But my heart wants me to accept that it might be broken, even just for a chance at having the man I’ve always loved.
It feels pathetic, and yet I can’t make my heart stop.
“I meant what I said,” he continues, drawing me out of my thoughts. “I want to give you a reason to stay. Not your family, and not because this is our home. But a real reason.”
My heart skips a beat, silently betraying me. “And what reason might that be?” I ask, forcing myself to look at him, to take in the strong lines of his face highlighted by the sun peeking through the trees lining the mountain road. I can’t help but admire how the shadows dance along his features, sharpening his strong jaw and highlighting the slight bump in his nose from a break he got in high school.
Casper shifts, the hand holding mine tightening around my fingers, the grip he has on me dangerous. For a moment, he doesn’t answer. Uncertainty crosses his eyes when he glances at me, like not even he is sure about his answer.
“For starters,” he says, “maybe there’s more here for you than you thought.”
Disappointment swells within me as I sit back. I almost pull my hand from his, but I don’t. “That’s it?”
He shoots me another look, the emotion hidden behind a mask of neutrality. “I don’t know if you’re ready to hear what I really think, shortcake.” A half smile pulls at his lips. “Might scare you off.”
“I don’t scare that easily,” I repeat, knowing better than to say that to him. “And I’m not scared of you, Casper Sterling.
Another lie. He terrifies me. The way I know I’d fold if he told me to is hard to admit, and I thought I’d gotten past it years ago.
I should have known better.
“We still have that deal,” he points out. “I won’t tell you right away. But I’ll show you. I’llproveto you that you have a reason to say. I’ll be a man of action, Hattie Simms. Words won’t cut it for you. I know that now. But actions? They’ll really show you I mean what I say.”
A shiver rolls down my spine. “You sure about that?”
He spares me a look that’s full of confidence. “You know I am.”
I swallow hard, heart thundering in my ears. “Then the deal is still on.”
I just hope I don’t regret it by the end of the week.
I don’t know how I’d handle being broken by Casper Sterling again.
SEVEN
CASPER
With our coffee secured, I take us to the old lookout on the other side of town. There are trails and campgrounds nearby, but they’ve slowly been taken over by nature, reclaimed after months of disuse. For the most part, anyway.
From the corner of my eye, I watch Hattie sip her coffee, eyes focused on the road ahead of us. My promise replays in my head, her answer—and the uncertainty that’d laced her voice—making my stomach twist.
“In the last ten years, did you ever consider coming back?” I ask, grip tightening on the steering wheel.
She shrugs, the movement hesitant. “Sometimes,” she admits quietly. “But then Mom would call, and I’d be reminded of all the reasons why I left in the first place.”
“You didn’t think about visiting me?” I tease, feeling my heart clench. “Your favourite Sterling brother?”
Hattie laughs quietly under her breath and shakes her head. “I almost did a couple of times, honestly. But I didn’t think you wanted to see me after our…goodbye.”
My jaw clenches with annoyance, mostly at myself. “I hate that I made you feel that way, Hattie. I’m sorry.”
I pull into the lookout and park the truck. We’re the only ones up here, and we probably won’t be disturbed—at least I know her family won’t find us here.
“Don’t be sorry,” she replies, unbuckling her seatbelt and shifting to look at me. “Anyway, it’s in the past now, right?”
“I’d like to think so,” I say, “but I’ll be honest. For this to work—for me to prove to you that you’ve got a reason to stay in Willow Ridge—I need to clear the air.”
“Cas—” she starts, but I cut her off.
