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Maggie fussed as he locked up the plane. She hadn’t slept much on the way home and was probably overtired. He watched Hadley settle the baby into the car seat and sensed the change in the air. Hadley’s expression had grown serious, and her eyes lost their infectious sparkle. Playtime was over. She was back on the job.
“She’s going to be fine as soon as she gets home and settled into her crib,” Hadley said, coaxing the baby to take her pacifier.
“Maybe you should spend the night in case she doesn’t settle down.”
Hadley shook her head. “I’ll stay until you get back from checking in at the ranch, but I can’t stay all night.”
“Not even if I need you?”
“You’ll do just fine without me.”
He wasn’t sure if she had missed his meaning or if she was pretending not to understand that he wanted her to spend the night with him. Either way, she’d put enough determination behind her declaration to let him know no amount of persuasion was going to change her mind.
“I’m going to miss you,” he said, trying a different approach.
“And I’m going to miss you,” she replied, her voice brisk and not the least bit romantic. “But that was Colorado and this is Texas. We had a nice time, but it’s over.”
To Liam’s shock, he realized he was back to square one. “I think it takes two people to decide it’s over.”
“You’re my boss. We just need to get things back to normal.”
“Or we need to change what normal is.”
She didn’t look happy. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“We made a great start getting to know each other these last few days. I’d like to continue.”
“I don’t feel comfortable in that sort of arrangement.”
“Then why don’t you quit?” He would not fire her. She needed to choose to be with him. “If it’s about the money, I’ll pay you until the end of the month.”
Her mouth popped open, but before she could speak, Maggie let loose a piercing wail. “Why don’t we talk about this later? I really think Maggie needs to get home.”
Liam agreed, but hated the idea of postponing the conversation. He wanted to batter her with arguments until she came around to his point of view. Giving her space to think would only give her space to fortify her defenses.
“Fine. But we will talk later.”
Only they didn’t. By the time Liam returned from the ranch offices, it was close to midnight. Hadley was half- dead on her feet, only just having gotten Maggie to sleep after a rough evening. She was in no condition to listen to his arguments for continuing what they’d begun in Colorado, and he had to watch in frustrated silence as she put Waldo in his carrier and drove away.
With disappointment buzzing in his thoughts like a pesky fly, he expected sleep to elude him. But he’d underestimated his own weariness and shortly after his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep.
When the dream came, it didn’t feature Hadley, but his mother. They stood in the ranch house’s entry hall and he was desperately afraid. She was leaving. He clung to her hand and begged her not to go. She tugged hard against his grip, her face a mask of disgust.
“Mommy, don’t go.”
“Why would I want to stay with you? I left because I couldn’t bear to be trapped in this prison of a ranch in the middle of nowhere.”
“But I need you.”
“I never wanted to be a mother. You and your brother were a mistake.”
She ripped free and strode through the front door without ever looking back. Liam followed her, but it was as if he moved through mud. His short legs couldn’t propel him fast enough, and he reached the broad wraparound porch just in time to see her taillights disappear down the driveway.
Liam woke in a sweat. His throat ached and heart pounded as he recalled his mother’s words. As realistic as the exchange had felt, he recalled no such event from his childhood. His subconscious had merely been reacting to Hadley’s evasiveness. So why hadn’t his dream featured her?
Lingering pain carved up his chest. He felt weak and unsteady. A child’s fear pummeled him. Buried deep in his mind was the horror of being rejected by his mother. She was supposed to love him and care for him. Instead, she’d demonstrated no remorse when she’d abandoned her sons to pursue her real estate career.
And it was this defining fact that had caused him to never fully invest himself in romantic relationships. He couldn’t bear the idea of giving his heart to a woman only to have her choose something else over him. Deep down, what he craved was lasting love.
