Page 63 of The Cowboy's Second Chance Bride

She shook her head again. “No. How?”

“That time you came to Seattle to see Dr. Rasmussen. I saw him there.” Now she would know it all.

“I didn’t see you.” She pulled her legs up under her on the bed, looking confused.

“You were in the waiting room. I talked to Travis in the patient room. Dr. Rasmussen had been a client of mine. He had been more than happy to agree to my request.”

Her mouth went slack, and I could see her working out the timeline.

“You are why we got in to see Rasmussen, aren’t you? We were told the wait list was years.” She clutched her hands in her lap and stared at me, her eyes large.

“Jace told me about Travis’s diagnosis. I mentioned it to Nigel—Dr. Rasmussen. He said he would see Travis. So I reached out to your dad and told him to take the appointment and I would explain everything. I asked him not to mention it to you.” Getting Travis in to see one of the world’s best oncologists was the least I could have done.

“Why?” Her one word was broken and chipped.

“Because your dad was dying from cancer. Because you were already dealing with too much. All I have ever wanted was for you to be happy. How confusing would it have been to have me pop back in to try to help? I’d never wanted to hurt you the way I did, and if I had a chance to help, I was going to take it. So I did.”

“This doesn’t make any sense.” Sabrina put her hands over her face and refused to look at me.

“I have letters from your dad. I have them here if you want to see them.”

Her hands fell to her lap. “Seriously?”

I nodded.

“Okay,” she whispered.

I went to the door.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“To get the letters.”

She waved me back over. “I’m going with you.”

My lips twitched with a repressed grin. “You think I am going to my room to hastily craft some letters from your dad because this is all a ruse?”

“I don’t know what to think anymore. That’s why I am going with you.” She continued to wave me over. “Pick me up. We’ll move faster if you do the walking.”

I did it without argument and, once in jmy room, placed her on the edge of my bed. Then I went to my closet and came back with a small accordion-style envelope. Inside were three handwritten notes from her father. I handed it to her.

She gently removed the letters and started to read. By the second one, she was quietly sobbing. I was ripped in two, watching her. I dropped to my knees in front of her, my hands beside her on the bed.

“Reenie.” I used a thumb to brush away her tears.

“After he died, I was so alone. Even with Jace and Meredith and Nick and all my other friends, I was alone. I wanted you. I needed you, but I…” She shook her head and looked away.

“I’m sorry, baby. I am so sorry. I wanted to be there.”

“But my dad asked you not to.” She held the letter up. “He was on your side.”

Placing both hands on her face, I swiped away the heavy flow of tears. “No, he was on your side. He knew my dad was an awful person. He didn’t want you to have to bury him and fight my dad at the same time.” I leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “My family has made a mess of your life. I have made a mess of it too. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy and safe. Watching you hurt, like you are right now, kills me, Reenie, and knowing I was the reason is excruciating.”

I kissed her temple as her hands came to rest on my shoulders. She dropped her head to my chest, leaned into me, and cried.

“Everyone’s making decisions for me except me. No one thought to give me a choice. Am I so fragile that I need to be this protected?” She pushed away, my shirt fisted in her hands as she gently shook me. “Did both of you not trust me?”

I stood, eased her fist from my shirt, then went onto the bed next to her, and pulled her into my lap, wrapping her in the tightest hug I had. “It wasn’t about trust. It was about love. You had already lost so much with your mom and grandparents and now your dad. Why would I add more to that if I could avoid it. We never wanted to see you hurting like you are now. This is what I wanted to avoid. And I thought, and your dad thought so too, that what we did was going to avoid all this. In the moment, it really felt like the right thing. Now I see what we did was wrong. I’m so sorry, baby. But when given shitty choices, picking the one that does the least amount of damage is the best I could do.”

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