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“You laugh, but you shouldn’t do that, mess with women’s hearts, Justin.”
Suddenly serious, he had to make sure she understood that what he felt for her was genuine.
“What we have was not a one-night stand,” he said, impassioned. “I love you, Maggie. I told you that and I meant it. It’s awful, what happened to you, and I’m so sorry where I’m to blame. But when we had sex, I was making love to you. The whole experience, the way it happened down there in the moonlight, I’ll never forget it. It was uncontrollable. I thought you felt the same way.”
“Oh no, you don’t. Don’t make this about me.”
She turned to go back inside. “I’m pissed off right now. I might get over it, but you’ll just have to wait and see. If another irresistible babe moves into town and steals you away, oh well! It’ll be my loss.”
“I don’t want anyone else,” he called after her. “I love you, Maggie.”
“Yes, well, be that as it may…”
She nodded at him and went inside, closing the door without saying goodbye. There was nothing else to say for the time being. Wondering how many other jilted lovers he had left in a wake of destruction, she just hoped she’d be safe there at the cottage. Later, she’d call Steve Casson and see if he could extend the fence around the entire cottage. She was ready to make it a fortress.
***
After a friend dropped Amber Greely off at her apartment in a town about forty minutes from Cypress Cove and their godforsaken jail, she immediately got into the shower to wash the night’s grime off her body. But when she walked through the door, she saw the evidence that she’d forgotten; the cops had basically ransacked her place looking for that bitch’s computer and the few other things she took. She didn’t need the stuff, just wanted to shake things up a little, make the outsider sweat, worry, and feel violated likeshedid when she’d discovered Justin was serious about the woman.
That first time she’d snuck up on Maggie Angel was not the time she caught her. She had followed Justin when he returned to the cottage that first evening after taking Spooky home. He rode every night, but on this particular night, he was out until dark, something he didn’t like doing, and got right in his truck after putting Spooky to bed for the night.
Amber wasn’t afraid of riding at night. She actually preferred it, the wild horses being more forgiving after dark, not running from her when she appeared in their territory. Learning about Maggie Angel when Polly the postmistress had informed her that there was a new woman in town, Amber felt a wave of rage take over her body.
“You got competition,” she said. “Out at Cypress Cove.”
After spending part of the day watching all the men coming and going from the cottage, including Justin, Amber knew that he was through with her. It was ridiculous getting involved with him in the first place. They’d volunteered together for years, and one night after a summer party, they’d succumbed. It was just lust and booze and not even satisfying. When she heard that Maggie girl cry out in ecstasy, she almost wept. What the hell was Justin doing to her?
And then she figured it out. He was already in love with Maggie Angel. They were making love and it made her sick.
Amber hadn’t intended to take it as far as she had. Going into Maggie’s house and taking her things was off the cuff. Now she realized how dangerous that was. It could have ended much worse. It still might. Her lawyer told her she could go to jail for the crime.
The cottage was fixed up so cute, too. It was obvious the woman was trying to restore it. Walking around her crappy apartment with a towel wrapped around her head, she realized that she was at a crossroad. It was seriously time to do something with her life. She loved being on the city council, but these shenanigans had most likely put an end to her political aspirations.
The volunteer work with the horses was wonderful, but she needed to turn it into a vocation that would support her. It was time to grow up. And in the meantime, she needed to settle a score with Justin and find a way to make restitution to Maggie Angel.
Reaching for her phone, she dialed Justin’s phone, fully expecting him not to answer when he saw her number, but surprisingly, he answered.
“What in the hell were you thinking?”
“I know. I’m sorry and I’m going to find a way to apologize to her. To her, Justin, not to you.”
“I don’t need or want an apology from you, Amber. Do you have any idea how crazy you’re making yourself look?”
“I have a small idea,” she said, pacing. “As soon as you Chastain men stop using women, the whole world will be better off.”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t have anything to do with us hooking up.”
“I hate that expression,” she retorted. “I didn’t hook up. We had talked for almost a full year, and finally when we were together, it happened. I noticed at Bayou Cottage that you didn’t put a lot of planning into that one either.”
“Shit happens,” he barked. “Your first mistake was thinking you could compare what happened between Maggie and me and what happened in the barn that night.”
“Just like you did it to her on the dock, you did it to me in the barn. A lot of parallels.”
“You successfully ended my relationship with Maggie. I know that will make you happy.”
No one spoke for a moment, both of them regretting where the conversation had headed.
“Look, Justin, I didn’t call intending to upset you. I wanted to apologize. You hurt me, damn it! I thought there was something between us, and for you it was just a chance to get your rocks off.”
