Chapter 21
Dallas
Dallas shoved the drawer shut with a frustrated growl.
He knew it was here. It had to be. Everything else in his room was untouched.
Fingers digging into his hair, he turned in place as his eyes bounced around his old bedroom.
It had been ages since he’d come home. Cheyenne lived here now, with his mother.
His father had passed away a couple of years ago, leaving a hole that would never be filled.
Where was the ring? He hadn’t taken it with him. That would have been a very stupid idea. When he’d left Copper Creek all those years ago, he had still planned on asking Camilla to marry him. That had always been the plan.
But as the years passed, he stopped believing that she’d want anything to do with him.
Of course, that didn’t mean that he came home to get rid of the piece of jewelry.
On the contrary, he’d specifically avoided looking for it when he’d come for his father’s funeral.
Seeing it would have broken something in his soul—especially when Camilla hadn’t come to the funeral or to pay her respects to him in person.
That was ancient history. She’d avoided him like the plague, and Cheyenne had said it was for the best. He didn’t blame Camilla in the slightest.
Now that everything was changing again—turning brighter and feeling lighter than ever—Dallas knew he needed to find the ring. He was going to cling to the hope he had for their future, whether or not it was the smart thing to do.
His feet shuffled across the floor, and he settled on the edge of the bed. The only person who knew about that ring was Cheyenne, but she wouldn’t have done something with it, would she? He couldn’t exactly call her. She’d told him to leave Camilla alone.
Frowning, Dallas let his eyes drift to the open doorway.
Cheyenne’s bedroom was across the hall from his own, and he knew every hiding place she had.
They were similar in that respect. Whether it was because they’d been really close as children or because of their twin status, they had some similarities that were hard to ignore.
Dallas rose to his feet and headed for his sister’s room.
It was tidy. Everything had a place. That would make his hunt all the easier to accomplish.
Dallas stood in the doorway for a few minutes, weighing which places would be more plausible.
If Cheyenne had taken the ring and hidden it, she would likely have picked a place where not even their snooping mother would look.
Though she was an amazing mother, there was no denying her nosiness.
The dresser was out. So was under the bed.
Dallas hummed in contemplation until his eyes landed on the bookshelf. Two of the books were out farther than they should have been. He frowned as he moved closer. Camilla didn’t like things out of place. And she definitely didn’t like it when the spines of her books didn’t line up.
Once the books were removed, Dallas stared at the small velvet box. If he had to guess, she’d hidden it here right before she left. It was as if she expected this to happen and had made a last-ditch effort to prevent it.
But why?
Camilla was Cheyenne’s favorite person. Wouldn’t she like the idea of Camilla becoming her sister?
They could be a family if all went well.
In fact, it was strange now that he was thinking about it.
Cheyenne didn’t seem all that upset when Dallas had hurt her best friend seven years ago.
Not in the usual way. Sure, she’d said that he’d broken Camilla’s heart and she didn’t want that to happen again, but it had been more blasé than anything else.
The velvet box felt soft and familiar in his hand.
With a flick of his thumb, Dallas opened the box and stared at the engagement ring he’d painstakingly saved up for and picked out for Camilla.
The modest diamond glittered in the light from the nearby window, and the white gold was as brilliant as it had been the day he bought it.
It was still the perfect ring for the girl of his dreams.
He closed the box and clutched it in his fist. Camilla would be his wife. There was no way he’d lose her a second time.
“What are you doing in my room?”
Dallas stiffened at his sister’s voice. He had to be dreaming.
She wasn’t due to come home for another couple of days at least. Slowly, he turned around.
She was scowling at him, but then her eyes flicked to the bookshelf and for a second, she looked almost green.
But then she schooled her features and placed her hands on her hips.
He glowered right back. “I think the better question is why you took this from my room.” He held up the box. “Care to explain?”
Cheyenne’s face burst with color, and she stormed toward him like she intended on taking the ring, but he brought it behind his back to prevent that from happening. “You can’t seriously be thinking of proposing to her.”
“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
She scoffed and let out a bark of laughter.
Dallas could feel his frustration mounting. Once again, Cheyenne was attempting to stand in his way, and he couldn’t understand why. “What’s your problem? Why can’t you just let us be happy?”
“Because she’s my friend, Dallas. And she was my friend first.” Her sharp words clapped through the air like a slap to the face.
“What?”
She growled with frustration, covering her face with her hands. It had gone beet-red at this point. “Camilla was my friend, and you stole her away from me like you always do.”
He might have stumbled back a step if the bookshelf wasn’t directly behind him. She was acting crazy. The look on his face must have made his thoughts clear because she let out a dark laugh.
“Don’t look at me like that. You know I’m right. You butt in with my friends. Date them. Then things get weird, and they don’t want to hang out anymore.”
“Cheyenne—” he started but didn’t know what he was going to say. She didn’t let him figure it out.
“Seven years ago, when I told you that Camilla wouldn’t marry you without a plan—without a future, I lied. There. I said it. She would have followed you to the ends of the earth if you asked her to, and…” Her voice trailed off, and for a second, she almost looked apologetic.
It felt like all the blood had drained from his body. Did he look as sick to his stomach as he felt? “You… you told me she… wanted someone with a good job.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “I mean, she probably did—does—but back then we were too young to settle down anyway.”
He wanted to throw something, break something. “I wasn’t,” he growled. “I knew what I wanted. I wanted her.”
Cheyenne rolled her eyes. “You don’t know anything. It could have easily blown up in your faces. Young love and early marriages rarely work out.”
Dallas couldn’t stand to listen to this a second longer. He strode toward her, and she flinched before she realized he was attempting to leave. Then she blocked the door.
“You can’t ask her to marry you, Dallas.”
“Watch me,” he bit out.
“She won’t forgive you.”
That had him stopping in his tracks. “What is that supposed to mean?” He stared daggers at her, daring her to say something that would make it easy to retaliate.
“I’ll tell her.”
Eyes narrowing, Dallas leaned in closer to her. “Tell her what? That you manipulated me into leaving?”
She scoffed. “I never told you to leave.”
“Yes, you did—”
“I said you needed to have a career. No one was stopping you from finding something local or within driving distance.”
His mouth fell open.
Cheyenne was technically right. He’d been so consumed with the idea of doing something good for his future and the one he wanted with Camilla that he hadn’t considered anything beyond chasing the dream career he’d had.
His sister had manipulated him in more ways than he’d originally thought.
Even now, she was attempting to put doubt in his mind.
“All I have to do is point that out and Camilla will hate you.” Once again, she was right. It would be her word against his.
His blood ceased to pump through his veins. He couldn’t breathe. What was he supposed to do? Would Camilla hear him out if he told her that he’d wanted to set the foundation for a life for both of them? Maybe.
Then again, there was still the looming issue of his career being the one thing that would take her away from her family and the life she loved so much in Copper Creek.
He stared at the ring box in his hand, brows furrowing.
If he asked her to marry him, she’d have to leave, and it would be because of his job.
Then again, what if he could start looking for something local and this next assignment was the last remote one he took?
It would be short in the grand scheme of things. She’d understand, wouldn’t she?
Maybe she wouldn’t.
For the second time in Camilla’s life, Dallas’s career choice would be the reason she lost something. This time, her home and stability were at risk. She would hate him. If not hate him, she’d resent him. Maybe not today, but down the road.
His fingers curled around the ring box once more, and he glowered at his sister as he shoulder-checked her on his way out of the room. He ignored her shouting after him, demanding to know what he was planning. Let her stew. He had more important things to figure out.
Hopefully, Cheyenne wouldn’t do anything stupid before he could come up with a game plan. He definitely needed to speak to Camilla before Cheyenne got to her first.
Before he could pull out his phone to call her, it rang in his pocket.
He grabbed it, but his hopes died when he saw Mack’s number. Just like that, reality came crashing down. “What do you want, Mack?”
“Is that any way to speak to your boss?”
Dallas groaned, then started pacing. “It’s not a good time.”
“It should be. They’ve bumped up the start date. They want you out there by the beginning of September.”
“Beginning of September? That’s in less than two weeks!”
“Isn’t it great?”
Dallas shook his head. “What about the reports on the wolves out here?”
“Oh, the department has everything they need. They’re sending it up in the chain of command. They said you’re good to be released from this assignment.”
Closing his eyes, Dallas willed his nerves to stop fraying at the ends. “I can’t just up and leave, Mack. I have…”
What? What did he have? He could sense more than see Cheyenne in his doorway. His back was to her, and he had no idea what she’d heard. Could she put the pieces together? Not likely.
“Look, Mack, I get that this is a great opportunity, but I want out. I want to find something steady—to put down roots.”
“I’m sorry, man, but you signed a contract. And that means we put you where we put you.”
Dallas glowered at the wall. “There’s always a way to get around that stuff and you know it. I’m one of the best in the business. I’m sure I can find someone who will pay all the legal fees to get me out of that situation.”
Mack sighed. “You don’t want to do that. Fine. I’ll see what I can do. Go on this assignment and… we’ll see.”
That wasn’t much of a promise, but it was the best Dallas had to work with. When he turned around, his sister was nowhere to be seen.