She tightens her hand on the door, and indecision crosses her face. She opens the door but only so she can come out on the balcony. “Look, King. I appreciate everything you’ve done for us, I truly do. But this”—she gestures between the two of us—“is not going to happen. It’s not going to work.”
“Look, honey, if you’re scared... I am too...” Honestly, I’m scared to death but probably not for the same reason. Right now, I’m scared of losing her when I just found her.
She shakes her head. “No, I’m not scared. Darn it, King. You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Yes, because I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
She leans back against her closed door and looks at me, searching my eyes. “I know. I heard about what kind of man you are. They said you use women... that you’re a...” She clenches her eyes shut and finishes, “a player.”
My hands fist at my sides. “A player? That’s what you think of me?”
She brings a hand up, pointing in the direction of town. “That’s what they said and look, I’m new here. I really don’t need my reputation torn to shreds because I like you.”
I grit my teeth. There’s so much I want to say right now, and I’m barely keeping it in. “Who? Who told you this because I’ll be honest with you, they don’t have a clue what they’re talking about.”
“It was Jacqueline... she said you even hit on her.”
I take a deep breath and count to ten. Still that woman is causing hell for me. “She’s married. You really think I’d hit on a married woman?”
I stare at her, and it’s plain as day on her face. She may not want to, but she believes it. I take a step toward her. “Did your friend tell I’m not interested in her? I guess she left out the part that I turn her down over and over because not only is she married but I’m not interested in her in the least. No, she wouldn’t tell you that because she doesn’t want me to find someone. I’m sure it’s all over Whiskey Valley that I showed some interest in you, and she’s nervous because I don’t show interest in women, period. In the past, it’s been all about how much money I make... that’s all anyone wants from me.”
For the first time since she came to the door, she looks unsure. “I don’t—I don’t want your money.”
“Yeah, but honey, you don’t want me either.”
I turn to walk away, and she reaches for my arm. It’s the first time she’s touched me on her own, and I wish it was under different circumstances. “Wait, King...”
I close my eyes, savoring the touch of her. She has no clue how I feel about her, and I don’t think she’d believe it at this point. I look at the ground, because I can’t look at her. “You were right about one thing, Nat. This isn’t going to work.”
I pull from her hold and get to the steps. “What about Eli? Should I stop bringing him to the camp?”
It’s like a punch to the gut. I raise my head to look at her, and she winces. I’m sure she sees the hurt on my face because I’m not even going to try to hold it back. I can’t. “If you have to ask me that, you don’t know me at all, Natalie. I’ll see Eli in the morning.”
Her arms are wrapped around her body, and even now, with how mad I am, I want to comfort her. I walk away with a sizable hole in my heart, wondering why I thought it would be different this time. Obviously, I’m meant to be a rancher and that’s it because I don’t have the heart for the rest of this shit.
Chapter 13
Natalie
I was upset all night. I hurt him. I know I did. I almost texted him a hundred times, but in the end, I knew the damage was done. I want to believe him so much, but he was right when he said I was scared.
I looked for him this morning when I dropped Eli off at camp. I’m off work today, and I dropped him off as the camp was starting. King was nowhere to be found. When I came back into town, I cleaned up around the apartment, and around mid-afternoon I grabbed my yoga mat and a towel and walked over to the park. There’s a yoga class held in the park, and if I have a day off, I do my best to go.
I wave at a few moms I recognize from school and then settle into class. As I go through each pose and stretch, I can feel the tightness in my shoulders start to loosen. I try to clear my mind, but it’s nearly impossible because all I can think about is King. I know I owe him an apology.