Page 70 of Reclaiming My Wife

Or maybe it just wasn’t something that I could handle.

“We’re not trying to fix things, Kim. Brendan wants his land, and I want to make sure that our marriage and failed divorce don’t ruin my chances of a successful career. This isn’t us trying to give it another chance. I shouldn’t be sleeping with him. I know it, and I’m sure that he knows it, but I guess that spark just never went away. But sex can just be sex without anyone’s heart getting involved.” It wasn’t necessarily a lie. It was just a lie where we were concerned. “We’re both going to get through this without getting hurt.”

“If you believe that, then you’re a bigger idiot than I thought,” she snorted. “But I have a feeling that you aren’t going to have to worry about your career.”

“What do you mean?”

Pulling her phone out of the pocket of her tight jeans, she pulled something up and handed it to me. “Because you’re the hottest thing trending on social media right now.”

Horrified, I looked at the picture of Cindy and me outside the dress shop. It was a good picture of both of us, but that was the only thing good about it. Apparently, newspapers and magazines across the country were speculating about Cindy’s therapist. Most had concluded that I was so exclusive that I worked only with the stars.

“This is a nightmare,” I moaned. “I’m not really Cindy’s therapist. She doesn’t pay me.”

“Doesn’t matter now. It’s a good thing that you’re in hiding here at the ranch. I was about to finish up with Darling and then head out to find Brendan and tell him. Your last name might not be printed, but Blackwell would have to live under a rock to not see this picture and recognize you. I hope this doesn’t ruin our chances.”

Damn it, I hadn’t even thought about that. “I’m going to call Cindy and see if she can do some damage control.”

I handed the phone back to her, and she reached across and hugged me suddenly. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been treating you. Maybe you’ll give me a second chance?”

Second chances?

Were they even possible? Could the pain and hurt that occurred between one chance and another ever go away?

“I’d love nothing more.” Feeling strange, I hugged her back. Technically, she was my sister-in-law, and in another life, we might have been friends, but I wasn’t sure that we were going to have a relationship when this was all over.

How could we? I’d planned on having nothing to do with Brendan once we walked away, and that included his family.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Brendan

I noticed the limousine first. I thought my little silver sports car stood out amongst the grimy pickup trucks and the John Deere tractor, but it was nothing compared to the white sleek stretch. The setting sun reflected off it and set off a glare that was bound to be seen from miles around.

The next thing I noticed was the whispers among the ranch hands and the furtive looks. It lasted for at least thirty minutes, and by the time I was ready to check over the work for the day, there wasn’t a soul to be seen.

“What the hell?” I grumbled.

I’d been busy all day. Spending the weekend away had been good for me, and spending the weekend with Jillian wrapped around me had been very good for me, but it meant playing catch-up. The vision of Jillian still sleeping in the bed kept me going all day. All I could think about was getting my lips on her once I’d finished up work.

The woman was a powerful motivator.

And now that I was ready to get my hands on her, there wasn’t anyone around. No Ben. No Debra. No Mickie. Not even my sister to harp on me about sleeping with Jillian.

When someone did walk into the office I’d set up at the main barn, it wasn’t the person I was expecting. Gordon leaned against the door and gave me a strange look.

“What? Did your man find something?”

“He did,” he said slowly. “But that’s not why I’m confused.”

I waited, but he didn’t give another explanation. “Gordon, spit it out. What the hell has you in a tangle?”

“I’m trying to decide how my best friend can host the woman of my dreams at his ranch and not tell me? I’m actually considering ending our friendship over this. You stealing Leslie Bishop from me in the fifth grade was one thing, but I don’t think that I can forgive this.”

“First of all, I didn’t steal Leslie Bishop. You cheated on her with Jennifer Key, and the poor girl just went running into my arms. Secondly, I’m fairly certain you’ve met all the women on this ranch.”

“It’s like you don’t even know that Cindy Collins is currently in your house entertaining all your workers,” he said mildly.

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