Chapter 29
Dallas
Dallas tapped his steering wheel with a new-found excitement he hadn’t felt in ages. The three-hour drive to Denver for an interview had been worth it. He hadn’t expected Sonya’s friend to come through so quickly.
Then again, he wouldn’t have put it past her to tell him that Dallas had a time crunch.
Dallas had called Mack with the news that he had an interview with the wildlife department in Denver, and to say that Mack was irritated was the understatement of the century. Dallas wouldn’t have been surprised if the guy had an aneurysm the second he got off the phone.
That conversation was the one thing that lit the fire under Mack to find a replacement, temporary or otherwise, for the Canada trip.
With the news that he was actively looking for work elsewhere, Dallas had expected Mack to let him go on the spot.
He wasn’t so lucky.
Apparently, Mack had made it clear that until he was officially hired, he still worked for their corporation. And while he was willing to approve an extended leave of absence until he heard back about the job opportunity, he wasn’t going to void the contract.
That was fine.
The interview had gone better than expected.
Sonya had been right. The gig with the state didn’t offer as high of a salary, but the benefits would be nice. He’d been assured they’d work with him on finding something close to home, even if it meant he worked remotely for the main office.
Things were finally starting to work in his favor.
After that night in the country club parking lot, Camilla had slowly been warming up to him in person and on the phone.
Cheyenne was keeping her distance. He didn’t know what had transpired between his twin and the love of his life, but he wasn’t champing at the bit to find out.
When Camilla was ready to talk, he’d be there.
That was the most he could offer her.
Dallas had borrowed Isabelle’s car for the trip to Denver. She’d been more than happy to agree when he told her why he was making the trip. Now that it appeared he’d be sticking around, he’d need to start looking for a truck of his own.
Miles of fields passed him as he drove down the familiar highway heading toward Copper Creek. Despite having moved around for the better part of a decade, this drive felt like coming home. And when he passed by a for sale sign, something in him screamed to pull over.
He didn’t know why exactly, but that sign caught his attention. The simple signage was at the edge of a dirt road that would likely lead to some parcel of land. He didn’t quite have enough money to make a full offer. Heck, he didn’t even have a girl to settle down with—not yet, anyway.
And yet those thoughts didn’t stop him from backing up and turning down the road. He turned down a winding path that didn’t give any indication of what he was in for until he rounded a cluster of aspens.
The small house looked more like a cottage and a cabin fell deeply in love and had a baby.
He snickered to himself at the thought as he took in the quaint property.
It was empty by the looks of it. Small, but with room to grow.
There was a small lean-to with enough space for two horses.
A dog run had been built nearby. Untamed fields swallowed the property.
If that sign hadn’t been posted, he wasn’t sure he would have ever known this place existed.
He glanced up at the sky, gauging his location. Based on what he knew of the terrain, this property was within a couple miles of Winding Creek Ranch. Camilla would be close to home.
The way his heart pattered in his chest and picked up the speed until it all but thrashed against his ribs indicated how perfect this place would be for the two of them.
Dallas had to have it.
His soul practically screamed at him to call the realtor and demand it be pulled from the market. But that wasn’t how this worked. He knew better. Being between jobs would make it difficult to get approval for a loan. Not to mention, he needed the girl.
Maybe this property would tip the scales in his favor?
Or it’d run her off.
He scrubbed his jaw as he drank in the scene before him. Then, without another thought, he climbed into the car and headed back the way he’d come, making sure to take a picture of the number on the sign.
“What do you want, Thorton?” Mateo muttered after glancing up from the paperwork in his hand. Roman stood at Dallas’s back as if to cage him into the office. These two were the men Dallas was worried to confront. He’d managed to avoid them since the big blowup.
The only thing keeping his feet planted here was how he felt for Camilla.
“I need your help.”
Roman snickered at his back. It sounded more threatening than amused.
Mateo dropped the paperwork and leaned back in his seat. “Oh? And why would I help you after what you did to my sister? Again?”
Dallas winced. “Because this is about her.”
“You’re going to stay away from her,” Roman growled at him. “Don’t even try it again.”
It was a little too late for that. Dallas was slowly inching himself into Camilla’s good graces again.
He cleared his throat and scrubbed his jaw.
“I made a mistake. But I’m working to fix it.
” He didn’t know what Camilla told her brothers, and he wasn’t about to dig himself a deeper grave by admitting to something she’d kept to herself.
Their relationship was between them, no one else.
“Yeah, you did,” Mateo snapped. “You hurt her. I should have listened to them when they said you shouldn’t stay. I trusted you.”
Dallas hung his head. “I know.”
“And yet you’re coming here for help?”
He nodded, heat creeping up the back of his neck. “I know you don’t have any reason to help me out, but maybe you’ll consider it after you hear what I have to say.”
Camilla’s oldest brother cocked his head, eyes flashing with curiosity.
That was a good sign, right?
Rubbing the back of his neck and tossing Roman a quick look, Dallas stepped closer to Mateo. “There’s a place for sale a few miles east of here. It’s got a small house and enough land to expand. It’s close to home.”
Mateo didn’t speak. He continued to stare with those penetrating eyes all the Palmers had.
“I’m staying, Mateo. I’m not going anywhere. I’d sacrifice my job and everything else if it meant I could be with Camilla.”
“Why?” Roman ground out. “Why put her through any of this again?”
Dallas turned to him then. “Because she is my everything. My job. My sister. None of it matters. There is only her.” He thought he saw the corners of Roman’s mouth twitch before he shot a look at Mateo over Dallas’s shoulder.
Turning, Dallas met Mateo’s eyes. “I’m in between jobs at the moment…
kinda. That means it’s going to be near impossible to get a loan for that property, but with the market being what it is, I need to jump on it before someone else does. ”
Mateo arched a brow. “A loan? And what makes you think I can afford that?”
He swallowed hard. “I don’t. But I know you have connections here.
I thought, if nothing else, you could talk to them.
I’ll do whatever it takes. I’m not against anything.
Working for the Callahans. Offering favors to that Shane guy at the country club.
Whatever it takes.” Desperation seeped into his voice. “Anything,” he whispered.
Dallas rested his hand atop Camilla’s. Hers were wrapped around his waist as they rode the ATV toward the cabin he’d called home. He’d since moved out, but Camilla had asked him to take her out to where he’d been taking samples and doing his research.
This was a sign she was opening up to him if he ever had one.
Once they arrived, she slung her backpack onto one shoulder and then gave him an expectant look. He chuckled as he gathered his own bag and started out toward the wooded area.
“You talk to Cheyenne recently?” Her voice surprised him, and he glanced at her over his shoulder.
“Nope. You?”
“She’s tried calling a couple times.” She shrugged. When he didn’t say anything, she continued. “She confessed to everything, Dallas. All of it.”
He stiffened. Had she told Camilla about the ring? He prayed not. He didn’t want Camilla to pick him out of some strange sense of obligation. “I’m sorry you were caught in the middle of it.”
She released a sad-sounding laugh. “You and me both.” Camilla continued walking at his back, the crunching of her boots the only indication she remained close. “I can’t believe she’d do that.”
“I can.” He sighed.
“Really?”
He nodded, then slowed so he could face her. “In high school, I…” He grimaced. “I may have dated more than one of her friends.”
She gasped, her eyes flying wide. “Dallas! Isn’t that against some sort of code?”
“Probably,” he said dismally. “I wasn’t exactly the upstanding man I am today. I think that’s when our relationship with each other started to crumble. Cheyenne is very protective of what she thinks belongs to her. So, I should probably apologize for my hand in what she did.”
Camilla reached forward and took his hand, sending shocks of electricity through his body.
Besides the way she’d clung to him on the ATV, she hadn’t touched him since that night at the country club.
He stared down in awe of how easy it was for her to affect him, but then her words ripped him to the present.
“It’s not your fault. Cheyenne is responsible for her own choices, just like you are.
” She gave him a wan smile. “Just like me.”
He didn’t want to assume that this was another breakthrough. Patience. He needed to have patience to earn her trust. Patience to hear back about that job. And to tell her that he’d bought them a little house when she was ready.
Dallas squeezed her hand and nodded.
“When do you leave?”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Your job. I know you’re leaving any day now.”
Tilting his head, he stepped toward her. “I got an extended stay.”
He hated how much he adored the flicker of hope in her eyes—because he’d been the one to snuff it out in the first place.
“Really?”
Dallas nodded. “Really,” he said. “Right now, I’m not sure when or if I’ll have to leave.” He kissed the tip of her nose, purposefully ignoring the question in her eyes. He wasn’t ready to elaborate.
Or perhaps she wasn’t ready to hear it. Not until he had something concrete to give her.
“Come on. Let’s go. I found some fresh tracks before…” His voice trailed off. Before the fragile walls of their life had fallen. Before the truths had been released from their cages. Before he’d started the arduous process of making amends.