Chapter 1
one
Carolina
Eight Years Later
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I screamed as I heard the telltale thump, thump, thump that came from the flat tire of my SUV.
I slowed down and pulled to the side of the road, and slammed the vehicle into park as I came to a stop. I smacked the steering wheel in frustration as I groaned.
I didn’t need this today.
My now sour mood turned even worse as I took in my surroundings. I saw the gate off in the distance with the familiar C and R etched in black steel. So many of my childhood memories took place at Courtright Ranch.
This had to be the universe's way of saying the joke was on me because the past two days since I’d returned to Haven Valley, I hadn’t found the courage to seek out the one person I should.
I had so much I needed to tell him. Especially before word got out. Small towns weren’t exactly known for keeping secrets, and I had a huge one that I needed to tell Leo before someone else told him.
It was no wonder the universe had my tire go flat at the very moment I neared closer to his family’s ranch.
I leaned over and pulled my phone out of my bag. A black screen stared back at me as I pushed the side button.
Just great.
I rummaged around the car to try to find the charger that always seemed to mysteriously go missing only to come up empty.
I never allowed my phone to die, but today just went from worse to even worse.
I rested my head against the headrest and tried to come up with a plan to get this tire changed. It was hot as Hades outside, and I didn’t look forward to having to be out in the sweltering Texas heat to change the tire.
You can do this, Carolina, I said to myself as I leaned forward and prayed that this tire didn’t give me much of a fit.
Just as I was about to get out of the vehicle, the glint of light reflecting in my rearview mirror caught my attention. My eyes moved to the reflection, and I noticed a truck pulling up behind me in my rearview mirror.
Thank goodness. One good thing about small towns was that everyone looked out for each other.
I waited in my SUV as the person got out of the truck. I watched the man walk up and had to blink twice before it finally dawned on me who approached.
There was no way the universe hated me this much.
Walking toward me was none other than Leo Courtright.
I panicked as I looked around the SUV. Thankfully, Luke wasn’t with me.
I tried to throw one of the many blankets on my floorboard over the booster seat but failed in my attempt.
Just as I turned around, Leo was at my window.
With shaky hands, I pushed the button to roll the window down. This wasn’t how I pictured seeing him again would go. But I needed his help if I didn’t want to be out here for hours trying to change this tire. I’d never had to change one before, but I knew how.
“Hey there,” he said as he leaned down and rested his hands on my door. He hadn’t realized it was me just yet.
“Hey, Leo,” I managed to choke out, watching his face as recognition finally set in on who he’d stopped to help. His brows furrowed, the smile he had now gone only to be replaced with a scowl.
“Carolina,” he gritted out. His hands tightened around the door as he stared at me. So much hatred marred his expression. One thing that hadn’t changed was the baby blue color of his eyes. Eyes I used to get lost in.
“I…” I started to speak but was at a loss for words.
I couldn’t believe Leo stood before me. After not seeing him for eight years, I noticed not much about him had changed.
He still wore flannel shirts even though it was sweltering outside with jeans and cowboy boots.
I knew he wore them for protection, but I couldn’t imagine having to wear them in these hot Texas temperatures.
“I see you have a flat. You need help changin’ it?” He spoke in that Southern drawl I never forgot.
“You don’t have to do that. I can manage,” I replied, my voice shaking with nerves. I turned away from him to make sure the necklace I wore was hidden. I didn’t need him seeing the evidence that I hadn’t forgotten about him just yet.
“My mama would never let me live it down if she found out I didn’t help. You got a spare in the back?” he asked as if he was talking to a stranger and not the girl who'd broke his heart.
I noticed how he took in the sight of me, his eyes zeroing in on the rings on my left hand. Rings I only wore to ward off men, much good that ever did.
Thank goodness all that was in the back were some groceries because I didn’t want to have to lug out numerous boxes to get to the spare and jack.
“If you insist. I’ll just help you get the groceries out of the way,” I said as I went to open the door.
Leo walked toward the back of the SUV as I got out and followed him. I opened the hatch, pulled out a few bags of groceries, and walked to the back door to set them inside.
After I finished moving the bags, I went to the back of the SUV to find Leo had already pulled out the jack and spare and rolled the tire to the side of the road.
He dropped the tire, and it flopped back and forth a few times before it settled on the ground.
My heart pounded in my chest as I watched him effortlessly jack the vehicle into the air. I needed to say something, but I stood there stock-still as I watched him.
His hands tightened around the tire iron as he loosened the lug nuts and dropped them to the ground.
Once he’d loosened them all, he dropped the tire iron, causing one of the lug nuts to roll toward me.
Without thinking, I leaned down to stop the lug nut from escaping, not noticing that Leo reached for it at the same time.
Our hands brushed each other, causing me to still.
The electricity from the slight brush of his fingers against mine caused me to gasp and pull back as I slowly lifted my gaze to his.
Leo’s jaw clenched as he briefly met my gaze, seemingly unbothered by our brief touch. He muttered something I couldn’t understand as he hastily grabbed the lug nut and dropped it beside the others. I stood and inwardly reeled at the brief touch while he finished the task.
When he was done, he let the SUV down and brushed his hands on the side of his jeans.
“You’ll want to see if they can plug the tire or get a new one as soon as possible. You shouldn’t be driving around on this donut for long,” he said as he lifted the tire into the back of the SUV and slammed the hatch once it was safely inside.
“Leo,” I finally spoke. I couldn’t manage anything else.
“Carolina,” he replied with a growl as he crossed his arms over his chest.
The use of my full name shouldn’t have jarred me, but it did. I wasn’t his cara or his firefly anymore.
“I,” I started to speak, but he cut me off.
“What are you doing here?” he asked as he leaned against my car, an angry gaze directed at me.
Gone was the man helping me with a flat. He clearly still held on to the disdain he had for me leaving. I wanted to shrink under his hateful gaze, but I squared my shoulders and refused to cower before him.
“I moved back,” I admitted, keeping my answers subtle; I wasn’t ready to face the truth of why I'd moved back.
“Since when?”
“A couple of days ago. How’ve you been?” I asked, deciding to start with a less heavy question before I told him.
He said nothing. Just stared at me with trepidation.
A few moments later he finally replied.
“Like you care,” he barked at me.
“Don’t act like that, Leo. I did care. I do care,” I whispered.
I knew he’d be angry when he first saw me, and I needed to rein in my responses if I didn’t want to mess everything up before I told him what I needed to tell him.
“You left, didn’t you?” he spat back.
I did. I left him. I left us. And I lied.
He had every right to be mad back then. But I poured my heart out in voicemails.
I begged and pleaded with him to call me so I could make everything right.
He never called or reached out. The final call I’d made to him, he’d blocked my number, so I resorted to emails that eventually bounced back.
Then numerous letters that remained unanswered.
I tried to tell him every way I knew how.
The only way I didn’t was by returning, something I just couldn’t do.
“I tried to call you a month after I left,” I admitted. We could start there, and then I could tell him. I couldn’t just blurt it out. My secret required a little more finesse than that.
“I know. I just didn’t care enough to answer,” he admitted.
Hearing his truth hurt. I willed the tears that filled my eyes not to fall. I couldn’t break down in front of him. I’d do that later tonight over my favorite bottle of wine.
“You should’ve answered my call, Leo. You have a…”
“Why?” he demanded before I could finish. “So you could tell me you never loved me again? No thank you. There was nothing left to say,” he said through clenched teeth.
“I had something important to tell you. You’d have known that if you’d have just returned one of my calls or texts. Or the numerous emails I sent. Or the letters I mailed.”
Just tell him, Carolina.
But I couldn’t get the words out. He obviously didn’t care enough to know what was so important all these years. Seeing his anger now, I knew he never opened my letters. He never knew my secret.
Dang you, Leo.
“I’m not doing this with you, Carolina. You said all you had to say before you left. There’s nothing left to say now. Make sure you get a new tire. And make sure when you see me, you walk the other way,” he replied and pushed off my SUV.
“Leo, wait. You need to…” I said as I grabbed his arm to stop him without thinking. A look of pure disgust crossed his features as he looked down at where my hand touched his arm and back up at me.
“I don’t need to do anything except be on my way,” he said with disdain as he pulled his arm from my grasp and stomped to his truck. The slamming of his door caused me to jump.
He pulled off without a backward glance; dirt flew around the truck and me as I watched him drive away.
At this rate, I’d never get to be the one to tell him about the secret that shared his eyes and temperament to boot. Our son knew all about his father, now I just needed to find a way to tell Leo, so he knew all about Luke.
“There was so much left to say, Leo,” I muttered to myself as I walked around the car and finally let the tears fall.