Reid. He was so misguided. He’d called Riley a spoiled brat, for God’s sake. In his mind she was, just taking off whenever she wanted, everything else be damned. Maybe it was time to tell him the truth. Tell him why I’d really been sent away.
It all sat on the tip of my tongue…
But it was Riley’s story to tell. Not mine.
“Listen,” I finally said to Reid. “We’ll figure this all out. Roy knows something, and we’ll have to get him to tell us. But I’m absolutely sure he had nothing to do with Dad’s death.”
“I’m sure too,” Reid agreed.
“Then tell the detective to go fuck himself. If he wants information from Roy, he can go to Roy. If he wants information from me, he can wait until I get back to town.”
“Good enough,” Reid said. “Sorry to bug you on a Saturday morning, bro. Have a nice time.”
“I’ll try. See you.” I ended the call and returned to the kitchen.
Lacey wasn’t there. Her empty plate was in the sink but her cup was missing. Had she gone to take a shower? No, her hair had been wet when she came in to breakfast. Where was she? This cabin wasn’t that big.
I walked outside in my bare feet. There she was, roaming around the cabin in her jeans and flip flops and sipping her cup of coffee. She looked relaxed. Relaxed and beautiful, as if she belonged here.
But Lacey was a city girl. This was all new to her. Strange, because she looked as at home here as I felt.
If only…
If only we never had to go back. If only we could stay here forever, just the two of us, escape the rat race life of Manhattan.
Why was I thinking in terms of “we”? I was an “I” type of guy. I’d already told Lacey we didn’t have a relationship. Truth was, though, I’d lied to her. Moreover, I’d lied to myself. I wanted to be with her. With Lacey.
She wasn’t as beautiful as Nieves, but Lacey’s allure was inside as well as outside. And she was strong. Strong and brilliant and challenging. All of those virtues added to her simple beauty.
I watched her as she stooped to pick a wildflower. I watched as she brought it to her nose and inhaled. I watched as she tucked it behind her ear.
I watched, mesmerized.
She turned then, and smiled when our gazes met. “I can see why you love it here so much. It’s simply beautiful.”
I nodded and walked to her, taking her hand. “You’re beautiful.”
Rosiness swept over her cheeks.
“You must know how beautiful you are, Lacey.”
“Not like Nieves.”
“Nieves is nothing compared to you.” I knelt down, picked another blue flower, and placed this one behind her other ear. “You look like a garden nymph, with your hair down around your shoulders. You should be wearing a wreath of baby’s breath on your head and a long flowing skirt over those amazing hips.”
“You think I look like a hippie?”
“No, not a hippie.” Hadn’t she heard me? “A garden nymph. Or a goddess of the woods.”
“That’s sweet.” She giggled. “But you don’t look like a god of the woods. You look like a dark god. A god of war or something like that.”
“Do I? You think I look evil?”
“No. Not at all.” She giggled again. “But your tan skin and your nearly black hair, and then those piercing green eyes that stare at me as if they’re dissolving my clothes with some kind of laser ray but could also stare down anything in the universe. You’re so strong, Rock. You look like you could overcome anything in your way.”
“You see all that in me? Because I have dark hair?”
“It’s not just your hair, silly. It’s your looks, yes, but it’s all of you. Your personality, your demeanor, the way you make me want to do anything to please you.” She blushed again. “I shouldn’t have said that last part.”
My heart raced, and my cock hardened. But more than either of those, emotion burst through me like holiday carols.
I felt good.
More than good.
I felt…happy.
Damn.
Even in the face of the shitstorm that had currently overtaken my life, I fucking felt happy.
Not that I hadn’t been content before. I loved my life here. Working outdoors, riding, hunting, sitting by my fire on a chilly evening.
I’d been content since I’d arrived in Montana all those years ago.
But happiness, true happiness, had eluded me.
Until now.
Now, when I had to leave my home and do a job I hated, deal with my family, worry over my little sister…I’d found happiness.
I never thought another person could be the key to happiness.
Indeed, I still didn’t think that. It wasn’t Lacey so much as Lacey and me together. The two of us. That made me happy. I’d been worried about Riley, and I’d hardly touched Lacey since we arrived here, yet still I felt complete in a strange and content way, just because of her presence.