Page 5 of Crossroads of Betrayal
“Why did you move to Tennessee? And don’t give me some lame reason about the fire and your injured shoulder opening your eyes to some long-held desire to move from Texas and set up home in the mountains. Because I won’t buy that.”
He stared out onto the Smoky Mountains. The stars twinkling above the colorful peaks and the jagged rocks sloping down the hill in front of him. He couldn’t find a much different landscape from the plains of Texas if he tried. But he and Penelope both knew that change of scenery wasn’t what prompted his big move.
“Whitney reached out to me.” He’d stopped searching for Grace years ago, so the random email from her sister had shocked the hell out of him. “She didn’t say much. Just that Grace was in Tennessee and working and staying under the radar. I didn’t think, I just acted. Rented a house in Tennessee and told myself it had nothing to do with Grace. That I just needed some time to heal and recover after what happened in Texas. Whitney didn’t even tell me where Grace was, but I’m not far from Pine Valley where the retreat is. Seeing her this morning…honestly, I can’t even describe it.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you she was there. You’re right, I should have warned you. But don’t give up on her. Not yet.”
“She broke my heart, Pen.”
Penelope sighed. “You don’t have to be her man. Just be a friend. If she lets you. And if she doesn’t, maybe you can finally put her behind you and come home knowing you’ve done everything you can to mend fences. You can finally move on.”
Move on. Something he claimed to have done years ago. Not that anyone bought his bullshit. He’d been stuck on Grace Taylor since the moment he laid eyes on her. Even after everything she’d put him through, she still held his heart in the palm of her hand and he hated it.
Hated she was hurting and refused to let anyone help. Hated he was stuck in the past and couldn’t find a way to move forward.
Maybe Penelope was right to send him here. If he was lucky, all he needed to put Grace behind him was to do the one thing she hadn’t allowed him to do.
Look her in the eye and finally say goodbye.
CHAPTERTHREE
The fire crackled and sent sparks shooting into the night sky. Grace sat on a fallen log, witnessing the camaraderie build among the people huddled together—sipping bad coffee from metal cups and sharing stories of what had brought them to Crossroads Mountain Retreat. She listened with one ear, not really interested in anyone else’s story besides Zeke’s.
But he’d made it clear he wanted no part in sharing anything about himself or the experience that had led him to the top of the mountain with the rest of them.
Not like she could blame him. She hadn’t told anyone what led to her exodus. Not even the other workers at the retreat understood her reasons behind tucking herself deep in the woods and being as reclusive as possible. And that was just the way she wanted it.
She’d had a different life before. One with friends and laughter and hope for a joyful future with the man she’d fallen head over heels in love with by her side. But that had all been ripped away from her, and instead of sitting around and wallowing in her misery, she preferred to shove every thought or emotion it evoked deep down to her toes. To a place she never visited.
Because if she did, she might never overcome all the fear and guilt that came with it.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Darrin stood over her, his hip hitched to the side and a slimy grin on his weathered face.
God, the guy got on her last nerve. He’d shown up at her office every day for the past week. Asking for lessons or recommendations for hiking trails. Each time he visited, he made it clear he was interested in more than her wilderness skills.
She’d made it equally clear if he tried anything inappropriate, she’d plant her fist in his face.
She returned her stare into the flickering flames, relishing the heat on her skin. “No thanks.”
“A woman of few words. One of the things I like most about you. A rare quality to find.” Darrin plopped onto the log beside her.
Sighing, she fixed her most bored stare at him. “Do you need something?”
“Just hoping the fire will help melt away some of your icy exterior. I keep waiting for you to warm up to me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Keep waiting.”
“Come on,” he said, draping an arm over her shoulder. The smell of alcohol wafted from his breath. “We’ve got a lot in common, me and you. I thought this little trip would show you that. Maybe we can even have some fun. My tent’s big enough for two.”
She brushed off his arm, irritated he’d had the audacity to bring booze on the trip. “Keep your hands to yourself before I do something we both regret.”
“Ohh, I like em feisty.” He pumped his eyebrows up and down.
Reigning in her temper, she stood. “I suggest you sleep off whatever you drank. Alone.”
This asshat had taken her already sour mood and made it impossibly worse. Nothing would make it better but at least she could try to sleep and leave this horrible day behind her.
Darrin snagged her hand and yanked her down toward him. His face was inches from hers. “Don’t be such a tease, sweetheart.”
