“And if I do need something?”
“Then I will come.”
The words calmed her. They didn’t mean anything. They weren’t a declaration of love, or even a promise of anything more.
But for now, they were enough.
9
“You sure you want to do this?” Clint asked as he pulled away from the curb.
“Yep.” No. Every cell in his body wanted to go back to her. To hold
her close. To tell her she didn’t have to be scared because he would be there for her.
He rested his head back against the headrest.
“Sure, about that?” Clint asked.
“Yes, I’m sure. It’s for the best.”
“Uh-huh, you might want to practice saying that with conviction.”
He turned to glare at Clint. “It’s best for her, all right? She needs to do this on her own. To know she can.”
“She’s a Little.”
“I know that. She can still do this.”
“On her own?”
“Yes, look, her parents’ guilt-tripped and tricked her into quitting college and looking after them with a bunch of lies about their health. She needs time on her own. To be free.”
Clint grunted. “Didn’t think you were planning on locking her up.”
“Taking her to the ranch would be the same thing, wouldn’t it?”
“We take care of our women, they’re not our prisoners.”
“She’s never been in a real relationship, let alone one like I would want. I gave her a taste of what it would be like, but we both agreed that it would only last while we were in the cabin. Now, it’s over.”
“And that’s what you both want?”
“It’s what we both want.” God, no. It wasn’t what he wanted at all. He wanted her. He loved her.
“She looked really sad for a woman who wanted to say goodbye.”
Bear decided he was done talking after that. But Clint’s words haunted him the whole way home.
10
She walked carefully up the slippery footpath; she’d learned the hard way just yesterday to be very careful. Her tailbone was still aching from slipping over. Shivering, she slid the key in the lock and stepped inside.
This house was beautiful. It should have brought her joy to come home to it. To step inside. This was what she wanted. She’d just been to see that bitch lawyer and she was still in a little bit of shock over the will. Aunt Rose had been so generous. She’d left her this stunning house. And a car, although she couldn’t drive it since it was a manual. She’d ended up walking into town to the lawyer’s office, which had been a damn cold walk. Her aunt had also left a generous trust fund.
Which she couldn’t access.
Tears started to drip down her face as she walked inside and sat on the very formal sofa in the front living room. The trust fund was considerable, enough left for her to live comfortably for a while. Only problem was, she couldn’t access the principal until she turned twenty-five. Until then, she would only receive the interest. Which would probably pay for the taxes and maybe heating.