Page 4 of The Rancher's Wedding Betrayal
The desire to speak the truth.
He could see it...just like he was sure that she, too, could see how much he hated having to let her go.
So just say it, dammit.
Admit it!
Stop being so damn proud.
And then...nothing.
She was gone.
She didn't even look back again as she climbed into her car and drive away.
This was for the best, Hunter told himself.
This had to happen.
For both their sakes.
HUNTER HEARD HER FOOTSTEPSbefore she appeared in the doorway.
Eight years.
Eight damn years of silence, and now she was walking into his study like she’d never left.
He kept his eyes on the contract before him, refusing to look up immediately. A power play. Let her wait. Let her squirm. He’d learned long ago that anticipation was a weapon more effective than any shouted command.
“Mr. Ferguson.” Cathy’s voice from the doorway. “Ms. Ramirez is here.”
“Thank you, Cathy.” His voice remained perfectly neutral. Only then did he allow himself to look up.
Fuck.
Evelline Ramirez at thirty was even more beautiful than the girl who’d haunted his dreams for eight years. Her dark eyes still flashed with that defiant fire. Her full lips still pressed together when she was nervous...just like now. But the softness of youth had given way to elegant angles and quiet confidence despite her current circumstances.
Something primal and possessive unfurled in his chest.
Rein it in, Ferguson.
He remembered his cousin Janelle’s words all those years ago.
I overheard Eve saying she knows your secret.
She hadn't said anything else, but he wasn't an idiot. He knew what she wasn't saying, and that was how Eve had been so damn childish and proud, with the way she had even cared to brag about the truth.
And that truth...was how much he wanted her.
Had always wanted her.
From the start.
And he still did,dammit.
His jaw clenched as he stared at his former stepsister. She stood awkwardly in the center of his study, looking out of place in her simple blouse and jeans. His fingers itched to touch her, to see if her skin was as soft as he remembered.
But he could not.
