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“Oh, yeah?” I snapped, twisting my head so I could glare at Apollo. The two dogs adored the hell out of each other, had become fast friends long before I’d interrupted their happy little lives together, which I continued to feel guilty over. Zorro ruled their house, Mustang falling in love with the dog as soon as he’d met him. When I noticed Danni opening the door, I cringed. She was just as formidable as Chasity, which had cooled Mustang’s heels.
“You’re right. I am upset,” Danni huffed from the door of the ranch. “But only because you two are little kids, two brothers who need to best each other all the time. I should have a sandbox installed. Would that make either one of you happy?” Her voice had the typical cutting edge, but I also sensed amusement. “What is going on?”
The girl was exactly what Mustang had always needed in his life, feisty and beautiful, her copper-colored hair suiting her personality.
“Just a little disagreement, sweetie,” Mustang told her, his tone still gruff.
“Uh-huh. I’m no fool. Now let Apollo out so he can say hello to my baby, or you’ll be in hot water with me.” Her demand was not to be denied.
Danni always had a way of making me laugh, which was definitely what I needed right about now. I shifted to the side, opening the door, shaking my head as Apollo jumped out.
“Asshole,” I muttered.
“Jerk,” he countered.
“Come on, you two. Let’s go inside and leave the boys to their squabbles,” Danni said in a lilting voice as she guided them inside.
The two of us stood staring at each other. Then I was the one who looked away.
“So are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on or do I need to guess?” Mustang asked, breaking the tension.
“You told Chasity about my past? You betrayed my trust?”
“I would never betray you.” He glanced away for a brief second, which meant I was right. Damn it.
“Then you’re telling me that you didn’t have a conversation with her? Don’t you dare lie to me because I found notes she’d written at her house detailing a conversation the two of you had.”
He grinned, which kind of pissed me off. “You were at her house? Let’s see. Would that have been after you left the bar in a huff?”
Shit. The man had caught me. I groused under my breath before looking away. “Fine. I was at her house.”
“Because you hate her so much you just had to tell her in person. Right?”
“That’s beside the point. The reason I was there is my business!” The extra vehemence I used was telling. “She was prying into my business, and I don’t like it. What did she do, track you down?”
He looked sheepish then scratched his head. “If you want the truth…”
“What?”
“I accosted Chasity at her office, accusing her of meddling, forcing you to do something you didn’t want to do.”
“You did what?” When I took a long stride in his direction, my anger and the protectiveness I felt about her rushed to the surface.
“I was wrong. Okay? I could tell how much she cared about you.”
“Damn you! Both of you.”
“Come on, dude. You’re already a hell of a lot more alive since that woman entered your life than you’ve been the entire time since you returned.”
I shoved my hands in my back pockets and took a deep breath. “You told her about Sapphire Ridge.”
“Buddy, I don’t know all the details about Sapphire Ridge, so what could I tell her?” He huffed then kicked his boot into the gravel.
“Then why the notes? She’s trying to piece together a puzzle. I don’t want her to do that.” Then she’d know just how ridiculous her decision to have anything to do with me really was.
Sighing, he acted as if he didn’t want to answer. “She’s determined that what’s driving you to bouts of anger and even more despair wasn’t just about being captured.”
The woman had figured more out about me in a little over two days than all the shrinks combined. And I didn’t like it one bit. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone snooping, but I was curious about her story. She was far too good to be true, which meant she was hiding something. My gut was never wrong.
