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Looking up at the ranch house as he passed it, he noticed the bedroom light on. Chloé would be up there packing right now. She’d be leaving again in the morning and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He had nothing to offer her, not that she’d want him anyway.
His stomach lurched. He had wanted her for so long and had blown the only chance he’d had. He’d never know the reason why she agreed to their date that night, but the fact remained that she hadn’t wanted him. Her university friends clearly had more to offer. It was a sobering thought that haunted him all night.
CHAPTER NINE
After a restless night, Tyler got up early. The snow was falling heavily again and he was eager to check that the horses were all right. Thunder was munching happily on some oats when he opened the stall, and his stomach roiled as he watched him. The last time Chloé had left the ranch Lightning had just died, and it became the worst day of Tyler’s life.
He knew that Uncle John had tried to spare Chloé from the heartache of seeing her lifeless horse, but he also understood that the poor girl might have needed the chance to say goodbye to her.
Lightning had been her pride and joy; the love of her life. It must have been unbearable to learn that she had gone like that. Just like it was heartbreaking for Tyler to learn of Chloé leaving the way she did; angry and upset. He had always wondered whether he should have tried harder to convince John to delay disposing of the horse.
He patted Thunder’s nose. Although Chloé wasn’t quite as attached to this horse as she had been to Lightning, he guessed it would be hard to say goodbye to him. Although she could trust Tyler to look after the huge beast, a part of her must still resent him for being the one who took Lightning away. He removed the blanket and brushed the horse down, aware that she would want to come and say goodbye to him at some stage.
It wasn’t long after seven when Tyler heard the sound of Bill’s engine. He grimaced, watching the sleek vehicle pull up outside the house. His was the only vehicle around here that was sufficiently-equipped to venture down the mountain in this weather. The thought rankled. As did the realization that Chloé was leaving so early.
Had she actually been planning on letting him know that she’d decided to leave? Was she going to say good-bye? He fumed. That girl wasn’t going to storm out of here again without a word. He had made the mistake last time of letting her go without telling her how felt; it wouldn’t happen again. Even if she shot him down in flames, some things needed to be said.
He quickly replaced the blanket on Thunder and left the stall. Chloé had already answered the door to Bill and let him in before Tyler strode up the snowy steps and rang the bell.
“Tyler?” She looked surprised to see him. She also looked as though she’d been crying all night. Her cheeks were red and tear-stained, and her eyes puffy. Her lips looked redder than usual, though every bit as kissable.
His anger gave way to concern. “Hey, are you okay?” He put his hand on her shivering arm.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Bill interrupted before she had chance to reply.
Tyler looked up to see him in the hallway, his coat still on. Chloé stood back to allow him to join them, closing the door as soon as he was inside.
“I could ask you the same thing, Simmons.” Tyler removed his hat and slowly hung it on a hook by the door. A large suitcase stood nearby and his stomach churned.
“I’ve come to offer my neighbor a ride – as arranged.” Bill gave him a smug look. “What about you?”
“Come and have some coffee,” Chloé urged them both, with a sniff.
“We don’t have much time,” Bill told her, glancing at his fancy watch.
Tyler ignored him, hung up his coat and followed her into the kitchen.
“Thanks,” he said, taking the mug from her.
She swallowed hard. “I’m going back to Atlanta.”
Tyler’s heart sank. “Is that what you want? To leave all this?”
She shrugged. “It seems like the best option. I’ve got nothing to stay for.”
“What about your friends? Don’t they mean anything to you? Maisie Turner’s been lost all these months without you. She thought you’d finally come back to see her, but you haven’t even had so much as a coffee with her and yet, here you are, turning around again to go back.”
Chloé stared up at him. Her face fell and her eyes grew wider. “I know,” she whispered. “I really wanted to see her. She’s my best friend. My only friend.” A huge tear rolled down her red cheek. “There just hasn’t been time.”
He took a step nearer to her, resting a hand on her arm again. “Around here we make time for the things that matter,” he told her, softly but firmly. “And it’s people that matter the most.”
She nodded as more tears fell.
“And, besides, she’s not your only friend. What about all those university friends of yours?” He watched her expression change to one of confusion.
“Most of the others have got new careers. I don’t even know where half of them are now,” she told him with a shrug.
“I thought you were going to keep in touch after university,” he said, warily. “What about the one you went out with that night after your graduation?” He watched her face crumple, his heart melting.
