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“It wasn’t leaked—we never tried to hide what was happening with the foals.” She sprang instantly to Dustin’s defense. No matter what else had happened, Dustin was the man who had helped her when Ellery had died. “Dustin himself was concerned about the story in the papers. That’s why he came back.”
“So he claimed.”
“You’re just trying to find someone, anyone, to blame all this on!”
“No, Tiffany, no,” he whispered, his breath fanning her damp hair. “I’m trying to make you understand the only logical explanation. If you think Dustin’s so innocent, what about Devil’s Gambit and King’s Ransom?”
“I . . . I can’t explain that.”
“What about the fact that Ellery may still be alive?”
“But he’s not—”
“We’re not sure about that,” Zane said slowly, making no attempt to release her. She sagged wearily against him. “But we both know that Dustin posed as a rival bidder, interested in Ethan Rivers’s horses, when in fact Ethan was Ellery and Dustin was his brother. Dustin admitted to bidding on his own horses, just to drive the prices up.”
Tiffany’s throat went dry. “But I just can’t believe that Dustin would try and ruin our operation. It doesn’t make any sense. He owns part of the farm.”
Zane’s voice was firm. “Has it ever occurred to you that Dustin might want to own it all? Hasn’t he already offered to buy you out?”
“Only because he thought it was too much for me,” she whispered, but the seeds of distrust had been planted, and she hated the new feelings of doubt that were growing in her mind. Three weeks ago she would have trusted Dustin with her life. Now, because of Zane’s accusations, she was beginning to doubt the only person she could call family. She shuddered, and Zane gathered her still closer, pressing her face against his chest.
“I’m not saying that Dustin doesn’t care for you,” he said, gently stroking her hair.
“Just that he’s using me.”
“He’s the kind of man who would do just about anything to get what he wants.”
She shook her head and stared out the window. Raindrops ran down the paned glass. “Funny, that’s just what he said about you.”
Gently Zane lifted her chin with his finger, silently forcing her to look into his eyes. “I’ve done a few things in my life that I’m not proud of,” he admitted. “But I’ve never cheated or lied to anyone.”
“Except me?” Tears began to scald her eyes.
“I didn’t lie about Stasia.”
“You omitted the facts, Zane. In order to deceive me. Call it what you will. In my book, it’s lying.”
A small muscle worked in the corner of his jaw, and he had to fight the urge to shake her, make her see what was so blindingly clear to him. He couldn’t. He’d wounded her enough as it was. Tiffany seemed to stare right through him. “I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you, Tiffany,” he whispered. “I wouldn’t do anything that would ever make you doubt me.”
Her throat tightened painfully, and she squeezed her eyes against the hot tears forming behind her eyelids. “I want to trust you, Zane. God, I want to trust you,” she admitted. “It’s just that you’ve come here when everything seems to be falling apart . . .”
“And you blame me?”
“No!”
“Then look at me, damn it!” he insisted. Her eyes opened and caught in his silvery stare. “I love you, Tiffany Rhodes, and I’ll do everything in my power to prove it.”
She held up a protesting palm before he could say anything else. She felt so open and raw. Though he was saying the words she longed to hear, she couldn’t believe him.
He took her trembling hand and covered it with his. “You’re going to listen to me, lady,” he swore. “Ever since I met you that first morning when Rod Crawford was here, you’ve doubted me. I can’t say that I blame you because I came here with the express purpose of taking your farm from you . . . by any means possible.”
Her eyes widened at his admission.
“But all that changed,” he conceded, “when I met you and began to fall in love with you.”
“I . . . I wish I could believe you,” Tiffany whispered. “More thananythingI want to believe you.” Her voice was raspy and thick with emotion. She felt as if her heart were bursting, and she knew that she was admitting far more than she should.
His fingers tightened over her shoulders.“Believe.”
