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Pain—and regret—weighed heavy on his heart. The idea that he’d forego a promise made to the man who’d raised him as his own, that he’d lay aside the request of his dying mother. Her whispered apology that she hadn’t held on to the legacy that should belong to him and his sister and to their children.
He considered himself an honorable man. A man who put his family above all else. But what he’d done—what he’d considered doing—to Callie wasn’t honorable. Never mind that he hadn’t—couldn’t—go through with it.
Breaking his word was also not honorable, but from the moment he’d laid eyes on Callie, held her in his arms, taken what she’d so sweetly offered, he’d known. He’d known that he couldn’t have her and his honor when it came to his family.
He’d chosen Callie.
He’d always choose Callie.
He just had to convince her of that fact without her ever knowing the true reason for their chance meeting in Europe. It would only hurt her, and Max would do anything in the world to never hurt her again as he’d done by leaving. Even though his reasons were solid and he’d had much to consider in the time they were apart.
She thought he hadn’t loved her enough.
The truth was he loved her too damn much.
Chapter Two
Callie woke with a sore back and a grumpy disposition. She hated sleeping on the couch. Which was kind of funny when she thought of some of the places she’d slept when she traveled. She’d slept in train stations, hostels with creaky cots, and she’d done plenty of camping. But a couch? She’d rather sleep on the ground. She stumbled out of Dillon’s office, checked her watch and decided it wasn’t too early to head to Lily’s.
What she really needed was a place of her own. Not that she minded staying with her folks. She loved them to pieces and her fathers doted on her shamelessly. She split her time between her parents’ and Lily and her brothers’ house, but they really couldn’t accommodate her long-term. Not until the renovations were completed. And by then she hoped to be closer to her own dream.
She’d promised herself, though, that she’d save every penny she earned to build her dream house in Callie’s Meadow, the piece of land she was born on. Land that had been gifted to her by her parents.
She traveled a lot. She’d always been a restless spirit, but she traveled very economically, and she always knew that one day she’d settle here on the mountain, surrounded by her family.
In the meantime, she built her savings and dreamed of the house she’d build in her meadow.
It was a toss-up as to whether she wanted to drive up to her parents’ to grab a shower and make herself more presentable before going over to Dillon’s to see Lily or just show up at her brothers’ and risk them giving her the third degree.
At least there she had Lily to side with her, and dealing with her overprotective big brothers was a lot better than a worried mama. Holly Colter was like a lioness when it came to her children. No matter how grown up they were, they were still her cubs and she treated them accordingly.
Callie smiled as she thought of her mom. Sometimes there was nothing sweeter than a mother’s hug. It really did make everything better.
She’d go up later to visit her mom and say hello to her dads. But for now she’d head over to see Lily, grab a shower there and do some venting.
Lily was one of the sweetest people Callie knew. She just had this way of looking at you that made you feel like everything would be okay. And she’d been through hell on earth. Callie respected that. She’d know exactly where Callie was coming from and she’d listen. Right now Callie really needed someone to listen.
She hopped into her mini-SUV, the same one she’d driven since getting her driver’s license, and pulled away from the bar. The dads made noises about getting her a new truck. They didn’t like the fact that she drove such an old vehicle. But it ran great and the body was in excellent condition. There was no need for a new one. She couldn’t afford one, and she didn’t want her parents footing the bill even though they could well afford it.
She’d paid her own way since striking out on her own. That wasn’t going to change.
She knew her parents were disappointed that she hadn’t followed in her brothers’ footsteps and gone to college, but she’d always known university wasn’t for her. She was simply too rebellious and too restless to ever survive four years in school. High school had been bad enough.
She was smart, and she wasn’t afraid of hard work. All she really needed was her house on her land. As soon as she had the money for that, she could continue traveling and picking up jobs here and there, and she’d always have her refuge to come back to.
If Dillon couldn’t give her enough work, she could always help Michael out in his veterinary practice. It was growing in leaps and bounds, and he’d be even busier when the only other vet in town retired next year.
It seemed everyone in her family was settled but Callie.
Seth was finally home where he belonged after working as a Denver police officer. After he’d met Lily, he’d moved back to Clyde and taken the position of sheriff from Lacey England who’d retired because of her husband’s ill health.
Callie had been on her way to healing. She’d licked her wounds for far too long as it was. She had finally achieved a modicum of peace. And now Max had shown up and taken it all away.
Damn the man.
She pulled into the drive of Dillon’s cabin and parked between the multitudes of trucks. She didn’t even try to straighten her appearance. She knew she looked like she was hungover but there was little she could do about it at this point.
She trudged up the steps and knocked. A few moments later, Dillon opened the door and stared at her with that big-brother look that always made her squirm.
“Rough night at the bar?”
She pushed by him. “Yeah, something like that. Is Lily here?”
“She’s painting,” Dillon said. “But you can go in. She’s always glad to see you. ”
Callie smiled at that. The feeling was entirely mutual. Lily was just…special. She started to walk away but Dillon called after her.
“Are you going to tell me what went on at the bar?”
“I didn’t throw anyone through the window. I didn’t break anything and I didn’t have to call Seth. So there’s nothing you need to worry about. ”
“So says you. ”
She ignored him and went back to the office that Dillon had converted into an art room for Lily. She knocked and then stuck her head inside to see Lily staring at her canvas, her bottom lip caught between her teeth in determined concentration.
“Can I come in?”
