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She swiped beneath her lower lids. The fear of losing them as well as Dean was one of the driving factors to ignoring and denying her true feelings for him for so long.
Her stomach knotted impossibly tighter as she threw the car into park and pulled the container and bags from the backseat. Although her friendship with Dean was something she valued more than she could ever describe, telling him the truth, admitting her love, it meant that she was putting more than just that relationship on the line. She was risking losing his entire family.
She smoothed out the material in front of her and sighed. It was a chance she had to take. She laid a hand on her churning gut, surveying the scene she’d created.
A slightly hysterical, certainly stress-induced, giggle bubbled up. She had no idea how her father could have gambled so much to send their wealthy family into financial jeopardy. This one singular risk was enough to send her into an anxiety attack.
Jillian turned away with a sigh, pinning far more hope on one surprise date with her husband than she probably should. She climbed back in the car and headed to the main road, taking a left. She rolled the window down and let the warm late spring air work a little stress-relieving magic.
The archway over the drive that led to Wyatt’s ranch came into view and the swarm of butterflies that had frantically been beating their wings in her abdomen multiplied and spread. A brief wave of nausea washed over her.
She parked the car near the barn and climbed out, an immediate grin spreading across her face as Wyatt came into view. “Hey there, cowpoke, any idea where I can find my husband?”
Wyatt chuckled and wrapped her in a firm hug. “He and Mat are just finishing a group session over there.” He nodded to one of the farther buildings. “Then they will have a break for lunch.”
Jillian drew her brows together. She wasn’t certain if it were what he said or her near complete lack of sleep combined with nerves that made his words come out a jumbled mess she couldn’t decipher. “Group session?”
Wyatt’s lips curved up in a small, knowing smile. He held up a finger and jogged the few feet to the barn, returning with a brochure. “It may have taken him a while, but when Dean figured out what to do with his life, he went after it with everything he had and pulled Mat and myself into it.” He narrowed his gaze into a mock glare. “If you tell him I said this, I’ll deny it until I take my last breath, but I am so damn proud of him.”
Somewhere in the distance someone called out Wyatt’s name. He lifted a hand in recognition then turned back to Jillian and gave another brief embrace. “He’s going to be happy to see you,” he whispered in her ear before releasing her and heading in the direction of the voice.
She turned the glossy paper in her hand and then opened it. As the words registered she gasped, then put her fingers over her mouth in a vain attempt to stem the threatening tears.
Recovered Hope Equine Rehabilitation
Our unique program offers not only addiction rehabilitation and recovery services, but we integrate equine therapy with traditional counseling to give our clients a brighter hope and deeper level of empathetic care than standard rehabilitation clinics.
Two wet trails made their way down her cheeks, falling on the brochure she clutched tighter in her hand. Pride was an understatement. Her chest threatened to explode with the overwhelming flood of emotions. Dean had not only managed to find a path in life he loved, but he was changing the world around him with his work.
Voices carried across the yard from the building where Wyatt had told her Dean and Mat were holding the group session. Despite the distance, she caught his eye and lifted one hand, curling her fingers in a small, silent greeting.
He gave one of the men a pat on the back and then jogged over to her. “Hey.”
She smiled up at him, barely restraining her arms from pulling him to her and her lips from devouring his. “Can you get away for a few minutes?”
Dean flicked his wrist and looked at his watch. When his eyes dropped he caught the paper she still held firmly in her grasp. He stared at her in silence for several moments as her heart thundered behind her breastbone. “Yeah, the group will be working with the ranch hands after lunch and our final session of the day isn’t until four.”
Jillian laced the fingers of her free hand through his and tugged him toward the car. “Perfect, Sparky, I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Dean
Present Day
Dean’s suspicions hitched higher when Jillian stopped them just as they reached his car, laying a hand on his chest.
“Oh, wait,” she tapped a digit on his sternum, “you’re missing something.”
He lifted a brow. “Like all the blanks you need to fill in for me?”
She grinned up at him as she opened the car door and fished something out of the console. “When have I ever made anything that easy for you?” Jillian held up a sleeping mask between her index and middle fingers.
Dean pulled the piece of material from her. “Is this for the firing squad I definitely deserve?”
Jillian tipped her head back and laughed, soft ginger locks falling over her shoulder. “Haven’t I forced you to watch enough chick flicks for you to know that all good things start with a blindfold?”
When she reached to take the mask from him, he moved to grasp her hand in his, pulling slightly so they were only a breath apart. “I’m serious. That was an asshole move last night. I should’ve talked to you, should’ve explained. I—”
