Page 16 of Merciless Mountain Man

9

CASSADY

Icouldn’t put it off any longer. I had to close up and go home. Yes, I could sit here and check emails for another three hours, but my stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten all day.

I’d taken a stab at downing half a sandwich at lunchtime, but my appetite was gone. It would be tough to even summon enough of an appetite to eat dinner, but I had to give it a try. I couldn’t starve myself.

With a sigh, I grabbed my phone and my jacket and started toward the door. This office was basically two rooms and a bathroom—my boss rarely came in, so it was always just me in here—but next to us was a law firm, and on the other side, an insurance office. The whole thing was across the street from The Shoppes at Brighton Village, which made it a great place to work.

Yes, I loved my job. I loved mylife. But all of a sudden, it seemed so empty. I’d just walked away from the best thing that had ever happened to me. Was I crazy?

I came to a dead stop only a few feet from the front door. Yes, I was.

I hadn’t even given Dane a chance. What was wrong with me? This was definitely a case of self-sabotage.

But I knew where he lived. I could go straight to his house and tell him I’d been an idiot. I might not be ready to start popping out babies right away, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t ready for a relationship and maybe even marriage.

People mixed families and careers all the time. In fact, most people who ran businesses had families. What would be the difference?

With a nod, I walked the rest of the way to the door and pulled it open. I had a big smile on my face as I prepared to pull it shut and lock it, but what I saw in the parking lot froze me in my tracks once again.

It was a big, white truck. And standing in front of it, like something straight out of a movie, was Dane.

“Hi,” I said.

He smiled. “I thought about stopping to get flowers. I probably should have.”

I looked around. It was still daylight outside, but it was off season, so cars weren’t streaming by like they usually did. Just the occasional vehicle whipping past.

“I was about to come see you,” I admitted. “I was going to drive straight to your cabin and tell you I’m an idiot.”

His eyebrows arched, and he pushed away from his truck, dropping his arms, which had been crossed over his chest. “You were going to come to my cabin just to tell me you’re an idiot?”

“For running away last night. I got a little freaked out.”

“I’ve been racking my brain,” he said. “I couldn’t figure out what I did to make you run away.”

I shook my head. “You did nothing. You were perfect. It’s just… I started seeing my future flash in front of my eyes. I probably shouldn’t tell you all that. You’ll think I’m crazy. We just had sex. That was it, right? And of course, I want to see youagain, but I shouldn’t be assuming that you want love, marriage, kids, the whole nine yards…”

I was doing a terrible job of explaining things. I might not have ruined it by running away, but I was doing it now with my big mouth.

“Yeah, I was thinking about all those things,” he said. “But not necessarily right away. I mean, I’d like to spend time around you. As much time as possible. We can take the rest as it comes.”

“My career is important to me,” I said. “You should know that. I want to run my own property management business someday. That’s what I’m working toward.”

“And you think marriage and kids might get in the way of that?”

I didn’t answer for several long seconds. I just looked at him, realizing how my impulsivity had gotten me in trouble yet again. This man was not going to get in the way of my dreams. The opposite, in fact. He’d support me in anything I wanted to do. He was the type who’d get up in the middle of the night if the baby was crying. He’d have dinner waiting for me at the end of a long day, and maybe even draw a bath and light some candles.

“Not with you,” I said. “I realize that now. Some of the other guys I’ve met, sure, but you wouldn’t be that kind of husband or father. You’d support me in everything I wanted to do.”

“Exactly.” He nodded. “And you’d support me. I believe marriage is a partnership.”

He laughed, looking around the mostly empty strip mall. The parking lot, which still held plenty of cars, was quieter now.

“I was the guy who said I would never get married and have kids,” he said. “That’s all changed in the past couple of days.”

He said that last part, shifting his stare back to me, and my heart skipped a beat. He meant every word of it. I knew that now.

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