Page 100 of The Rancher's Secret Relationship

But when she tried to walk past Thornton, he hauled her into his arms instead.

No!

It felt too good. Too painful. Too much of everything she dreamed and knew she could never have.

"Baby."

The agony in his voice was too much.

"Please."

It threatened to undo her, weaken her, and she just couldn't...

Couldn't.

Just couldn't.

She tore herself out of his hold. "I know the truth," Blake choked out. "And I can't...I can't..."

Thornton whitened. "I...see." His voice was dull.She knew.She knew he was in love with her, and she was just so fucking nice, she was avoiding him in hopes of hurting him less.

He forced himself to look at her. "I'm sorry." It wasn't her fault he loved her and she couldn't love him back.

He was sorry, he said.

But sorry for what?

For hurting her?

For Blake finding out before he was ready for the game to end?

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry, too." And she was. Sorry that even now, after everything...she still loved him.

Chapter Twenty-One

OUT OF THE RABBIT HOLEor in it?The doors of Redwood Cafe were just right behind her, but Blake wasn't quite sure what leaving the place meant. Inside, it was delirium and chaos, with most of the cast and crew mindlessly noisy and well in their cups. She had tried to fit in with them for the past two hours, but it hadn't worked.

And when she saw him leave, she had followed without thinking.

But she had been too slow.

He was gone now, and any world that was empty of his presence was just like another rabbit hole because it felt wrong.

Everything felt wrong—-

"Hey."

Blake jerked in surprise, and then she jerked again when she saw who it was stepping out from the shadows.

"M-Miss Patridge," she stammered.

The flaxen-haired actress waved a careless hand in the air. "Call me Blue."

"Blue?"

The other woman wrinkled her lovely nose, which was as ethereally perfect as the rest of her. "It's my real name."

Oh.

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