Page 124 of Branded Betrayal

“I know my sister. She’ll eventually come back,” Nash says. “When she’s ready.”

My throat tightens. “What if she doesn’t?”

Nash shrugs. “Then you’ll have a beautiful ranch. And you’ll know you did everything to fix the wrongs and make them right.”

Minutes pass, and the late-day sun paints the ranch with streaks of orange and gold.

Her legacy. Soon to be my parting gift to her.

She may never come back to Whiskey Creek. She may never want to speak to me again.

I destroyed her ranch to save my own ass. Now I’m going to buy it to save something else . . . the hope that love and trust can be rebuilt the same way this ranch can.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Savannah

I stare at my computer screen but see none of the charts I so carefully crafted for this client meeting. The only thing reflecting back in the monitor is the stricken look on Blaze’s face when I turned my back on him six weeks ago.

Tom and Caroline were ecstatic to have me back at work. I didn’t give them many details about my departure from Whiskey Creek, other than the fact that the amount of effort required to restore Red Rock was more than I was prepared to give after weeks of grueling work, evaluation, and analysis.

Ever since I returned to Denver, I’ve buried myself under a pile of projects. Tom even told me that my promotion is still on the table, that Caroline didn’t give it to someone else after I left.

It should make me happy. I had a little setback with my time in Whiskey Creek, but now I’m back on track for massive success in my career. Just what I wanted.

Except now, wanted is the apropos word.

Wanted, as in past tense.

Because I’ve seen a glimpse of what my future could be. And, much as I hate to admit it, I want that more.

But we don’t always get what we want, do we? Sometimes we have to make do with the next best thing for us. And me rising to the top of the food chain here at the Sterling Strategy Group is it. I am valued here. My colleagues don’t try to control me or make decisions for me. Here, I am the strong, empowered woman I strived to be for so long.

The one long forgotten while I was at Red Rock.

I pick up my coffee mug and am absently running my finger over the smooth ceramic when someone knocks on my door. My heart leaps as it always does, because it’s stupid and naive and ignorant.

But my head is level. Sort of.

“Come in,” I call out, placing my mug back on the desk.

My new friend Alyssa bounces into the room and sits in a chair with her typical dramatic flair. I was always so engrossed in my work that I never really opened myself up to making friends here. Real friends who make plans for dinner and drinks, shopping excursions, and quiet wine-and-movie nights at home.

But since I’ve been back, I realize how very lonely that kind of life is. Alyssa is new to the company, and we hit it off right away. I didn’t realize how much I really needed a friend until she popped into my life.

And of course, she knows all about Blaze and my family saga back in Whiskey Creek. It took some time to build up to putting my trust in someone again, but she’s a really great listener who’s made it her personal goal to help me forget Blaze once and for all.

“So,” she says in a conspiratorial voice, leaning forward, her green eyes glittering with excitement. “I just heard that Luke, the new guy, has a little thing for you.”

I smile and sit back in my chair. “And how did you find that out, exactly?”

She cocks her head to the side, a knowing smile tugging her glossy pink lips. “I might’ve heard it from Matt.”

Matt is part of the technology consulting practice and Alyssa’s current boy toy. I have to say, she’s got great taste. For a tech guy, he’s smoking hot.

“So what do you think?” she says excitedly. “The guys want to go for happy hour after work later. You in or what?”

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and force myself to nod and smile back with as much enthusiasm as I can muster. “Sure, why not?”