Page 50 of Home to the Cowboy

He shook his head. “She was here last night and spent the night in the chair next to my bed, and this morning we kissed …” A memory that had been niggling him all day surfaced. That last hug she’d given him—that was her goodbye. “Why the hell didn’t she tell me she was leaving?”

“Because, you idiot, you told her you’re not ever getting married,” Willow said.

“What’s that got to do with anything? She knows the childhood we’ve had—”

“You know, Dylan,” Willow interrupted him, “it’s really time you got over yourself. So, your family wasn’t ideal, but at least you had a home, a room, parents who obviously hadn’t been the greatest, but they took care of you and Carson. June had nothing, she doesn’t know what a family, dysfunctional or otherwise, even means. And yet, she’s been brave enough to open her heart. Why the hell do you think she left?”

With a last withering look his way, Willow stomped back to her car and left.

Baffled, he stared after Willow. “Why is she angry with me?”

Sighing, Ellie gave him a quick hug. “Because you let June go.”

“I didn’t do anything!” he denied hotly.

“Exactly.” Patting him on his arm, Ellie smiled. “You’ll eventually figure it out. Talk to your cousins. It seems to me all the Westons have a problem listening to their hearts.”

What the hell was everyone talking about? “Come on, Daisy, I’m going to have a shower and then I’m going to sleep, damn it.”

Daisy whimpered.

Crouching down, he stroked her. “I don’t know why she left either. We’ll be okay, though, won’t we? It’s not as if we’ve been talking about getting married or …”

As the words left his mouth, a clear picture of June in a pale blue silk dress, the material falling in soft layers to the floor, her back bare, looking over her shoulder at him flashed through his mind.

Quickly he stood. He was too tired to know what anything meant. He needed sleep.

*

Tired but grateful her car had behaved all the way back to Seattle, June locked the apartment door behind her. It was nearly ten o’clock at night. For a moment, she leaned against the cold wood. The last few hours were harrowing, to say the least. She’d really struggled to keep her eyes open.

Dropping her luggage, she walked over to the wide window facing the city and opened the curtains. Cars driving by, the noise of the city, other familiar noises—sounds that had been part of the rhythm of her life since she could remember, were suddenly way too loud. She’d only been in Marietta for two weeks, but her soul had recognized where she really belonged.

Sighing, she quickly texted Abby to let her friend know she was back. As she put the phone down, it rang. It was Dylan. She’d have to talk to him at some point, it might as well be now. “Hi, Dylan.”

Silence. Just when she thought he’d ended the call, he cleared his throat. “Are you safely back in Seattle?”

Her heart sighed. Even though he was probably ticked off with her, he was still worried about her safety. “Yes, thank you, I am.”

“You didn’t tell me you were leaving.”

“I couldn’t stay.”

“But why leave so soon?”

Sighing, she looked at the city lights. “Because the longer I stayed, the harder it would’ve been to leave.”

“Damn it, June, what the hell am I supposed to do with this craziness inside of me? I can’t stop thinking about you!” he just about roared.

“I’m sorry, Dylan. Look after yourself, okay?” Quickly, she ended the call.

This time when the tears came, it was ugly and straight from her broken heart. Sobbing, she fell down on the couch and for the first time in her life, she cried her heart out.

At some point, a noise reached her in between sobs. Someone was knocking on her front door. Wiping her face, she walked to the door and peered through the peephole. It was Abby she saw, and she opened the door. “Abs?”

Abby gave her one look before she pulled June into a hug. “What happened?”

*