Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
R eilly McKeegan stared at the computer screen, his mind a tangled mess. The login page blinked at him, but he wasn’t seeing it—he was seeing Lynne.
Logic dictated that he should let go, that he should move on. But love wasn’t logical. Neither was the ache in his chest every time he thought about her or the way his world felt hollow without her presence.
He needed her to say the words—that she didn’t love him. Maybe then he could finally stop tormenting himself.
Had it really only been four days since he left Potter? It felt like a lifetime.
Enough.
Shoving back from the desk, he stood. No more overthinking. No more waiting. He needed to see her, to settle this once and for all.
Throwing on his ranch clothes and grabbing his Stetson, he strode out the door. Maybe she didn’t feel the same way. Maybe she’d moved on. But he had to hear it from her lips.
Because if she hadn’t...
If there was even a sliver of hope...
Then he wasn’t letting her go again.
Driving through town, his pulse pounded. Her motorcycle wasn’t parked in front of the clinic. A flicker of nerves tightened his stomach. He pressed on, heading for her house.
Fifteen minutes later, he pulled into her driveway and spotted her bike.
She was home.
Reilly barely had time to step out of the truck before the barn door swung open. Lynne emerged, a bucket in her hands. Her gaze locked onto his, and in that instant, everything else faded.
The bucket hit the ground with a dull thud.
She ran to him.
Relief surged through him, and he opened his arms just as she crashed into his chest. He wrapped her up, burying his face in her hair, inhaling the scent of hay and sunshine and home.
Leaning down, he kissed her. A kiss that said everything.
How much he loved her.
How lost he was without her.
How he needed her more than his next breath.
“Lynne, I love you. Life without you is impossible. You’re all I think about.”
She stiffened.
His heart dropped.
He let his hands fall away, stepping back as reality came crashing down. “I’m sorry. I thought we were on the same page, but from the look on your face... I was wrong.” His throat tightened. “I won’t bother you again.”
She didn’t say a word.
His chest felt hollow as he turned, climbed into his truck, and drove away.
What had just happened?
Lynne stood frozen, her heart hammering, her breath coming too fast. The weight of his words settled over her, heavy and overwhelming.
She’d waited so long to hear them.
So why had she panicked?
She staggered into her house and dropped onto the couch, pressing a trembling hand to her chest. She hadn’t spoken. She hadn’t said anything.
Tears blurred her vision.
She’d regret this moment for the rest of her life.
With shaking fingers, she grabbed her phone and dialed.
He answered on the first ring.
“I love you too,” she whispered. “Please come back.”
Silence.
“Are you sure?” His voice was raw, uncertain.
“Yes.”
“I’m turning around now.”
The what-ifs spun in her mind.
Where would they live? Not Tyrone. Not the McKeegan ranch. But none of it mattered. Not really.
The moment his headlights cut through the darkness, she ran outside, tears still spilling. She stood there, hands clasped, her heart in her throat.
Reilly stepped out of the truck, his face unreadable, his eyes haunted.
And she knew she’d done that to him.
She took a step forward, then another, until she was in his arms. Holding on. Never letting go.
Because this—right here—was where she belonged.
Always.