Page 95 of Redemption

“You started this whole thing and now you’ve ruinedtheir relationship!”

“Good!”

“No, not good! You can’t mess around with people’s lives just because you don’t agree with what they’re doing. I bet Kat thinks yoursourcewas Jack.”

I zeroed in on Daisy. “Who is your source?”

Daisy whirled on me. “It doesn’t matter and it’s not anyone’s business.”

“Just like what’s going on financially with the ranch isn’t yours,” I added and had the satisfaction of watching her expression fall. “Just…” I floundered. “Be careful with whoever it is, and let me know if you ever need help dealing with them.”

Daisy’s expression softened slightly before her trademark resting face slipped back into place. Deciding I was done with the Cartwright sisters for the day, I waved goodbye and went back to the cabin.

I sat on the couch,and tried to work through my thoughts as I hugged Teddy who was ecstatic about spending so much time together.

I figured that Kat had assumed I’d spilled the beans to her sisters then she felt cornered so attacked me. My chest ached at the idea of my strong, proud woman feeling like everyone thought she wasn’t handling shit. If I ever needed someone to handle shit for me, I would pick her. She’d thought she wasn’t doing a good job, but she was. She’d kept this place running smoothly and tackled every problem that arose, planning a funeral, becoming a guardian, fending off debt collectors, managing without ranch hands and even an asshole bison. She was too hard on herself, and I could only imagine the knock to her pride this had caused.

But she’d hurt me too.

She’d thought so little of me that sheassumed it was me who betrayed her confidence. For my own nefarious purposes, whatever those would be. She didn’t trust that I was a man of my word and all I wanted was to make things right with her family. She didn’t trust my actions, my hard work and my perseverance with her.

I’d been abandoned plenty in my life, I just wanted someone to show up for me. I wanted family and I’d stupidly thought I could find it here with these women, who owed me nothing.

I wanted to leave, to run away just like I’d told Kat. Only I had no idea where to go, I wasn’t exactly flush with cash and…

“Now I have you,” I said, ruffling Teddy’s fur. I stroked the sides of his face. “Where shall we go, boy?” I asked. He barked and leapt off the couch and stood by the door. “You wanna go right now?” I laughed. He barked again so I got up and opened the door. A walk might be good for clearing my head.

I closed the cabin door behind me and looked out at the sky. The sun was setting, giving the sky that gorgeous pinky orange glow that I missed looking at when I was in prison. Teddy’s bark distracted me and he charged off. I jogged after him and saw him run around the side of the house to the porch.

“Teddy, no!” I called.

I rounded the porch after him and saw Kat being huddled by her sisters. Teddy ran over to her and sat at her feet. She glanced down at him and stroked his head before she looked around for me.

Clearing my throat, I ordered, “Come on, boy.” I wanted to get out of here and not have to face her. Turns out she wanted the same thing. As soon as she saw me, she brushed past her sisters and went into the house.

“Teddy, come on!” I called again, anger lacing myvoice. Daisy looked at me then her stare followed Kat into the house and frowned.

Teddy eventually found his way back to me but the joy was gone. I trudged along after him as we went on a twilight walk. He investigated all the bushes and trees. Stuck his nose in fallen hollow tree stumps and scared a sleepy squirrel or two. He was having the time of his life while I was lost in thoughts of Kat.

I shook my head, willing the thoughts away. But they stayed, even as we went back to the cabin, as I tried to sleep later that night, as me and Kat avoided each other for the rest of the week, and as I made it through my weekend shifts at the bar.

She wouldn’t leave my brain. She was embedded in my DNA, wouldn’t leave me alone and I couldn’t take much more.

Love sucked.

*

The following week on a random evening, there was a knock on the cabin door. Hope flared to life inside me and I ignored it, knowing it wouldn’t be Kat but still being disappointed when I opened the door and saw Daisy standing there.

“Are you lost?” I sighed.

She pursed her lips. “It’s taken a lot for me to come here, don’t make me regret it.”

I tipped my head in acknowledgement and stepped to the side to let her come in, confused as to why she was here. She looked around the cabin, poked through my bookshelf, peered into the bedroom before getting comfortable on my couch with my dog.

“Please, make yourselfat home.”

“I will,” she replied, turning a full force smile on me.

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