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But it had meant she’d be spending several weeks in Silverbell Shore now while she waited for those parts to arrive. Julian had promised he’d work as quickly as possible, but he couldn’t rush how long it would take.
Wyatt had extended use of the guest cabin for as long as she needed it, and Beth had been grateful beyond words. She’d slept better this past week than she had in years, and his company was something she’d begun to crave. He’d stayed by her side all week, retrieving whatever paperwork he’d needed for his business and working from home.
She yawned and stretched, musing on how it was far too early to be awake, especially for a weekend. She closed her eyes again and tried to steady her breathing, willing her racing heart to slow down.
She’d been dreaming of Miles verbally abusing her, and her mother had been standing in the doorway behind him, begging her to leave him. Something she’d done in real life on more than one occasion, but Beth hadn’t wanted to hear it.
Hadn’t wanted to face the truth. That the man she thought she’d loved didn’t love her. He kept her around because she was convenient and too scared not to obey his every command.
It had taken her mother’s death to make Beth see the truth. Miles was never going to change, and she deserved to be in a relationship with a man who loved her for who she was, not what she could do for him. And once Miles had realized Beth would inherit the balance of her mother’s bank account and all her worldly possessions, he’d begun making plans for what he was going to do with the money made.
Beth’s money. Money that rightfully belonged to her. She knew her mom would have hated Miles getting his hands on even a penny of it, so after the funeral Beth had begun making plans to ensure Miles would never see a dime of her mother’s money. Plans to leave and never come back.
Plans to start her life over as far away from him as possible.
That had meant finding a strength inside herself she wasn’t sure even existed. Selling off her mother’s possessions had been incredibly hard, but she’d known she wouldn’t be able to take much with her and she had nowhere to store anything, so she’d kept her mother’s most valuable possessions—a few pieces of jewelry, photos, a framed piece of art her dad had painted, amongst other things—and sold off the rest. Her mother hadn’t really had much that was valuable money wise, so after Beth had paid for her mother’s funeral, she’d been left with just several thousand dollars and lots of wonderful memories.
Hiding the money from Miles had been easier than she’d anticipated. She’d told him everything had been given to a secondhand store on consignment and had sold for peanuts, when in reality she’d done it all privately through various channels. Miles had scoffed and taken the pitiful amounts she’d told him about, but she knew he’d only accept such an explanation for so long, so she’d begun making plans to flee.
Leave the state of Arizona and never go back.
She’d brought her mother’s ashes with her and would scatter them in whatever location she ended up settling in. Hopefully, it would be somewhere as pretty as Silverbell Shore. Beth thought her mother would have loved everything about this little resort town.
She would also have really liked Wyatt Kincaid.
A loud, joyful bark broke her out of her reverie, and she realized what that meant.
Wyatt and Freya were about to embark on their daily morning run. And for some strange reason, Beth felt the need to stretch her legs. Breathe in the fresh, crisp air.
She ran to the front door and threw it open, forgetting she was still in her pajamas until she saw Wyatt’s gaze travel up and down her body so subtly, she would have missed it had she not been staring at him. “Good morning.”
“Good morning. Sleep well?”
“I did. I wondered if I could join you for a run?”
He answered without hesitation. “Sure. We’ll wait for you to change.” The corners of his mouth curled up. “Unless you want to run in that?”
Beth glanced down at her tank top and shorts. The cool morning air had made her nipples harden to the point they were impossible to miss. She fought the urge to cover her breasts. “Give me five minutes?”
He nodded once. “Take your time.”
She murmured her thanks and raced to the bedroom, quickly changing into leggings, a tee, and sneakers. In the bathroom, she brushed her teeth and threw her hair up into a ponytail. Once she was ready, she went back out the front door. “Ready! Are we running the entire circumference of the lake?”
Wyatt raised an eyebrow. “I usually do, but we don’t have to go the whole way if you’d rather not. Why don’t you just tell me when you’re ready to turn back?”
Her face fell a little. “Oh. I don’t want to put you out or interrupt your routine.”
He gave her a reassuring grin. “It’s no bother. I like to shake it up sometimes. Freya’s happy with any sort of run. Shall we go?”
Beth fell into line next to him and they started their run. She appreciated Wyatt keeping a pace she could handle; she knew he probably ran a lot faster on his own. It was more a fast jog than a run, but it was quick enough that she was breathing heavily before long.
Wyatt slowed down near the edge of the water so they could take a quick break about fifteen minutes after they’d set out. Unlike her, he was breathing normally and had not an ounce of perspiration anywhere. She felt completely out of shape next to him as she bent over, hands on her knees, while she tried to catch her breath.
“Don’t forget I was a SEAL, Beth. Our training was incredibly intense, far more than an average person could handle. I’m used to hiking for miles in the worst weather imaginable while carrying dozens of pounds of equipment. You’re doing great.”
She wanted to cry, just a little. Freya nudged her hand, as though sensing her emotions. She gave the dog a long pat and leaned over to kiss her nose.
This man standing next to her was the polar opposite of the one she’d left behind in Arizona. Instead of berating her for not keeping up, as her ex would have done, he was treating her kindly and encouraging her. She had to resist the urge to put her arms around him and cry on his shoulder. The realization she’d been starved for kindness and affection almost overwhelmed her.
