Shock rippled through him.
The woman wasn’t anything like he remembered.
Gone were the heavy makeup and polished hair. She no longer sported clothing that came from boutiques in Paris or straight off the runway. Victoria was almost unrecognizable, though very much put together.
She had a fresh, clean appearance. Her golden-brown hair fell around her shoulders in soft, free waves. The white blouse she wore seemed more casual than anything she used to wear. And she was in dark-wash jeans.
This was not the Victoria he’d divorced.
She’d changed.
Not only in appearance, but there was a certain aura about her that took him back to the years when they’d started dating. Victoria smiled at him as she approached. “It was harder than I thought it would be to find you. I didn’t realize this town was so big.”
He wanted to correct her, to tell her that it wasn’t, in fact, big. Not compared to the cities they’d lived in together. But he couldn’t find his voice.
“You look good,” she said, soft enough that it was like an invitation to lean in.
But he didn’t.
“You look…” There were no words for how surprised he was at seeing her this way.
Her smile grew. “You haven’t been returning my texts.”
Yeah, because he’d thought she was the same spoiled woman he’d left behind. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one making changes to his life. He was happy for her. Truly, he was. She deserved to find joy in her life, and it appeared as though she had.
Victoria tilted her head and placed a hand on his forearm. “Can we talk?” Her eyes drifted to the flowers in his hands and a slight frown formed around her mouth. “Or do you have somewhere to be?”
Yes. He had somewhere important to be. He needed to tell River that he wanted more with her. He wanted a future with her. She was the person who had brought light into his life that he’d never known. He’d been wandering through a fog since he’d ended things with Victoria, and now that the fog was clearing, he could see the light.
“Actually—”
“Mathew?”
He spun around, his stomach bottoming out. The contents therein threatened to make an appearance when his eyes locked on River.
She was dressed in her usual mechanic’s attire. Hair pulled back with a bandana. Overalls spotted with grease. Boots covered in oil. She wore a tank top that showed off her toned arms, and he couldn’t help but think no one was more beautiful.
But that was when he noticed who was with her. Emerson and Rose flanked River on either side. And the look his cousin was giving him would have sent him to the grave if he didn’t already feel sick to his stomach.
He hoped Rose could read his look and keep quiet. He hadn’t told River about Victoria, because there wasn’t anything to tell. She’d been a part of his past that he hadn’t felt the need to relive. He hadn’t exactly been hard to find—he was a doctor in a small town. What baffled him was that she’d shown up in person, even after he’d ignored her messages.
Unfortunately, all the pleading in the world couldn’t keep Victoria from putting a kink in things.
“Rose! So lovely to see you again.”
“Wish I could say the same,” Rose snapped, eyes narrow. She set those accusing eyes on Mathew. She didn’t have to say anything for him to know what she was thinking. She wanted to know what Victoria was doing in Copper Creek.
He was curious about that very thing himself.
River’s eyes darted between Rose, Victoria, and himself. He could practically see the protective walls coming up. Her guarded expression didn’t negate the curiosity and confusion, however.
Mathew stepped toward her, but Victoria’s words stopped him short. “Are these your friends?” she asked Rose. But before his cousin could say anything, Victoria held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Mathew’s wife.”
He didn’t get a chance to see River’s initial reaction because his head whipped around so fast he nearly strained a muscle. His eyes widened at Victoria’s words. They’d been divorced for years. What was she playing at?
Rose scoffed, but whatever she’d been about to say died the second she looked at River. Her face had gone carefully blank—like she’d learned a long time ago how to hide pain in public. Then she turned and walked away.
“River, wait!”
