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“She’s with me,” Zach admitted as neutrally as possible.
“She better be with you of her own free will, motherfucker, because if she’s not, you’re gonna have every goddamn law-enforcement officer within a ten-mile radius swarm your ass in the next few minutes—”
Zach understood in that moment that Josh Turner knew about everything that Katie had gone through in the past. The anger in the man’s voice, the protectiveness he felt for his cousin told Zach that much. He cut in to try to calm the younger man down. “She’s fine, man. We’re coming home this weekend—”
“Home to Redwood Falls?”
There was no question that Josh wanted to see Katie for himself to make sure she was okay. Zach made the decision to take her to Redwood Falls first, even if she wanted to go to Dallas. “Yeah.”
“I want to speak to her now. Put her on the damn phone.” His new brother-in-law’s voice bled hostility and Zach could in no way blame him for feeling the way he did.
He glanced over at Katie; she was picking at a piece of toast and darting him questioning looks every few seconds. Zach turned his back completely and spoke lower into the phone. “Okay. She’s sitting right here. I’ll hand her the phone okay? But, Turner, I need to tell you. You and I … we need to learn how to get along.”
“Why’s that?” the other man sneered. “Because my wife is your sister?”
Zach took two seconds to think about how he should respond to that question. Yeah, they needed to get along for the reason that Turner suggested. But he also needed to make the other man understand that what Zach felt for Katie wasn’t casual … and it was no longer vengeful … it hadn’t been vengeful in a long, long time. How in the hell would Zach feel if he thought that Hannah was being forced into a situation not of her own making? He’d go ballistic and he knew he owed Josh Turner something. Why the hell not the truth? Zach blew out a ragged breath. “Well there’s that, yeah … but also because I’m in love with your cousin.”
Zach gripped the phone to his ear as he heard only heavy silence coming from the other end. He walked across the room and handed Katie the phone. “Your cousin wants to speak to you.”
Her eyes flared when she realized who he’d been talking to and he read a question there before she took the phone and put it to her ear. Her eyes held his as she said, “Josh?”
Zach couldn’t take another second and walked upstairs to try to wash away his hangover with a cold shower.
****
Katie watched Zach’s retreating back as she heard Josh’s growl come over the line. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said distractedly.
“Are you sure?”
She tried to change the subject and take his mind away from why she was with Zach McIntyre. “Did y’all get married?” Katie hadn’t texted either Josh or Hannah to confirm Zach’s belief. If they were eloping, she hadn’t wanted to be held responsible for not telling her mother.
“Yeah. We’re married.”
Katie heard the fierce satisfaction in his voice and it didn’t surprise her a bit. “Congratulations,” she said through a smile. “Are mom and dad okay with it?”
“Aunt Di’s still a bit mad at the way we did it, but she’s thrilled to death that Hannah and I are married.”
“I am, too.”
“Thanks, hon,” he breathed out before his tone changed, any lightness leaving his voice to be replaced with a serious quality. “I have a question to ask you.”
“Okay.” Katie braced herself. Here it was; he was going to ask the sixty-four thousand dollar question about why she was with Zach.
“What’s all this bullshit about McIntyre being in love with you?”
Katie felt a starburst explode in her head and land in her stomach. Shock cascaded through her bloodstream as she tried to get her brain to function. “He said that to you?”
“Yeah.”
Katie sucked in oxygen. “No, he didn’t.”
“Yeah, Katie, he did.”
“He told you that he’s in love with me?” She tried to clarify. She couldn’t wrap her head around it. Why would Zach say that to Josh?
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. “I thought it was pure bullshit he was feeding me.” Another heartbeat of silence. “But I can tell from your reaction that it’s true. When did all this happen? And why didn’t you know?”
“I don’t know … I didn’t know.”
“He said y’all are coming home?”
“Yeah, today.”
“Then I’ll see you later, sweetheart. Sounds like you have things to think about.
”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Katie ended the call and carefully set the phone down. She glanced up the stairs where Zach had disappeared. She could hear the water running in his bathroom. Her brain felt fuzzy. She tried to think but couldn’t. Why would Zach have said something like that if it weren’t true? Katie’s heart skipped a beat.
He wouldn’t have.
A warm, sweet ache built as her tummy flipped.
Zach loved her.
****
Zach hustled her through the airport and into the cabin of the airplane where first class was located. Katie looked around at all the empty seats. They had this area of the plane virtually to themselves.
Before they’d left the house, Zach hadn’t given her even a second to question him, although she had tried. He’d been uncommunicative on the drive to the airport, his expression forbidding, and Katie hadn’t pressed him.
But now, as the plane ascended into the clouds, he was strapped in next to her and she could have his undivided attention, as long as he didn’t pull out his laptop.
She jumped into speech before he could do that. “Josh told me what you said.”
He busied himself by pulling his cell phone from his pocket and switching it off. He didn’t look at her as he answered. “I’m not doing this right now.”
“Zach—”
“No. I’m taking you home.” His voice was firm, his resolve undisputable. “We’re wiping the slate clean. I’m going to repair the biggest screw-up of my life even if it kills me. You’re going home to your family. After you get there, if you still want to talk about this with me—” he turned to face her and their glances connected. “If you want to talk to me of your own free will, then nothing would please me more.”
His eyes were dark brown pools of torment, and an unbidden image of all those roses he’d sent to her over the years came up and took over her brain. The notes he’d written. The times he’d argued with her and told her repeatedly that they weren’t enemies.
