How he could so easily wipe away years of the two of us dancing around a love that I knew would be great.
“Please, Bailey,” he whispered, tugging me until my face was just an inch from his. “Please, tell me I have a chance. Tell me I can make this up to you.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks as I slowly shook my head. “I can’t. You broke everything we had. It’s all ruined. I’ll never be able to look at you without seeing her in your lap, without wondering if she had a piece of you that was supposed to belong to me.”
Slowly, he nodded before pressing his lips to mine one last time in a sweet kiss.
As he stepped back, he wiped the tears from his eyes, his chin quivering as he looked away from me.
It almost broke me. Almost had me yelling at him to fight harder.
But the result would be the same.
“I still love you, Bailey.”
Then he turned on his heel and stormed out of the apartment.
37
LIAM
“Sliding the saddle on Phoenix,I ran my hand soothingly over her hind quarters. “Hey, girl,” I cooed as she whinnied.
“I know, I haven’t been here in a while. Sorry about that.”
She nickered at my words, as if she was telling me my excuses weren’t welcome. I couldn’t blame her. When we started reorganizing the farm, my time in the saddle was reduced by half. Her time running wild around the ranch had pretty much ended when the last of the cattle were sold.
“How about we go for a ride?”
I was greeted this time with a cheerful whinny that put a smile on my face for the first time in six weeks.
As I tightened the billet strap around her belly, she shifted excitedly, ready to get out and stretch her legs like we used to. Guilt over letting something so simple fall by the wayside threatened to crush me.
There was so much that I had let slip through the cracks while trying to hold the ranch together.
“Going for a ride?”
I stiffened at Michael’s words momentarily, then continued getting ready for my ride. “Yep.”
“Mind if I join you?”
I did. The last thing I wanted was company, let alone his. “Actually, I’m heading out to check on the progress of the new cabin.”
“Perfect. It’s been a while since I’ve ridden out to the falls.”
Grinding my teeth, I quickly finished saddling Phoenix, then slung myself up on her back and nudged her forward just as Michael was bringing Maisey out of the stall.
“So, not waiting for me, then?”
Ignoring him, I clucked my tongue at Phoenix, cueing her forward. We were out of the barn and into the cool morning air in seconds. Once we found our rhythm, we took off, racing across the open field that our cattle used to roam.
The vast emptiness felt like a crater in my chest, but I ignored it, choosing instead to focus on the ride with my favorite girl. It had been way too damn long since the wind blew in my face, bringing with it the peace of living out here under the big Montana sky with the mountains hovering in the distance like a perfectly painted landscape portrait.
But that peace was soon squashed when Michael galloped up beside me, tugging on the reins like a newbie.
I smirked as Maisey twisted, trotting in a circle as he tried to get her under control. It might have been a few months for me, but Michael had been gone for years, and it showed.
“Are you gonna run away every time I try to talk to you?” he shouted, trotting up beside me.
