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“Cassidy,” he said, saying her name as if it were a question.
“Afternoon, Tate,” she said with a nod of her head in his direction.
She could tell just by looking at his face that she’d caught him off guard. He hadn’t had time to prepare himself for seeing her. For one brief instant she’d seen a look of joy sweep over him before it was quickly replaced with one of indifference. Off guard was putting it mildly, she imagined. After all it wasn’t every day that your ex-fiancée rose up to greet you like a bittersweet memory from the past.
“Mama told me you made sheriff,” she said, her voice sounding stilted to her own ears. “Congratulations.”
“Yup,” he acknowledged with a curt nod of his head. “After Keegan retired, I was elected sheriff.”
“It was always your dream, even back when we were kids. I know what it must mean to you.”
“It wasn’t my only dream, Cass,” he said, his eyes icy and flat. “You’d know about that more than anyone.”
Unable to meet his gaze, Cassidy looked down and began twirling her fingers around and around. Although she wanted nothing more than to look into those eyes and to remember what it felt like to be loved by him, she couldn’t bear to see the coldness in their depths. Not when his cool blue eyes had once burned so brightly for her. Not when there was so much that remained unsaid between them, things that had been buried and lost in the aftermath of tragedy.
“What brings you back to town?” he asked with a frown.
Cassidy looked up and met his steely eyes.
“My mother has breast cancer. She’s scheduled for surgery next week. I’m here to help her with her treatment and recovery.”
Tate’s jaw clenched, and his features tightened. “I’m real sorry to hear that. Your mama is a good woman.”
“Please don’t share this with anyone,” she blurted out. “I mean...it’s private, at least for now. Until she decides to tell everyone.”
“You know me better than that, Cassidy. I won’t tell a soul. That’s a promise.” His voice rang with conviction.
She knew better than to question Tate’s word. He was as reliable as the rising sun in the morning. As far back as she could remember his word had always been bond.
“Tate, how is Holly doing?” she asked softly, the words tumbling out before she could rein them back in.
Tate’s eyes widened and his face instantly hardened into a cold mask as she watched. His eyes flashed dangerously. “You’ve had eight years to ask that question. But you never did. You could’ve called, written, sent a text.” Tate’s lip curled upward in disgust. “But you did nothing, Cassidy. Absolutely nothing. So please, don’t ask about my sister. You lost that right a long time ago.”
Shame washed over her like a tidal wave, making her feel unworthy of even sitting in this booth eating a cheeseburger. It was strange, since she’d once thought she couldn’t feel any deeper shame than she’d already felt. With a few scathing words, Tate had just proven her wrong.
For years she’d prayed to God to make these feelings go away, to wash away the shame so she could move forward with her life. And, for a while, she’d believed that her prayers had been answered. Until now. Until Tate rid her of that notion with his icy blue eyes and no-nonsense talk.
“You’re right,” she acknowledged as pain seared through her. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable? Is that your take on it?” Tate let out a harsh laugh and shook his head as if in disbelief. “You have yourself a nice afternoon, Cassidy.”
Cassidy watched him turn his back on her and walk away. The heels of his cowboy boots tapped noisily against the floor as he made his way to the other side of the diner. Heat seared her cheeks as Doc shot her a look filled with pity. The cheeseburger turned to sawdust in her mouth, and she found it near-impossible to swallow past the huge lump in her throat. With shaking fingers she reached into her purse and pulled out a twenty dollar bill, placing it in the middle of the table where Robin couldn’t help but spot it. She gave Doc a shaky wave before she hustled herself out the door and into the sultry May air. For the first time since she’d locked gazes with Tate Lynch she allowed herself to breathe—huge gulps of air that did nothing to quell the anxiety holding her in its grip.
* * *
Tate was sitting at the counter in the far left corner of the diner. His insides had churned at the thought of sitting in close proximity to Cassidy Blake. A hundred times or more he’d imagined coming face-to-face again with his ex-fiancée. None of his fantasies had come close to the stark reality. His heart had practically stopped beating the moment he’d realized that she was back in West Falls. He’d walked into the diner for his usual coffee and slice of pie, expecting to do nothing more than sit at the counter for a spell and listen to Doc’s congenial chatter about the goings-on in town.
And then it had happened. Pow. He’d looked over and seen her at a booth, enjoying the best cheeseburger in the entire state.
She was still jaw-droppingly beautiful. West Falls High hadn’t voted her prom queen for nothing. In mere seconds he’d taken it all in. The heart-shaped face. The strawberry blond hair that hung in waves past her shoulders. The sea-green eyes that always seemed to be full of mystery. Full, ruby lips. A smattering of freckles crisscrossed the bridge of her nose and extended to the landscape of her cheeks. She was all woman now, he realized. No longer the eighteen-year-old girl, fresh out of high school.
She hadn’t changed much over the years, unless you counted the wary expression in her eyes that ha
d replaced her youthful exuberance and zest for life. He supposed he couldn’t blame her for being wary. Coming back to West Falls after all this time was bound to be an explosive experience, not only for Cassidy, but for everyone in town who’d been affected by her actions. Considering everything that had gone down before she’d left, she’d be dodging land mines the entire time she was here.
He quickly extinguished the burst of sympathy that flared within him at the thought of Cassidy being treated poorly. After the cruel way she had ended their engagement then fled town, he would have to be crazy to feel anything for her other than disgust. He’d once vowed never to fall for her again, and it was a vow he meant to uphold.
Holly! His sister flashed into his mind, her image serving as a brutal reminder of everything that had been broken and damaged by Cassidy’s recklessness. Although he’d suffered, no one had lost more than his sister. He needed to talk to her and let her know that her former best friend was back in town. It would be cruel to let her find out about Cassidy’s return from one of the town gossips or a well-meaning acquaintance. He knew all too certainly how shattering an experience it could be to be blindsided by the past.
