“I’m hanging up.”
“Don’t,” he said quickly. “Not when you’re upset. You make rash decisions when you’re emotional.”
Ice slid through my veins. “This is not your business. We’re done. Don’t call me again.” And with that, I ended the call.
My hand shook so hard I almost dropped the phone.
I sat there breathing fast, trying to steady myself, when footsteps crunched on gravel outside the barn door.
My heart lurched. I wiped sweat off my face quickly.
Wyatt stepped inside. The dying light cut across his shoulders. His shadow spilled long behind him. Dust coated his boots and jeans. His hat was tipped back slightly, exposing the line of his brow. His eyes found mine instantly.
Concern flickered there.
He masked it fast.
“What are you doing here?” I managed, voice raw.
“Checking fence lines. You should have stayed after you ate. I could have given you a tour.”
I stiffened. “A tour, right. You probably would havehit me over the head and tossed me in one of those big vats of beer you’ve got in the back.”
“They’re called fermentation tanks, and ruining a good tank of beer isn’t business savvy.” The corner of his mouth turned up, and I wanted to throw something at him, but that would have used the last bit of energy I had, so I just stared at him.
His jaw worked once, slowly. “What’s wrong?” His brow furrowed, and his eyes narrowed in on me as if he could see into my soul.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not.”
And that was it, the match strike. The last crack in the dam. Everything I’d been holding in erupted. The words exploded out of me before I could hold them back.
“You don’t know a fucking thing about me,” I shouted as I launched myself off the bale.
Wyatt didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. He stood there like a wall built of quiet and patience, and something about that made the fury in me snap even harder.
“What do you want? Are you obsessed with me, or do you think if you stalk me and wear me down, I’ll sell to you?”
His voice stayed painfully calm. “I was just out checking fences and thought I’d see how you were doing after your meeting today.” His voice was calm. He hadn’t raised it or moved closer. Those were all things Colin did when I’d gotten mad at him. He had to prove his dominance over the situation. But Wyatt Hargrove, who quite possibly could pick me up and toss me over his shoulder as easily as picking up a feather, didn’t move.
I hated that everything inside me felt like it was unraveling, and he was just standing there, steady and immovable, watching me fall apart. “You don’t get to be here,” I said, voice cracking. “Not today. Not with what I’ve learned.”
His eyes narrowed. “What did you learn?”
“Don’t do that. Don’t use that tone like you’re surprised about anything. You know exactly what I was told,” I snapped.
“I’m asking so I know whatyou’reup against.”
Laughter burst out of me, jagged and wrong. “Everyone knows what the truth is, everyone but me.”
He exhaled slowly, a sound that made my heart lurch. “Tessa.” He said my name with so much care. It’s all I’d ever wanted to hear. Someone who could stop me in my tracks by whispering my name. And now the one man who could do it wanted to see me fail.
“No. Don’t say my name like you care what happens to me, or this place.”
He stood a little straighter. “I do care.”
“Well, stop. Stop caring. Stop showing up and watching me. Stop pretending like you’re the solution to a problem you helped create.” My voice shook on every word.
