Page 111 of The Rogue

“And it’s actually at the property?”

“Yes. Cash only.”

“Got it.”

He called Denver right after. “I’m going to need a big favor.”

“How big? Are we burying a body or...?”

“It’s about money.”

“Oh. That’s easy.”

“Well, you did just offer to pay for Bix and Daughtry’s honeymoon.”

Denver laughed. “Yeah. I’m not worried.”

“I need enough money to buy a house.”

“What caliber of house?”

“Rue’s house.”

He paused for a moment. “Right. Well. Yeah. I can do that.”

“I’ll pay you back.”

“With what? Money you make on the ranch? It’s all my money.”

“I have my own investments, asshole. I might not have all the cash you do but—”

“Fine. I’ll wire you the money.”

“Thanks.”

And he told himself that it was about doing something good for her, rather than getting space from all of this. Rather than regaining control of his life.

This shared space, the shared bed.

He had lied to her. He told her it wasn’t a big deal that they spent the night together. It was. It had seemed convenient when they were staying in the hotel. It seemed intense back at his place. In the bed he had never shared with anybody else. Yeah. There, it seemed damned intense.

In fact, all of it did. Waking up every morning and having her there, going to bed with her at night. It was almost like it was becoming everything.

And he didn’t know how to have her in his life that way. He didn’t know how to do much of anything that way.

Then, he looked at the text from Rue.

Dinner, tonight. Meet me in the old barn.

His stomach went tight, and he imagined them again as young kids.

He didn’t know why that was becoming so painful. So much harder to reflect on.

Maybe it was because he was closer to thinkingabout the cave. Maybe because he was closer to thinking about the truth of everything.

But he had no reason to tell her no, so he told her yes, and when he was done with work for the day he drove on over to the barn.

The doors were closed, but he could see light flickering from the inside. When he walked in, Rue was sitting down on the floor on a blanket, candles in lanterns positioned all around. There was a picnic basket next to her. It reminded him of the picnic they’d shared up at the mountain after their trail ride. It reminded him of countless picnics they’d shared in here.

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