Page 45 of Seaside Cowboy's Second Chance

His feelings were coming back in full force and growing further as the two of them moved along the empty floor with only Breeze as a spectator. With each passing second, his chest ached with longing while he held her close, her small hand delicate in his large callused one.

Could they still change anything? If only she would talk to him like she used to.

“Skylar, what if...” His voice trailed off because he wasn’t sure what he was going to say, just that he shouldn’t be saying it.

Her gaze lingered on his face. In her beautiful hazel eyes glowed the same gentleness he’d seen and treasured. She leaned into him. Their foreheads touched, and for the few moments they stayed that way, all the regrets ebbed away.

Then she stepped back. “I’m sorry.”

The regrets sluiced back in. He didn’t need her to be sorry! Disappointment surged in his veins, but he only had himself to blame. So many times, she’d shown him they had no future together. Yet he’d gotten distracted by those doe-like eyes and the person once so dear to him.

“It’s all in the past. I know.” He stepped back, putting even more distance between them.

“I didn’t mean that.” Her gaze became tormented. “I, well... We should go back. Grandma might be waiting for me. Thank you for bringing me here. I–I have a few ideas for decorations now.”

As if feeling the change of atmosphere in the room, Breeze stopped running, sat down, then whined, and covered her head with a paw. Skylar put her back on the leash. “It’s time to go.”

Yes, it was. And it was high time for him to let go, as well.

They covered the same distance three times faster in a brisk walk back from the barn. Then they helped her grandmother walk down the porch steps and get inside her car.

“I’ll follow your car to the sea cottage,” he grumbled. He was doing this for Mrs. Rafferty’s safety. Absolutely.

“How sweet of you.” Mrs. Rafferty smiled at him, though her smile was still wobbly.

Skylar looked away. “You don’t have to.”

“Humor me,” he insisted with more force than necessary.

Skylar hesitated, nodded, then slipped into the driver’s seat, and revved the engine. “Thanks for everything you’ve done.” She fell silent briefly, then added, “And for what you haven’t done, too.”

Minutes later, she seemed eager to get away from the ranch or most likely from him because she drove fast, zipped between cars, and flew forward on the yellow light.

His fingers tightened around his truck’s steering wheel, the peeled-off edges grating against his callused palms. He’d see them safely home and then avoid seeing her again. He’d skip the tuxedo fitting. He didn’t care if the tuxedo hung on him or choked him during the wedding. Enough was enough.

They made it to Mrs. Rafferty’s sea cottage in record time, and he was about to turn around when a flashy apple-red sports car parked at the curb made him linger. It was out of place here.

Did some affluent tourist get lost? Or could Mrs. Rafferty’s fiancé have come back?

Or...

Dallas parked at the opposite curb to make sure Mrs. Rafferty and Skylar made it safely home. Skylar had already pulled into the driveway and was helping her grandmother out of the vehicle.

A man in his late forties, dressed in a black suit and tie and leather shoes, leaped out of the sports car, his face blotchy and features taut. “What did you do with my dad?” the man bellowed.

Adrenaline surging, Dallas shot out of his truck.

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Skylar’s blood wentcold, and her first reaction was to recoil.

What on earth?

The man’s features twisted into a menacing scowl, and his loud voice assaulted her eardrums. With his shoulders bunched and his hands fisted, he widened his stance, and fury emanated from him in waves. “What did you do with my dad?”

What did he expect? Her to produce his father out of her pocket?

Breeze barked in the car, demanding to be let out to defend them, but Skylar hesitated. The guy’d be the type to sue if Breeze bit him. Skylar raised her chin. She’d had years of practice reining in her emotions and learned to exude confidence. The latter helped her land new clients.

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