Chapter 18
18
Mateo
T hat’s weird.
Mateo stared at his phone at the unknown number. He never got text messages from people other than his contacts. Granted, he’d gotten a handful over the years from people who had the wrong number, but this one was addressed to him.
Unknown : Mateo, I want to see you.
His thumb hovered over the option to delete the message. He didn’t know why he hesitated. If he didn’t have the number saved in his phone, he didn’t need to know who it was. The fact that they knew his name had to be the only reason.
And yet his gut was telling him he should just ignore it and move on. If it was important enough, they could call. Or they could tell him who they were.
He stared at the message and then shook his head before closing out the app and shoving the phone into his pocket. Whoever it was could reveal their identity if they wanted information from him.
Allowing himself to brush off the strange feeling he’d gotten from the message, he thought back to a few nights ago when he’d finally mustered up the courage to have Nikki included in his family activities.
He’d noticed the strange behavior from some of them. They knew of Nikki’s relationship with his ex. And for all he knew, they were only wondering if Mateo had lost his ever-loving mind.
Maybe he had.
How else did one describe when they fell in love after having their heart broken?
He couldn’t help it, though.
Nikki was like the spring rain after the harshest of winters. She was the first sign of green sprouting and the first kiss of warmth from the sun. He could already feel himself releasing the reins he’d clutched so tightly for so long.
And she was everything.
So was Paxton, for that matter.
When the time was right, he’d make sure they both knew he had every intention of claiming them both. He didn’t know the full extent of Paxton’s parentage, but he would do whatever it took to become that boy’s father.
His phone buzzed and he frowned again, pulling it out of his pocket.
Then his heart dropped out of his chest and landed with a thud at his feet.
Unknown : I can tell you saw my message. If you want to ignore me, turn off the read receipts. It’s been almost ten years. I would have thought you were over what happened.
There was no denying who this person was. He’d deleted Caroline’s information and blocked her for good measure when they’d broken up. Apparently, she had a new number but hadn’t lost his.
Mateo glowered at the message, tempted to ream her out and tell her to go where the sun didn’t shine. He wanted to tell her everything he hadn’t had the strength to say back when she’d ripped his heart into ribbons. He wanted to let the festering anguish rise up and burn with the fury of everything she’d done to hurt him.
The irony of his situation wasn’t lost on him. Nikki still tried to bring up Caroline. Sometimes outright, sometimes she’d ease into it.
Every single time, he’d shut her down. When he’d brought her up that one time, it had been the last. He’d promised himself as much. It was like Caroline had become a demon of some kind. Nikki had said her name too many times and now she was showing up.
Well, Mateo wasn’t going to let her steal his happiness a second time. He wasn’t going to allow her to slink into his life and claw apart the pieces he’d finally put back together after she’d cheated on him and moved on with another guy.
Why was she reaching out now? There wasn’t a good reason for it. She had no excuses. Like she’d said herself. It had been about ten years. What kind of monster waited for ten years to reconcile with the person they betrayed?
What makes you think she’s trying to reconcile?
The question was like a slap to the face.
She wanted to meet, and there would be no telling why unless he responded.
Heat filled his whole body, and he shook his head with disgust. He couldn’t believe he’d actually considered responding to her for a moment there.
He tapped his phone until he’d blocked the number and deleted it. He didn’t live under a rock. If she’d figured out her last number had been blocked, she’d figure out that this one had, too. Eventually, she’d message him again. And he’d do the same thing with that number until she got the hint.
For the rest of the day as he went through his usual work with the dogs and check-in with Daniel, Mateo kept going back to those messages he’d gotten from Caroline. Part of him knew it would be better just to hit this head-on. She wasn’t going to stop. He’d known Caroline well enough to figure that out.
She’d try with the messages, then phone calls, and then she’d probably track him down through social media. If she got that far, she’d likely get his address. His business was common knowledge. She’d figure out where he lived…
His whole body froze, hand on the gate of the corral he was just about to enter as he realized what that would mean. If Caroline showed up here, she’d realize that Nikki was here. There was no telling how that scenario would play out. She could lash out at Nikki… or her son.
Caroline was a terrible person, but she wouldn’t hurt a child, would she?
Mateo shrugged away from those thoughts and forced himself to think about better things. Caroline’s message had put him in a tailspin, and he needed to right himself before he saw Nikki later today. She’d be able to tell if something was wrong, and he was definitely not going to tell her that Caroline was trying to reach out.
Nothing would spell trouble like that news coming to the forefront of everyone’s notice.
He shoved himself into the corral and shut the gate behind him. Daniel and two of his other wranglers were getting some new horses ready for a trial run with the cattle and some of their freshly trained dogs. If everything went smoothly, the dogs would be sent off to their new families and the horses would be given a permanent home.
If not, they’d be working with the dogs some more and the horses would be evaluated as to whether they stayed or were auctioned off. Mateo didn’t have time for stubborn beasts, no matter how tender Sophia’s heart had become toward the animals.
“Ready?” Mateo ground out.
Daniel’s eyebrows rose as his head swiveled to look at him. Mateo grimaced inwardly at his sharp tone. Already, he was letting Caroline influence his work. This wasn’t good. If he couldn’t contain his fury around his friend, how on earth was he to do so around Nikki?
“Sorry,” Mateo muttered, gripping the saddle horn to launch himself into his seat. “It’s been a long day.”
“It’s not even lunch yet,” Daniel mused.
“Don’t remind me,” Mateo said, his eyes shifting to the building where Nikki worked. “You know the plan? We’re going to move the cattle to a new pasture that’s farther out and see how the dogs do. Then, in a few days, we’ll bring the cattle back.”
Daniel nodded curtly. “The guys know what they’re supposed to do. And we’re all set.”
Mateo stared down at the three dogs they were taking on this trip. Each one sat, waiting for them to get going. Roman beamed with pride. With how busy Mateo had been with Paxton’s riding lessons and spending time with Nikki, he’d delegated more responsibility to his brother in training the dogs. He wouldn’t be coming on this ride with them, but he’d brought the pups to the corral so Mateo didn’t have to track them down.
Offering his younger brother a nod and a smile, he jerked his chin toward the mess hall. “I’m going to be gone most of the day. Will you keep an eye on the kid for me? He’s got a knack for slipping away when his mother is busy. I really don’t want him breaking another bone now that the sling will be coming off next week.”
Roman nodded. “Sure. I’ll distract him with something. Or maybe I’ll get Sophia?—”
Mateo set him with a warning look. “Sophia is working with the horses today. We need to keep the kid away from the larger animals until we know he’s healed completely.”
Roman rolled his eyes. “You’ve become such a buzzkill. You know that?”
Grinning, Mateo couldn’t deny the joy he felt in knowing why his brother had that opinion of him. Mateo was settling down with a beautiful woman and her son. He was taking responsibility in a way he’d never done before. If that meant he was getting boring, he couldn’t think of a better reason.
The ride was uneventful. The dogs did their jobs with little to no mistakes. Even the horses seemed to be on their best behavior. It made Mateo wish it had been more difficult because then his mind couldn’t wander. He hated himself for allowing his thoughts to consistently drift to that woman.
By the time they returned, he was mentally spent. He didn’t want to face Nikki for fear she’d notice and demand that he open up to her. He had to be stronger than this. She deserved a better person who didn’t immediately get tugged back into a storm where he had no right being.
Mateo dismounted his horse and offered to brush down the others, sending Daniel and his other men to dinner. He took his time, focusing on clearing his head from everything related to Caroline.
Then his phone buzzed, and all his dismal thoughts came roaring back to the surface. He gritted his teeth and pulled out his phone. Thankfully, it was a message from his sister wondering if he was going to eat dinner with them or if she needed to save him a plate so Roman didn’t eat everything.
He sent off a quick reply and pushed out a deep breath.
“Everything okay?”
Nikki’s soft voice had him flinching far more than it should have. She was behind him. How long had she been there? Shoot! Had she noticed his reaction to his phone?
Slowly, he turned to face her, noticing the lines drawn between her brows. He smiled and nodded. “I’m okay. It’s just been… a day.”
Even he could see that she didn’t believe him. It was clearly written on her face. He’d gotten to know the little nuances of her expressions. When she was worried, it wasn’t easy to rid her of those emotions. And right now, the woman he cared about was concerned for him.
Nikki reached toward him, and he welcomed her into his arms. She held onto him, resting her cheek against his shoulder and breathing deeply. “I’m sorry.”
Those two words normally would give him a bit of peace. But all he felt right now was guilt. He should be confiding in her. He should be telling her what he was dealing with, and yet he was being a coward.
No.
He was being stubborn.
Caroline didn’t deserve to infiltrate the joy he’d found with Nikki, so he would protect what he had at all costs. No matter what it took, he’d keep Nikki shielded from the woman who had influenced their lives for the worst.
Nikki pulled back to look at him, the concern still etched into her face. She did smile, though. And it appeared that she wasn’t going to push him on what he was dealing with.
“I’m the luckiest man alive,” he said, brushing his lips to her forehead. “Because I have you.”