“Do you have any idea what I’ve been through? No, you don’t! Because all you left was a stupid note with barely any explanation at all. And no matter what happened from that point on, you couldn’t be there to tell me everything was going to be OK.” Her eyes began to water, and Cole squinted down at her, wondering what on earth she was talking about.
“I was only gone for six weeks,” he said.
“Only six weeks?” she echoed bitterly. “Only six weeks? And how was I supposed to know you would only be gone six weeks? As far as I knew, it was forever.” She had an excellent point there, he had to admit.
“I didn’t know either,” he admitted. “And I get why you’re angry. I really, really do. Believe me. But I was hoping…” He paused and bent down to pick up the fallen bouquet. “I was hoping you might let me explain at least. After I’ve told you everything, you can punch me in the face if you want, and I’ll walk away from you forever. But if you want me to stay, I’ll stay.”
She stepped back, folded her arms, and glared at him, refusing to even look at the flowers he’d brought her. “How long will you stay?” she asked.
“As long as you want me around,” he answered, and he hoped she could hear his sincerity in that answer.
“Fine.” She dropped her arms and started back toward her personal cabin. Cole could sense she was starting to calm downa bit, and he started to hope things might not go as badly as they could, all things considered. “Go ahead and sit down,” she said.
“Can I put these in a vase?” he asked, gesturing to the bouquet he’d brought.
“I’ll do it.” She snatched the flowers away from him and carried them to the kitchen. He could see her laying the flowers down and pulling a vase out of a cupboard from his chair. The fact that she wasn’t throwing them directly into the trash gave him one more reason to hope.
“First, you deserve an explanation for why I left when I did,” he told her. “The police had come looking for me, and you covered for me, which was so much more than I could have or would have ever asked for. But there was a chance they would come back, and I didn’t want you to be implicated. The only solution was to leave, though it nearly killed me to do so.”
She brought the flowers over and set them on the table before sitting across from him. “And you couldn’t share anything with me. Why?” She sounded like somebody’s overwrought mother, he thought, and the thought made him smile. That voice, though harsh, came from a place of love, and he knew that. She was frustrated because she cared.
“Because if you knew, then you couldn’t claim ignorance. But everything’s changed now, and I can tell you what happened.”
“I’m listening.” She sat back and folded her arms. It pained him to see her distrust, but at least she was listening. He couldn’t ask for more than that.
“I have a nephew, my sister’s kid. Josh is his name. I’ve known him since he was a baby.” He smiled at the fond memories hestill had of that cute little face. “He’s a good kid, but he messed up.”
“Messed up?” she asked, leaning in now. Her arms were no longer crossed, and Cole took that as a good sign.
“Made a mistake. Our father’s ranch was in trouble, and Josh had gotten some bad advice about how to get the money we needed to save it. He made the wrong choice, and since I was officially in charge of the books, the police assumed it was me. Rather than correct them, I took the heat and fled. We had a merry chase around the country for years, and I told myself I was only sacrificing something I never really wanted in the first place—settling down—so that his life wouldn’t be destroyed.” He smiled a sad smile. “I only realized I was wrong about what I wanted the day I met you. For the first time in years, I wanted to stay. I wanted it more than anything, but I couldn’t have it without putting you in danger. It nearly killed me to leave you. I hope you know that.”
“I know now.” Her cheeks were turning red, and he couldn’t tell if that was a bad thing or a good thing. Either way, it was downright adorable. “Well, I know it’s probably petty of me, but I’m really glad it wasn’t easy for you.”
He wanted to reach across the table and take her hand, but he still wasn’t sure exactly where he stood. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I swear.”
A small smile crossed her face, and he almost leapt up at the sight of it. “So you suffered?”
He nodded.
“Good!” Her anger was fading into playfulness, and that was another good sign. “So, why can you suddenly come back now? Aren’t the police still looking for you?”
Now, it was time for the good news. Cole shook his head. “I told you Josh was a good kid. Apparently, even I didn’t know how good he was. He felt terrible about the whole thing, thought it was a massive injustice that I was being hunted for his mistake. He finally came clean to the police. He called and told me yesterday.”
“Yesterday?” She looked like she didn’t quite believe it but wanted to.
“I came straight here,” he said. “I couldn’t stand to stay away from you for another minute.”
That finally broke whatever dam was holding back all her true feelings. She jumped out of her chair and rounded the table to throw her arms around him. “You mean it? You really mean it? Oh, please let this be true.”
“It’s true,” Cole assured her. “I swear it’s true. That’s why I brought this.” He pulled out the bottle of champagne he’d put into his deep coat pocket and presented it to Kat. “To celebrate.”
Kat was grinning wider than Cole had ever seen her grin. “I want to celebrate with you. I really do.” Her eyes looked to the bottle and back again. “But I can’t have any of that.”
All of a sudden, Cole had the distinct impression that he was missing something important. The look on Kat’s face was expectant, excited, and a little bit scared. He had no idea how to prepare for whatever she was about to say to him. “Why not?”
When she finally answered his question, he came about as close as he’d ever come to actually passing out. “Because I’m pregnant.”
Cole felt his jaw drop, but he could do very little to stop it. His first thought was to ask her whether the baby was his, but the more he thought about it, the less doubt he had that it had to be. She wouldn’t have hooked up with someone new so quickly after he left. He knew her well enough to be confident about that. “You…” His mouth was too dry for any kind of eloquence at this point. “You are? You wouldn’t kid me about that, would you?”
