Page 78 of Shared on the Ranch

There was a long silence as they waited for more. “So?” he prompted.

“So, he made me think he’d hired me, but that wasn’t true! He lied to me! He—” She fell silent and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”

“I’m sorry your feelings were hurt—”

“It’s not my feelings!” she burst out. “It’s… I can’t stay here! You have to see that!”

It was clear she wasn’t giving them everything, and without it, Chandler didn’t know how to help her. They tried again and again to get her to say more, but she stubbornly refused to tell them anything else about the man she’d seen, or what his presence meant.

“Okay,” Aaron said at last, hitching his thumbs in his jeans. “I guess you know what that means.”

Her lips began to quiver and her eyes shone with unshed tears, but she nodded.

When he strode over and began to undo the binding, she spluttered, “What are you doing?”

He met her eyes, and even from where he stood Chandler could see the determination in his expression. “You owe Nate an apology.”

From the look on her face, he couldn’t help but wonder if she would have preferred the ice.

* * *

Aaron

She was doing the best she could to delay them as long as possible. Every step was drawn out and painfully slow. Neither of her men said a word. They simply followed, flanking her on either side. And even though it had probably taken ten times longer than it should have, eventually they reached Nate’s office.

“I have to go to the bathroom!” she announced as they stopped outside the door.

“Nice try,” Aaron remarked as he knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

At the sound of Nate’s order, Aaron turned the knob and pushed the door open. He gestured for Chyanne to go in ahead of him, and when she hesitated, Chandler gave her a gentle push.

The movement seemed to jump-start her and she walked the rest of the way into the office. She dropped her eyes, but not before she saw Lora was also in the office with her fiancé.

“Excuse the intrusion,” Chandler began, his voice gruff. “Chyanne has something she’d like to say.”

Her throat tightened, but still, she didn’t look up.

“Yes?” Nate’s voice was not angry, merely curious, but that didn’t assuage her own anger.

When she didn’t say anything, Aaron bumped her shoulder with his own.

Obedient to his prompting, she did lift her eyes, but it looked like she was staring at the wall just above his head.

“Did you have something you wanted to say, Chyanne?”

“I’msorryformakingamessofyouroffice,” she said in a rush.

“Well, I appreciate that. What I’d like to understand is why you felt the need to do that.”

Chyanne looked at Nate, at his level, neutral gaze, then while Aaron watched, her gaze flickered away again. “I… I don’t think I can.”

“Why don’t you tell me?”

Aaron, along with everyone else in the office if the way their heads swiveled was any indication, was surprised to hear Lora.

The look of relief on Chyanne’s face was plain to see. “I… I can try.”

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