Page 21 of The Minx and the Mountain Man

Her hands tremble at her sides, but she lifts her chin, trying to keep that sunshine smile in place. It doesn’t reach her eyes.

“I thought it might be for the best.”

“For whom?” I demand.

She swallows, shifting on her feet. “For both of us. For you.”

Something sharp twists in my chest. “Why the hell would you think that?”

She lets out a weak laugh, shaking her head. “Oh, I don’t know, Reid. Maybe because you can barely look at me.” Hervoice cracks on the last word, and she blinks rapidly, turning away.

I run a hand through my hair, exhaling through my nose. “Sadie—”

“No, you don’t do that,” she cuts in, spinning back to face me, her hands fisting at her sides. “You don’t get to act like I’m crazy for wanting to leave when you’ve been pushing me away since the second I got off the bus.”

Her words hit like a gut punch, and I can’t even argue because she’s right.

She steps closer, eyes burning with emotion. “You tell yourself this was just an arrangement, just some obligation to fulfill, but I see you, Reid. I see how you take care of this place, how you built every inch of this cabin with your own hands, how you pick up extra supplies in town for people who can’t make the trip. How you brought me my damn favorite cinnamon rolls after acting like I was nothing to you.” Her voice wobbles, but she pushes forward. “You’re not the cold-hearted man you want everyone to believe you are. And last night wasn’t just something to forget.” She presses a hand to her chest. “Not for me.”

I can’t breathe. She’s saying everything I’ve been too much of a coward to admit.

She inhales sharply, blinking back tears. “I wasn’t leaving because of the rumors in town. I’m leaving because I love you, and I refuse to stay somewhere I’m not wanted.”

The words slam into me like an avalanche, and suddenly, everything shifts. She wasn’t running from the town, or the rumors, or the past she left behind.

She is running from me. Because I made her feel like she didn’t belong, it’s just like what happened with my mom. And if I don’t fix this, I’m going to lose her.

“Sadie.” Her name comes out rough, and I step closer, reaching for her, but she shakes her head, stepping back.

“No, Reid,” she whispers. “I can’t do this anymore. I need more than a man who treats me like a mistake. I’m sorry that I’m not what you want.”

Chapter Thirteen

Sadie

I shove the last sweater into my suitcase and zip it closed, my hands shaking so hard the zipper snags. This isn’t how I imagined this would all go.

I thought maybe we’d make it, that we’d find some kind of rhythm in this strange, makeshift marriage. That maybe—maybe—Reid would see me, that he would choose me.

But I was wrong.

I blink hard and press my lips together. I will not cry. Not in front of him. Not when he won’t even fight for me.

The sound of heavy footsteps behind me sends a shiver down my spine. I glance over my shoulder to find Reid leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed tight over his chest. His face is unreadable, but his eyes are dark and stormy.

“Don’t do this,” he says, his voice low, rough.

A sharp, bitter laugh escapes me. “Oh, now you have something to say?” I shake my head and turn back to my suitcase, yanking on the zipper until it finally closes. “Where were you when I was trying to be your wife? When I was trying to be your friend?”

He doesn’t answer.

I spin to face him, my chest rising and falling too fast. “I don’t belong here, Reid. I thought I did. I thought we were buildingsomething, even if it wasn’t a once-in-a-lifetime romance, but I was wrong.”

He flinches, just barely. “This isn’t about—”

“This is about the fact that I love you,” I snap, my voice breaking. I force myself to breathe, to stay steady. “I love you. But I won’t stay where I’m not wanted.”

Something flickers across his face—pain, regret, maybe even longing—but he doesn’t move. He doesn’t say a word.

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