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She nodded. “Your secret’s safe with me. But why?”
“At first, it was to protect Emma. I write thrillers and murder mysteries and they sometimes get a little gruesome, so I didn’t want her reading the books. But then I made a little money, and it was more about …well…still protecting her, I guess. Her mom left when she was a baby because she wanted out of the small-town life and being a mom. She wanted nice clothes and fancy cars, and she’d always cared more about money and success than she had about us. And now the only time I hear from her is when she’s just broken up with her husband-of-the-month or is on the brink of bankruptcy and needs money. If she got even a whiff of my success, she would want a part of it.”
“That makes sense.”
“I’m doing this because I love it, but alsoforEmma. I’ve put most of the money away to secure a future for her—college savings and all that.”
“Does Luke know?”
“Yeah. He’s the one who encouraged me to write the first book. You know we’ve been friends since grade school and we were farm kids, so I was always making up stupid stories and telling them to him while we did chores. Then later, after my wife left, I got pretty depressed, and one night, he took me out for a beer and I told him this crazy idea I had for a book. And he told me to write it. Then he read it. Then he practically forced me to pitch the idea to Faye, who ended up buying it and she’s been my editor for every book since then.”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe it.”
“I know. It’s pretty crazy. I’m trusting you with an important secret—because I owe Luke. And I believe you’ll keep my secret identity.”
“You make it sound like you’re a superhero.”
“I am, in a way.” He held up his arm and flexed his bicep. “Writing is my superpower. And it’s yours too.” He dropped his arm. “Look Kaylee, I’m telling you this because I’m someone who knows. You and your character are one and the same. The thoughts you give what’s-her-name? Sassy?”
She nodded.
“The thoughts you give Sassy areyourthoughts. And if you have been acting like her, you’re really just acting like another version of yourself. You haven’t beentrickingLuke. We’ve all used techniques or forced ourselves to step out of our boxes and try new things. Most people don’t like public speaking, but they make themselves do it if they have to. How many times do we make ourselves go out or to an event when we’d rather stay home?”
What he was saying made sense. “I guess you’re right.”
“I’m a dad. I know I’m right.” He grinned at his own joke. “We all try to be our best selves, especially when we like someone, and we want them to like us back. But I’m sure in all that time you and Luke spent together, he saw the real you too.”
She thought about the first time she’d met him and how she’d shrieked and launched herself at him to get away from the dragon-goose. And when he’d found her in the storeroom at the church and she’d beaned him with a roll of paper towels. And how nervous she’d been dancing with that other guy at the summer celebration.
“Yeah, he has seen the real me at times. Unfortunately, those were the times I was embarrassed or angry or afraid.”
“But that’s what makes Luke’s feelings for you real. If he’s seen you at what you think are your worst times, and he still fell for you, then that should prove he likes the authentic you.”
She nodded slowly as his words sunk in, soothing her aching heart. “You’re right. He has seen the real me. But it’s too late, I’ve screwed everything up and already pushed him away.”
“Do you love the guy?”
She nodded again. “Oh yes.” Of all the craziness and doubt swirling around her that day, that was one thing she knew for sure to be true. She was in love with Luke Montgomery.
“Then what are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t know. This is where I would normally default to ‘what would Sassy do to fix this?’”
“Forget about Sassy,” he said as he pulled into Dusty Acres. “What wouldKayleedo to fix this?”
She chewed her bottom lip as she considered her options, for the first time feeling hope for her and Luke’s future. She thought about how she would write the scene in a book but this time she madeherselfthe heroine. “She would find Luke and throw herself into his arms as she apologized and confessed her love for him. Then she would tell him she wanted to stay and try to make him fall in love with her again—therealher.”
Dean smiled. “A little dramatic, but it works. And it sounds to me like you, not Sassy, has known what to do all along.”
Luke leaned back against his ’thinking’ bench and gazed out across the sky. He hadn’t even told Max where they were going. He’d saddled him up on autopilot, and the horse had just known where to head.
Tied to a tree, Max was now munching on a nearby patch of sweet grass as Luke contemplated his life. Or lack thereof.
Cooper had crawled up on the stone bench with him and had been steadily inching closer and closer until the golden retriever was now sprawled across Luke’s lap with his blocky head resting on his chest. Luke stroked the dog’s soft furry ears as Cooper looked adoringly up at him with big brown eyes. He only wished he couldbethe person his dog thought he was.
“I get it, boy. I’m going to miss them too. You and I are both gonna lose our girls today,” he told the dog. Cooper huffed out a sigh and licked Luke’s chin. He sighed back. “I just don’t get it. How could she have beenpretendingto be someone else? It doesn’t make sense that she could keep that up for a whole week.”
He thought about how quick she was to smile and offer a kind word and about the time they’d sat on this very bench and laughed so hard at their bad date stories. He thought about the feel of her hand in his and the soft, shy way she’d let him teach her to dance. Which led his mind to remembering how they’d almost kissed that night and then aboutallthe times they’d almost kissed. And what about that hard, tight hug she’d given him on the porch the night before?
