“We’ll put him out of business.”
With a sigh, Goldie said, “He’s going to have you arrested.”
“I have every right to protest,” Penny said defiantly.
“You can’t win.” She realized what she was saying resonated. Goldie couldn’t win. She’d tried everything and Max hadn’t come back to her. It was over. She was finally ready to accept defeat. “I sold the café. I’m leaving town soon.”
Penny lowered her sign, her eyes wide and alarmed. “You can’t leave. We’re going to get your café back for you.”
Goldie shook her head. “It’s too late. We have to accept that. Please help me by getting your friends to leave before Max gets here.”
“What happened to you, Goldie Shaw?” Penny demanded, sounding irritated. “You never were one to give up.”
“You have to know when you’re beat,” she said, surprised by how close she was to tears again. She’d thrown herself at Donovan only to realize it wasn’t going to happen because there was no new throw-caution-to-the-wind Goldie. She was the same old Goldie who loved running her café and being with Max Lander. She wasn’t adventurous. Her only dream wasn’t a very big one in the scheme of things.
All she wanted was for Max to really see her, to appreciate her, to want her as a wife and the mother of his children. Her dreamwas of the family they would make. She would have been happy to just live in Dry Gulch with him and their children for the rest of her life.
As if sensing the protest was over, Penny’s little band of elderly women lowered their signs. The chanting dropped to a whisper before it died.
Goldie swallowed the lump in her throat as she watched them go, unaware that Max was now standing behind her until she heard Clancy say, “It’s all over. Goldie took care of it.” Her cousin gave her a worried smile and retreated after the women down the main street.
Max was the last person she wanted to see right now. She felt beaten down, no longer that woman Penny thought she’d once been as she turned to face the sheriff. That he’d been right about Donovan’s connection to the crime boss didn’t help. Trouble had come to Dry Gulch, and she’d opened the door to let it in.
Chapter Eighteen
The moment Goldie turned to face him, Max could see how upset she was. He fought a desperate urge to pull her to him, hold her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be all right. Unfortunately, he wasn’t at all sure of that.
He also wasn’t sure he was the man she wanted to comfort her. From the look in her eyes, he definitely wasn’t the one.
“Penny and the others have left,” Goldie said. “You’re too late. I don’t think they’ll be back. At least not for a while.”
“There is no law against them protesting,” Max said. “They just need to get a permit.”
“I’ll tell them that if I see them again.” She started to turn away.
“Goldie.” She stopped but didn’t turn back around. He’d seen her come out of the hotel. Any fool could see how upset she was. He had a pretty good idea what might have happened with Donovan. “I can’t seem to say the right thing to you,” he said quietly, her back to him. “But give me a chance to say what I should have said a long time ago. I was wrong. I’ve been miserable without you.”
She turned slowly to face him again and he quickly continued even though he felt as if he was too late. He looked at the one woman he’d loved almost from the day they’d met as teenagers. The only woman he would ever love.
“Goldie,” he said, his voice cracking. He hadn’t wanted to do this here. He saw her look around the empty street for a moment before her gaze returned to him. He could see how badly shewanted to get away from him, so he blurted it out. “I love you. I always have. I’ve been a stubborn fool. I’ve treated you terribly. I’m so sorry.”
She blinked as if not trusting that she was hearing these words come out of his mouth.
“I want you back, Goldie. You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted.” The words tumbled out as if they’d been stacking up for months. “There hasn’t been a day, an hour, a minute when I haven’t missed you. All these months, I’ve wanted to come to you and beg you to forgive me and take me back.”
Tears filled her eyes as she whispered, “Why didn’t you, Max?”
He shook his head mournfully. “You know me. I thought I was doing the right thing by letting you go. Then my stubborn pride wouldn’t let me admit that I’d made the worst mistake of my life.” He saw suspicion in her eyes.
“So, what’s changed?”
“I… I can’t go on like this. Goldie, please, I don’t want to live without you.”
“And you just came to that conclusion and couldn’t wait another moment to tell me,” she said, studying him as if he was a bug she was about to step on. “This has nothing to do with Donovan?”
He hesitated. “Okay, I’m jealous, all right?”
Her chuckle held no humor. “So, thisisabout Donovan.”
