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She was in very deep trouble and she wasn’t even sure she would get out of it if she could. Oh, her brain kept telling her not to trust this new-and-improved Matt. But her heart and her body were shouting at her to give him a chance. To give them a chance.
And he wasn’t making the situation any easier for Kayla to figure out. Not only did he keep her wanting, every day, he found a reason to search her out. Every evening they weren’t with Angie and Evan dealing with the upcoming wedding, Matt took her to dinner, a movie or art shows at rival galleries. He was making himself indispensable. He had become such a part of her everyday life, Kayla couldn’t imagine not having him with her all the time.
Only yesterday, he had arrived at the art gallery at lunchtime, carrying a picnic basket. It was too cold to sit outside and eat, so he’d spread out a quilt in the storage area of the gallery. For an hour, he’d kept her laughing with stories about his months in California.
And by the time he’d gone again, Kayla was in more of a quandary than ever. She loved being with him. Loved watching his smile, even when listening to him describe the life he was building in L.A. He’d kept his house in Cheyenne, though, so what did that mean? Was he coming back? Was he going to be living in both places? And even if it were true, what did it mean? How could she believe that he would stay with her? He’d walked away without a backward glance once. Why not again?
She took a deep breath, pushed those thoughts out of her mind and tried to concentrate on the conversation at hand. Angie was sitting opposite her at the diner and going through her list of last minute prep for the wedding. So Kayla focused on her best friend’s life rather than her own. It seemed way less complicated at the moment.
“So,” Angelica said between sips of her coffee, “I finally managed to get my brother Sage to promise to come down off his mountain to attend the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night.”
Kayla nodded absently as Angie made notes on her computer tablet. The woman was so organized she could give generals lessons in strategic planning during wartime. Kayla tried to keep her mind on the wedding and being a supportive friend, but Matt insisted on sneaking into her thoughts no matter how hard she tried to keep him out.
She felt as if she was on a tightwire, desperately trying to keep her balance in a high wind.
“Dylan helped of course,” Angie was saying. “Sage is so stubborn it usually takes the two of us to make a dent.”
But both of Angelica’s brothers were crazy about her, so it wasn’t surprising that even Sage the Hermit was willing to please her. Sage had plenty of issues with their father, J.D., so much so that he had split off from the Lassiter Group and built a billion-dollar fortune his own way. Kayla couldn’t help thinking that the rehearsal dinner might be filled with more drama than Angie was expecting.
“And, Dad’s feeling well enough to come, too,” Angie said, smiling. “I’m so glad. Of course, his nurse Colleen will be there just to keep an eye on things and as a guest. She’s really become a member of the family in the last few months.”
“I’m glad your dad’s feeling well enough to come.”
“Me, too,” Angie said, “but he’s still seeming so...fragile to me lately.”
Her father’s health had affected all of the Lassiters in one way or another. J.D. was a legend in Cheyenne, and seeing someone so much larger than life suddenly becoming almost frail was hard. For everyone.
“On another note entirely,” Angie continued, “I noticed you and Matt haven’t been fighting lately. No arguing, no snide comments...”
“We’ve come to an...understanding,” she said without giving away too much information.
“Which is?”
“I’m not sure.” Frowning, Kayla thought back over the past couple of weeks. They’d spent so much time together, yet Matt hadn’t once tried to seduce her. Hadn’t even kissed her. What was he up to? After that frenzied night they’d shared, he’d completely backed off. But he hadn’t gone away, either. True to his word, he was inserting himself into her life, making it impossible to ignore him.
