Page 5

His swallow is thick. “How’s Betty Lou?”

“Go see for yourself.”

The duck is snuggled in her bed of fuzzy blankets, but will gladly perk up for another treat. Even for a traitor.

But Chance leaves her hanging, choosing to continue harassing me instead. Go figure. “She’s a great addition to this place.”

And I’m so over this. “Uh-huh.”

“Seven-eleven is around the corner.”

My eyes roll to the fluorescent beer sign hanging on the front window. “Are you celebrating with Marie?”

He flinches. “That was a—”

“Mistake,” I fill in. “Yes, you’ve told me.”

“You have to know by now that nothing happened with her.”

I suck in a deep breath, calming the emotion rising in my throat. Why he expects a different result after approaching the situation exactly the same way is the very definition of insanity. But who am I to deny yet another failed attempt?

“She was just a prop to prove your point, right? And it wasn’t just her. Dozens followed to hammer the nail deep enough to shatter me. You hurt me over and over and over until I couldn’t even look at you. Every good memory we shared was replaced with something malicious and ugly. Didn’t our friendship mean anything to you?” I sniff and drop my watery gaze, talking over him when he starts to speak. “It doesn’t matter. You paraded buckle bunnies around like it was your job. I was dumb enough to care about you, but I’ve learned my lesson. Never again will I fall for a man who doesn’t deserve me.”

“I never should’ve put you in that position. Please let me explain,” he rasps.

“Why now? To suddenly absolve your guilt? Talk into the wind. It will have the same impact.”

“You deserve the truth.”

“I deserved a better friend!”

The finality in my declaration booms between us. I hate that my voice cracks. What I hate more is that I still care enough to give him a reaction.

“Shit,” Chance mutters after my breathing regulates. “I’m so fucking sorry, Gemma.”

As if I’m sixteen again, my gaze can’t meet his. “You broke my heart. It’s done. Time to move on.”

But he still doesn’t budge. “How can I make it up to you?”

I’m already shaking my head. “You can’t. The best you can do is leave me alone.”

“She won’t hear me out.” My tone is pathetic, but that mirrors my mood. “I’ve been trying to get her to just talk to me, but even that’s a chore. It’s looking bleak.”

Unlike the rodeo grounds. Green grass and a cloudless, sunny sky set the stage for a lucrative day. If only I could get my heart in the game. That vital organ is being repeatedly stomped on by Gemma’s gelding as she warms up in the arena. Not that I don’t deserve it.

My chest aches, demanding I erase the distance between us. It’s painful to watch her ignore me. I force my gaze to settle for the redhead currently acting as my sounding board.

Frankie stares at me like I’m an abstract painting she doesn’t understand. “Wow, you’re really awful at this.”

I scowl. “That’s all you have to say after I poured my heart out to you?”

My brother’s nanny-turned-wife kicks her head back on a sharp laugh. “Kid, it was your bad decision to assume I’d be the least bit helpful.”

“Kid?” My expression hardens more. “We’re the same age.”

“It’s just a number. I’m ancient when it comes to life experience.”

“Is that why you made it so easy for Byron?”