Caroline held the door open for them to leave. She dashed to her closet, found an outfit, and jumped into the shower. Her heart raced as she considered the discussion with her friends. Jameson succeeded in convincing her, but she didn’t reciprocate it. She treated him like his old team. He probably felt used and unwanted, making her heart ache. They may have had their reasons, but it still hurt, nonetheless.
Caroline rushed to get dressed as an idea formed in her mind. She’d have to dig up all the courage she could muster to make it work. If she wanted Jameson, she’d have to swallow her pride and convince him of how much she wanted him.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
The doorbell rang, and Caroline ran to answer it. Nancy smiled and hugged her as she entered.
“How do you feel?” she asked. “You did such a wonderful job with Thomas’ funeral.”
“Thank you. Did your son come with you?” she asked. “I’m sure the men will help if you want any of the heavy furniture.”
“I only have a few more items,” Nancy assured her. “It won’t take me too long.”
“Take your time. I’ll miss you,” she said. “Do you need any help?”
“No, I’ll be fine,” Nancy said, walking into her former bedroom. “There might be a few items I want from the pool house. Do you mind if I check?”
“Of course not,” Caroline replied. “Feel free to take whatever you want,” she encouraged. “I only want the kitchen table. It’ll remind me of home. I’m heading back to the pool house to grab a few things, and then I’ll check on you.”
Caroline returned to her room, gathering her purse and phone. She entered the living room and sat down, dialing Jameson’s number.
It went straight to voicemail. Disappointment filled her. She needed to hear his voice. Caroline needed to apologize, but she didn’t want to do it over a voicemail. Deciding to leave a message, she waited for the beep.
“Hi, Jameson. It’s me, Caroline. I called to ask if you might meet me. I’m waiting on Nancy to finish packing her things, and I plan to drive to the ranch. Rebecca let Mac and Spider know. Can we talk? I understand if you don’t want to. I said a lot of hurtful things, but I didn’t mean them. I hope to see you soon.” She disconnected the call and sighed.
The patio door opened, and Nancy walked inside, staring at her. Why did chills run down her spine?
“Did you finish already?” Caroline exclaimed. “I assumed you planned to pack for a couple of hours.
“No. I only came to get one thing,” Nancy said, as her lip curled into a snarl. “I’m retrieving my son’s property.”
“The women wentto check on her today,” Garrett said as he stared at the grey clouds forming in the sky. “Do you want to tell me about it, or do you plan to remain in a foul mood all day. Damn, even your horse senses it.”
Jameson pulled the brim of his hat low over his face. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“Oh, I see. It’s all right for you to give me shit about how I treated Riley, but I can’t ask anything about you and Caroline?” Garrett said, poking the bear.
“I’ve done everything I can. She’s made up her mind,” Jameson said flatly.
“Brother, I know you’re hurting,” Garrett said, glancing at him. “Caroline just lost her dad. Riley said she never returned tocounseling after Terry, the old counselor. I'm sure she has a ton of pent-up feelings.”
“She said I reminded her of James. I can’t change who I am. No matter what I do, she’ll always know me as the son of the man who put her through hell,” Jameson said, moving his horse farther down to wrangle a stray cow.
Garrett followed him. “You can’t expect her to forget it in mere weeks. It doesn’t seem quite fair to expect her to heal in such a short amount of time. You saw Rebecca when she returned. How many times did Julio sit in his office and cry over listening to Rebecca’s nightmares? What about when they failed to find Megan? It about killed them both for months. Yet you expect Caroline to forget the past six years and get over the death of Thomas. In a way, she trusted you to tell you the truth. You can’t mend a fence if you don’t know it’s broken.”
“Did you take up an advisory course or something?” Jameson snarled. “Caroline made her choice. I’m only respecting it.”
Garrett shook his head. “She said things she didn’t mean after a long, stressful day of burying her father. Riley said she’s really torn up about it. Caroline mentioned driving out here.”
“She’d better not without her escort,” Jameson growled. “Who’s there?”
Chuckling, Garrett reminded him. “Let’s see. If Julio’s working on the other side of the pasture, and we’re here. It only leaves Mac and Spider.”
“Shit. I don’t like the way Spider’s always staring at her,” Jameson bit out.
“You know how to remedy it,” his friend advised. “We’re almost done with the herd.”
“She knows where I’m at if she wants to talk,” Jameson said firmly. “I’m not chasing any woman.”
