Broken Dreams (Broken 2)

“I’m really sorry for what I did to you. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

I sat up and looked him in the eyes. “Really? You admitted that you’d only dated me to keep me away from Reed, and you fucked around with your ex for six months. And you’re sorry? Well, go take your sorry and shove it up your cheating ass.”

I sat back and acted like I was reading. He turned and walked away. I let out the breath I had been holding, and I quickly wiped away the tear rolling down my cheek.

I hate all men. I hate them.

I was sitting in the little nook in Layton and Whitley’s room, reading The Marriage Bargain for about the twentieth—plus ten—time. There was no way I would ever let Reed know how many times I’d actually read this book.

When I heard a knock on the bedroom door, I called out, “Come in.”

I smiled when I saw Reed walking in. Every time he entered a room, the hairs on my arms would stand up, and I’d get the silliest feeling in my stomach.

“Court, you’ve either been reading, or you’ve been on your computer for the last week. You need to get out. Want to go for a ride with me?”

I set my Kindle down and pulled my knees up to my chest. “Where are you going?”

He smiled the biggest, goofiest smile I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t help but giggle.

“My place, up the road,” he said.

The look in his eyes held me captive for a few seconds.

Reed had bought the fifty acres Whit had wanted when she first moved here. At the time, neither one of them had known that they were bidding against each other. Reed had won out, and it was for the best because Whitley would have just ended up selling it.

I jumped up and said, “I’d love to see your place.”

We drove in silence for fifteen minutes on the way to his property.

Reed looked over at me and asked, “What were you reading?”

I shrugged my shoulders and lied, “The Lost Soul. I just finished editing it and was reading it on my Kindle.”

He laughed as if he knew I was not telling him the truth, and he shook his head. “Really? ’Cause you have that same goofy smile you had on your face the other day.”

I looked out the window and smirked. “Well, you know, more than one book can make a girl swoon.”

“I see.” He pulled up to a gravel driveway and punched in a code to open the gate.

We drove for just a bit before he turned a corner, and I saw the house. I let out a gasp and put my hand over my mouth.

“Holy shit! A log cabin?” I asked as I turned and looked at him.

He had the biggest smile on his face. “Yep! I needed to come by and check things out since I haven’t been here in a week.”

He parked the truck, jumped out, and ran around to my side. I’d quickly learned that Texas boys liked opening doors for girls. I had to admit that I loved it. I loved it even more when Reed did it because he would always hold his hand out and help me down. I was afraid that one of these days, I was going to launch myself at him and kiss him because it turned me on so damn much.

“Let me show you around the place, angel.”

Oh yeah, and the fact that he was calling me angel turned me on, too. It didn’t help that I hadn’t had sex in over six months, and I hadn’t packed a single vibrator from home.

As we walked up to the log home, I couldn’t believe how charming it was. I’d always wanted to live in a log home. My parents had a log cabin in Maine where we would spend the summers, and I loved it there. Granted, this one could fit in my parents’ cabin five times over, but it had the same appeal, and just from the first glance, I loved this one, too.

“I pretty much only have to put the finish on the cabinets and a few other things, and then it’ll be done,” he said with a smile as he unlocked the front door.

“Wait, you built this yourself?” I asked, shocked, as I looked all around.

He let out a small laugh. “Yep! Layton and a few of the guys helped me, but I pretty much did it all on my own. It’s been a dream of mine to live in a log cabin.”