He shuffled his feet and looked away.
She shifted to hold his gaze. "We promised each other this afternoon there would be no secrets between us, remember? So, tell me what's going on."
He scratched his neck again. "You're right. It's probably best you know anyway. Robert didn't think I should tell?—"
"Robert? What does he have to do with this?"
Daniel let out a heavy sigh. "Collin Ainsworth showed up at the ranch today."
Riley fell back a step, a cold chill sweeping over her. Daniel may as well have struck her. She couldn't possibly be more stunned. She knew Collin wouldn't give up easily, but to show up at the ranch, knowing he was breaking the restraining order...
Why am I surprised? He showed up at the clinic five days after attacking me despite the restraining order.
Riley's heart rate took off, bolting like a racehorse out of the starting gate. She struggled to draw in a full breath around the tightness in her chest. Pressing a trembling hand to her stomach, she fought the sudden urge to vomit.
Until her little anxiety attack this afternoon while kissing Daniel, she'd thought she was getting better. The nightmares were much less frequent now. But she was never going to be able to leave it all behind her if Collin kept taunting her with letters and flowers and showing up on her doorstep...
All she had to do was hear Collin's name and she reverted to a frightened victim again. She closed her eyes and sucked in several deep breaths, like Emily taught her to do, but her chest remained tight, and her whole body quivered on the inside.
"Hey, Pockets, are you okay?" Daniel touched her shoulder, and she flinched.
It was all she could do to not strike him. She'd learned some useful skills in the self-defense class the past couple weeks and was eager to put them to use. The only thing that kept her from punching him was his use of her nickname.
"No, I am not okay." She turned away from him and stomped over to the wall of windows. She focused on redirecting the anxiety coursing through her into anger. "I'm sick and tired of that man wreaking havoc on my life. Why won't he leave me alone?"
"He seems to be obsessed with you." Daniel took a step closer.
She scowled at him. "Please tell me that lunch at the diner and all this..." She motioned to the cabin. "Wasn't just a diversion tactic to keep me away from the ranch."
Daniel slipped an arm around her waist. "Yes it was a diversion, but one that I eagerly participated in. I’ve enjoyed having you to myself all day" When she didn't resist, he pulled her a little closer. "The only thing that kept me from getting in my truck last night and driving into town to find some booze to dull the pain in my shoulder was you."
"Me?" RIley’s irritation melted away as she leaned into him.
"Yes. Even though I didn't feel like I deserved a second chance with you, I wanted it more than anything, and I didn't want to screw that up."
"Awe, you're kind of romantic in a twisted way." She planted a quick kiss on his lips then pulled away. "Now, give me your knife."
She still had some adrenaline and anger pulsing through her and she refused to let herself be distracted until she'd properly exhausted it.
"What?"
"Give me your pocket knife."
"Why?" He let go of her and took a step back.
"Because I need you to teach me to whittle."
CHAPTER 21
Daniel straightened from where he was hunched over his drawing table when a car drove down the lane. He let out a groan as he stretched his right arm.
I need to exercise more.
He'd slacked off on his weightlifting since injuring his shoulder, but he really needed to move more often. He was so over wearing the sling already because his shoulder felt much better, but Riley hounded him every day about it.
Speaking of Riley, he looked out his bedroom window and watched her climb from her Jeep.
Man, she's beautiful.
