did that good a job. Carter's just being nice."

Nice? It was obvious I misunderstood the situation. Carter was helping Emily learn to shear, just like he did with me a few weeks ago, but Carter didn't start being nice to me until . . . until we had sex.

"Okay. I see."

I tried to smile. My lips turned up but the more I forced it, the more my eyes began to burn. I turned and hurried toward the barn door. Tears were about to fall, and I didn't want them to see.

Was this why Carter kept discussing me leaving the past two weeks? He was ready to move on. He must be ready to find another farmhand to replace me.

As I got to the back of the cabin and kicked off my boots, I looked up to see Carter hurrying toward me. He stopped a few feet away from me and tilted his head. I reached up to my cheeks and realized they were wet. He saw me crying.

Shit.

I scrambled inside and ran to the bedroom, flopping face-first onto the bed and began to sob. I let everything out. I thought about how Derrick had used me, and even my parent's never believing I could be anything more than some rich man's wife.

And when I ran here, I realized I could be more than the antiquated ideas put forth by my parents. Carter showed me that. He took one look at me and expected me to do more. And, God damn it, I did!

Today it all crumbled into nothing. I hadn't been at my job for more than two weeks and already, I was a failure. What hurt the most? The man I was falling for, the one that pushed and yelled and screamed until I believed I could be more, didn't want me anymore.

He didn't need my help. A new, shy, younger woman would take my place. She came from the world he loved—the farm. I grew up in the city he despised.

My future was written in stone long ago. Etched in the marble of the stately homes and prestigious prep schools I'd walked through so many times. I wasn't meant for this country life. I didn't fit in here. Carter made that quite obvious when I first arrived. He must have been biding his time, taking what he needed from me.

And that's when it hit me. The day he fell through the roof. He was so eager for me to go. But he had no one to help and here I was, willing to do what was needed.

He didn't have that cast anymore. He had a potential farmhand that was anatural. The only thing left that he needed to do was get rid of me.

The door to the bedroom slammed open and with it, a cool gust of air. Carter stood in the doorway, staring down at me.

"Olivia. What happened? Did that Tyler jerk do something? You know, I never liked him—"

"No, he didn't do a thing. I did. I was the fool." That was all I could get out before another wave of heartache strangled my words.

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