Her throat bobbed with a swallow. “Then what are you talking about?”
I dropped my volume, speaking low. She leaned a little closer, eyes falling to my lips in order to fully hear my words. “Don’t act like you don’t know.”
She frowned. “But I don’t.”
“I opened up to you. I didn’t say one thing that wasn’t true.” I tried to lead her, she shouldn’t need her wrong spelled out. Surely she had a conscience.
She shook her head. “I didn’t either.”
I deadpanned at her, my head tilting to the side. “Hollie, come on.”
Her tone rose in pitch. “Whatare you insinuating?”
“You lied to me, Hollie.” She stiffened as I continued. “You told me you were divorced, which I have since learned is not true, and you’ve actually been married for thirteen years.” I gave a soft huff of humorless laughter.
The fight in her stance began to drain out, her shoulders falling slack.
“I value marriage, Hollie. And I deserved to know you had a husband back in Coloradowaybefore we found ourselves alone together.”
“What? I don’t understand how…” Her words dropped off as her own convoluted truth pieced together in her head.
“I found out your relationship status from Bea.”
“Wait.” A trembling hand lifted to her heart and her eyes went wide. “Does she—does she know what happened between us?”
I scoffed. That’s really where she went first? Self-preservation? The words hurt my throat. “Don’t worry, no one is going to tell your husband you cheated on him.”
My words cut her deep, and moisture pooled in her eyes. Good.
Her voice shook. “I asked ‘does Beaknow?’”
“Not unless Tag told her.”
“So Tag knows.”
“Why isthatwhat you’re focused on right now?”
“Beacuse maybe”—her composure slipped as she waved her handaround—“things aren’t exactly what they seem. My relationship with my sister isfarmore important than my relationship with you, and my priority is what she thinks about me.”
“Well, maybe you should’ve considered that before following me into the barn.”
“I told you the truth.”
“You freaked out when Jackie found us on the cabin porch, and you didn’t interact with me at all when your family was anywhere nearby, which I was too infatuated to notice at the time. You didn’t want them to see us together.”
“That’s not how it was at all.”
“Well, please explain. Because I’ve never set out to be a homewrecker and the fact that I had my hands all over another man’s woman sits on my conscience every damn hour.”
Her cheeks flamed with color, and my attention dropped to her fists as they discreetly balled at her sides. She ground out the words. “I don’t have to explain myself to you, Jesse. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
I huffed. “Is that what you’re gonna say to your husband when one of the cowboys lets the truth slip? They’vebarelykept it quiet. The fact that Bea hasn’t already heard the truth and alerted him is a miracle.”
She shook her head vehemently. “Beawouldn’tdo that.”
“Hell, I would!” I lifted my hat and dragged my fingers through my hair. “And if someone caught me cheating on Laurel I’d want them to rat me out. I would deserve it.”
I should shut up. I wanted to, I did. But my heart spewed pain, and for some reason, I was thinking about Laurel. About all the things I’d never have with her. Or Hollie. Or any other woman for that matter. My throat fought down hot, tight emotions, confusing me. I missed my wife, and I missed Hollie, too. Or maybe I just missed having a companion. I blinked repeatedly, wanting to take back everything I’d said thus far.
