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My best friend has a devious smirk on her face when I raise my eyes to hers. “Let’s take that bitch down and get your man back.”
“I’m good at doing the first, but I don’t think the second is ever going to happen.”
“Do you still love him?” She asks, placing her hand over mine on the table.
“I never stopped,” I admit.
“I guarantee he never stopped loving you, either. What did your daddy used to say? Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
I laugh. I find it humorous that she’d use some of Daddy’s wisdom to get me on board with winning back the man that I ran away from. Do I even want him back?
My mind screams at me to beware, but my heart says he and I are nowhere near done. Shane Walker is mine. He’s always been mine and he always will be. I can't just leave it alone. If we aren't meant to be together then fine. I'll let him go. I did it before. But if there's even the slightest chance of us working things out, I want to. I want to try.
The conversation takes on a much more somber note when I tell Brianna about Nick’s threats to come after me if I don’t return. She reassures me over and over that I’m safe here. There’s no way he’d get past all the men on the ranch and even if he did, I’m a badass in my own right.
Growing up surrounded by mostly men, I learned how to fight and defend myself. I know how to shoot a plethora of guns, and if all else fails, there are so many acres of property the ranch sits on. Nick would never find me.
The only reason I never fought back was because of Dakota. And I let it go on for so long, that I had forgotten everything that was engrained in me. Being back has brought so much of my fight back, so I hold on to that confidence as we head back to the ranch.
Brianna and I talked the whole way about what I’m going to do about Shane. About how I’m going to win him back. We discuss where I’m going to go from here.
Of course, it seems simple if I use our daughter for my benefit, but I refuse to do that. I won’t make her a pawn in any of this. She wasn’t what ended us and she won’t be what allows us to start again. I'll do whatever it takes to protect her little heart from being broken in all this.
I keep that thought in mind while we’re planning. Brianna says that it will be easy to make Shane love me again. All I need to do is seduce him. Seduction isn’t the issue. We always had a rare chemistry between us.
The issue is the trust that was severed six years ago. Shane broke my trust when I walked in on him and Autumn. I broke his trust when I ran away, and then again when I showed back up with our daughter in tow. The daughter he wasn’t even aware of.
Maybe I should just cut my losses now. Shane hates that I kept Dakota away and never told him about her. Thinking about it now, which is worse, my betrayal or his?
Neither I suppose. Betrayal is betrayal. I know I can forgive Shane. I've had six years to relive that fateful day in my mind. He's had less than a week to come to terms with what I did.
So do I give him time to deal with his issues or do I push him? Take it day by day? I just don't know. It's definitely something I need to figure out and quickly.
Chapter Ten
Shane
The past couple of weeks have been different. Dare I say it’s been peaceful? It’s almost as if Samantha and I have called a truce, though neither of us has said it out loud.
The attorney called this morning. He asked that we both come to his office this afternoon to read Wayne’s will. The reading had gotten delayed because he was out of state.
I’m reading to Dakota when Samantha emerges from her room. She’s dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a fitted tee. She swept her hair up in a loose bun on top of her head and her makeup is light, reminding me of how she looked when she was younger.
There’s no denying her beauty. My dick agrees. My pants quickly become uncomfortable in the crotch area. I surreptitiously adjust myself as I stand. “You ready to go?” I ask.
“Can I go, Mama?” Dakota questions.
“Not this time, baby. How about this? If you’re a good girl while we’re gone, Mama will take you to the diner for dinner.”
“Promise?”
“Absolutely,” Samantha responds with a small smile. She meets my eyes. “Ready.” She even graces me with that same small smile.
It shouldn’t make me feel warm inside. It shouldn’t make me feel anything at all. Yet, as I look at her beautiful blue eyes sparkling with what I can only describe as happiness, I feel my heart speed up.
I lead the way to my truck and open the door for Samantha. This peace we seem to have found is fragile and I can be a gentleman if needed. There is still a very important conversation we need to have, but right now, I want to focus on the reading of the will. I’ll know better where I stand after this meeting is over.
The drive across town is quiet, but not awkward. Samantha watches the scenery as it passes by her window. She seems to be in her own little world and, as memory serves, she has something on her mind.
