AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When he looked back, Jacey was talking animatedly to her brother and Quaid was staring at him.
His heart needed a break from staring at her. He walked off to get his morning chores done. It was late morning and the cows were letting him know it. Moving and having a purpose helped, but his mind whirled.
Jacey had almost died. She’d been incredibly brave, standing up to her mother and fighting for her own freedom. He was drawn to everything about her, except her not choosing him.
Refilling Annie’s water, he blew out a breath. Would he ever get the image of Jacey on Annie’s back out of his head? He might have to sell his beautiful horse.
He heard vehicles driving away and it punched him hard in the gut.
She’d left? Without even saying goodbye? What did he expect? It was better this way. The painful words between them would’ve made any goodbye awkward.
He waited, stroking Annie’s nose until the crunch of gravel under tires disappeared. Heading out of the barn, he ignored the blood stains on the concrete. He’d deal with them later. He’d deal with everything later. Including his broken heart.
Walking around the stretch of grass, he stopped in his tracks. Jacey stood there. She looked tired, disheveled, stained, torn, and absolutely beautiful.
Clint and Quaid flanked her, all of them staring at him. They stood close to Clint’s truck and a rented Cherokee. Jacey’s face lit up in a beautiful smile. He half-expected her to run and knock him off his feet like the impetuous, fun, and loving woman he’d savored each moment with this past few days.
Sadly, she didn’t move. Her smile dimmed, and her eyes grew cautious. Would she apologize for her words in the loft or had they been the truth like they’d punched him at those moments of despair and pain?
Quaid strode forward to meet him, extending his hand. “Thank you,” he said simply, shaking his hand then releasing it. He glanced back at Jacey. “My sister. You can’t understand what I owe you.”
“I have two sisters,” Cade said in return.
Quaid nodded to him. “Anything you need. Please ask. I’ll be here.”
His sister’s hand in marriage? Cade squelched that thought quick and only nodded. He’d never ask for anything from this famous man because he’d never fit in their world. With her. He’d known it all along. She’d made it abundantly clear this morning.
“I’ll … let you two say goodbye.” Quaid tilted his chin to him and strode back to Clint.
Quaid knew it was goodbye and knew it would be awkward.
It was over. He’d protected his Jacey and now she was Jacqueline Oliver again. She’d go back to her famous life. If her dad and older sister had been run by Catherine too, would she go home to see them or go with Quaid to be with his new wife Anna?
Cade widened his stance and focused on even breaths as Jacey crossed the distance. He studied her, wanting to memorize every inch of her beautiful face.
He pulled off his cowboy hat, a sign of respect that she probably wouldn’t recognize, and ruffled his hair with his hand. He stunk like cows, manure, horses, sweat, and blood from the fight. He probably looked worse.
“Thank you, Cade Miller,” she said, arching her head back to meet his gaze. He loved her blue eyes. He’d never see them in person again.
“My pleasure, Jacqueline Oliver,” he returned.
She flinched at that. “I …” She looked away. “I don’t know how to ever thank you, putting up with an amnesiac woman, sheltering me, feeding me, all the good times.”
Gratitude. That was nice of her. He wanted a heck of a lot more from her than gratitude.
He nodded. “Anytime.”
She stared at him as if wondering if he meant it. He did, but he doubted she’d bite. “All right. Next time a depraved lunatic is after me, plan on a visit.”
He forced a smile as his heart broke. She was teasing. She was leaving. She didn’t choose him. She only had when she was suffering from amnesia with a depraved lunatic after her.
He glanced over to see her brother and Clint watching. They both looked away. He focused back on her beautiful face, tilted up toward his.
“Cade, we talked about me choosing …” She gnawed at her lip. “I’ve never really had a choice before.”
His eyes widened and agony churned his gut and ripped at his already shattered heart. Did she really need to reiterate what she’d said in the barn loft? He couldn’t handle it a second time.
He nodded tightly. “You’re free to choose now. I’ll pray for you, and …”
