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She hadn’t had too many regrets of the things she’d lost with the cover story, but losing Flynn had been the most difficult. He’d been her only true friend. And if she’d been head over heels in love with him, that had been her problem.
Flynn had been one of those kids who’d had it all. Charming, fun, kind to everyone. Sexy as hell in his jeans, western shirts, and that cowboy hat. Even in high school, he’d exuded confidence that he could be exactly who he was.
When he’d asked Tessa to help him out in math one day, it had been the best day of her life. No way should the number nerd and the hot guy have become friends. But they had.
She’d even been out to his ranch one glorious day, where she’d met his amazing parents and his brothers. All genuinely nice people. Warm and teasing. It had been far from anything she’d ever experienced.
That day of family had sustained her through hours and hours of recovery from operations and painful physical therapy. She’d imagined growing up there and having his parents as her own.
Flynn’s dad, Marty, had told her she was as pretty as a flower. Then he’d spent the day calling her by various flower names instead of her own name. When she’d had to choose a new name, she’d pickedFloresas a tribute to Marty and that day.
AndTessbecause of a shared English class with Flynn where she’d had to read the part of a contessa. He’d shortened it to Tessa and called her that for days afterward.
To stop herself from being reminded too vividly of Flynn, she’d put Tess on the documents. That’s what people called her, but she always thought of herself as Tessa.
Every single one of her favorite memories revolved around Flynn and his family. She’d had to shove them down so she could become Tess. Seeing him had broken the dam and they flooded through her.
Why was he here at Midnight Lake?
She’d never allowed herself to do an online search for him or his family. What was a rodeo and horse guy doing with Sam? Sam had grown up in California and had been an FBI agent before starting up Midnight Security. What could he and Flynn have in common?
Going by the look on Flynn’s face, he hadn’t come expecting to find her. The disbelief and shock had been apparent. She hoped he would blame it on the evening dusk and assume he’d imagined her. That would be the best of all possible outcomes.
Even if she wished she’d been able to hug him and find out everything she could, she knew it would be better if she disappeared again.
She considered contacting the US Marshal in charge of her case, but decided she’d wait until the morning. John would tell her to run now, and she didn’t want to. She wasn’t even sure she physically could with the stiffness of her body.
If Flynn had brushed her appearance off as a figment of his imagination, she had a chance to stay. Hopefully, Flynn was leaving in the morning and she’d never see him again.
But the thought made her heart ache.
Flynn watched Catalina paddle away and didn’t have a clue what to do about it.
She might go by the name Tess Flores now, but she’d grown up as Catalina Blanco.
She’d died as Catalina.
Flynn had cried at Cat’s funeral.
So many emotions bubbled through him. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling.
Shock.
Relief.
Anger.
Betrayal.
Yearning.
Back to anger.
How could she be alive and not have let him know? They’d been friends. Inching towards more. She’d been so different from the other girls at school and the buckle bunnies at the rodeo grounds.
Catalina had been quiet and shy, but friendly. She’d loved numbers and had been more than happy to share her understanding with anyone who was stuck. She’d never been a snob, even though her family had money.
The day he’d taken her out to his family’s ranch had been one of his favorite days ever. She’d loved everything about the ranch, from the horses to the dogs to the food to his parents. She’d talked about it with joy in her eyes every day afterward.
