That hurt in her voice.
She truly cares about Connor and what he’s going through. No matter how bad things get between me and him, she will always have a soft spot for him. The fact that he keeps freezing her—and everyone else—out, is really getting to her. That only makes me more furious with Connor.
His horrible behavior and attitude may hurt me. That’s fine. I can take it. Willow can’t. Nor should she have to.
"Maybe you were already down here by the time he got back…” Even as the words leave my mouth, trying to placate her, I know they’re not true. Connor snuck onto the homestead, cleaned up, and skulked away like a thief in the night rather than a man returning home. And I can’t lie to her about it. “But I don't think so.”
Her entire face falls, disappointment seeping into her gray gaze. “Why not?"
Dammit.
I wish I didn’t have to be the one to tell her all this. She always views anything that comes out of my mouth relating to Connor McBride with a grain of salt, having clearly been tainted by my deep dislike of him. That means she probably won’t believe me anyway.
"Because he talked to Tony this morning at the diner before the sun even came up.”
Willow crosses her arms over her chest, skepticism written all over her face. “How do you know?”
I release a long sigh. “Because Connor knew about my article, and after he came into the bakery and tried to start World War III, Tony stopped by and offered an apology for spilling the beans.”
A huffed breath floats from her lips. “Well, damn."
Lucky leans her elbows on the counter, resting her face in her palms, her blue hair spilling forward as she watches me with interest, clearly wanting all the details of our confrontation. "What did he say to you?”
I’m not about to get into the exact words exchanged with either of them; that would only prove Connor’s point. Something I absolutely do not want to do today when I need to get back my focus on the damn story.
Shrugging, I try not to be as rattled by what went down at the bakery as I really am. "Just that he was mad that I wrote that article."
Willow purses her lips. "I told you not to.”
She sure did.
For years, she’s warned me about my community news stories and that they pissed off the McBride brothers—and some other residents of McBride Mountain—and that one day it would push someone over the edge.
She was right. Connor was damn near close to that today, but that doesn’t mean what I did was wrong.
“When has that ever stopped me before?”
Willow gives me a tight smile. “True…but there are some things that are better left alone, Raven. Things better kept private."
If she or anyone else knew what I've been working on, they'd probably duct tape me to one of the chairs Liam builds until they could convince me not to write it or publish it…and throw my computer in the fire pit.
But my article about Connor wasn’t what he thinks, even though he always wants to believe the worst of me. Still, I’m not going to try to defend it to Willow, either.
Lucky begins unboxing the candles one by one, setting them on the counter. "Did you and Connor continue the fight you had the other night?"
My back stiffens, and I look to the beautiful woman who has captured Liam's heart but who also brought the Lorells and all the danger to the mountain with her.
It isn't the first time she or the McBride boys have tried to delve into what sent Connor stalking up into those woods in the first place a week ago, and I’ve managed to dodge and deflect, avoiding giving them any of the specifics about the heated argument that ended with him running.
"I told you there isn't anything to tell.” I shrug. “Not really. I went to bring him to dinner, he said no, got pissed when I pushed, and stormed off."
Lucky smirks and nods. "Sure.”
“You don't believe me?"
She carries a few of the candles over to the shelves and sets them there carefully, turning them so the labels that explain the various scents that Willow concocted are facing out. "All I know is that Liam and I heard you guys that night, and it certainly sounded pretty heated.”
Oh, it was definitely heated.
