Again, heavy silence descended, as they seemed to grapple with what he’d said. Grudging admiration and maybe even respect entered their eyes.
Her brothers eased back into their seats. Lily smiled over at Max. He smiled back and mouthed a silent thank you.
Callie’s dads also settled on the couches, and Holly walked over to sit between Adam and Ethan.
“What can we do to help?” Adam asked.
“I need you to help me build her dream. She’s spoken to me some about it so I have an idea of what she wants. But I need anything you have. Any tidbit of what she’s talked about. What she likes. How she’d want it built. ”
“I drew her a picture,” Lily spoke up. “I drew the outside to her specifications. I still have a copy. I can give you that. ”
“That would be fantastic, Lily. Thank you. ”
“You’re serious about this?” Seth asked. There was a glimmer of doubt, a look of incredulity etched on his brow. “You’re going to give up the meadow without a fight?”
“The meadow is Callie’s,” Max said in an even voice. “I’ll never fight her for it. What I won’t give up without a fight is…Callie. ”
“I’m handy with tools,” Dillon said, speaking for the first time. “I built my own place. I’ll do what I can. ”
“I appreciate it. I’m going to have a team of contractors up here. No expense will be spared. I can use any input or information you all have. ”
“You really do love her,” Holly said in a soft voice.
Max looked from one family member to the next until finally his gaze rested on Callie’s mother. “She’s my life. ”
“Well, let’s get cracking,” Ryan said. “We’ve got a house to build. ”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Callie put her truck into gear and began the drive up the mountain. Autumn had come to the mountains and everywhere around her, aspens burst with gold so vibrant that it hurt her eyes to look at the shimmering leaves. Already there was a chill to the air that bespoke winter’s impending arrival. She turned up the heat and prayed it still worked.
The long months away had taken their toll. In some ways, it seemed she’d been gone a lifetime, but in other ways, it was just yesterday.
She missed her family and she longed to be in the middle of them again.
And Max.
How she’d wanted the passage of time to dim the hurt, but her heart was as torn as it had been the day she left.
She forced her gaze forward as she approached her meadow. No, it wasn’t hers any longer. It was Max’s. She hoped it gave him peace. It had given her none.
Her lips trembled as she passed the turnoff that would wind its way to the valley below. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something that made her brake in the middle of the road.
She whipped her head around, her mouth falling open. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t.
Pain shredded her throat and stabbed deep into her soul. He’d built a house in the meadow. He hadn’t wasted any time taking it over and making it his.
Tears burned her eyelids and she closed her eyes, determined to look away.
It was like a train wreck. She was compelled to open her eyes and stare down at the cabin nestled on the banks of the creek.
God, it was her house. Her dream house.
Was there no end to the ways he could make her bleed?
She jammed the gearshift into reverse and accelerated until she got back to the turnoff for the meadow. She roared down the road until she reached the place where she and Max had stopped that night so many months ago. A lifetime ago.
She got out and slowly walked a few feet in front of her truck.
The old wooden fence was gone. Maybe he planned to put up a new one. A separation of Wilder land from Colter land.
She was a fool. How could she ever come back here when she’d be faced with Max at every turn? How could her parents’ house, always a haven—home—be a refuge when she would be forced to face so much pain and betrayal simply by looking out her window?
No, she couldn’t come back here.
“Callie. ”
She froze as Max’s soft voice slid over her ears like a warm, comforting blanket. She closed her eyes and squeezed her fingers into tight balls. Not this. Anything but this. Hadn’t she bled enough?
She hadn’t heard his approach. But then she’d been too ensconced in the agony of seeing her dream belong to someone else.
“Callie, please. Look at me. ”
The soft entreaty was nearly her undoing. Despite the fact that the last thing she wanted was to confront Max again, she found herself slowly turning, responding to the command layered into his quiet request.
He looked different. Haggard. He’d lost weight. There were lines of fatigue etched into his brow and dark shadows rimmed his eyes. He looked…terrible.
“Thank God you’re home. ”
“How did you know?” she demanded. “How could you possibly have found me this fast? I only just got into town. ”
His lip curled, and a blaze of anger flashed in his eyes.
“Because I’ve waited every goddamn day for the last three months for you to come back. I’ve had the entire goddamn town on alert. Everyone has been watching for you—waiting. I got a phone call as soon as your truck was spotted in Clyde. I came as soon as I got the call. I was only a quarter mile behind you. ”
“Why?” she asked helplessly.
“Because you’re mine, Callie, and I’m not letting you go. ”
She whirled around so that her back was to him and she stared out over the meadow again. “It’s beautiful,” she managed to grind out.
“I want you to see it,” he said, closer this time as he walked up behind her.
She shook her head. Even Max couldn’t be this cruel.
“Yes, Callie. You’re going to come with me and you’re going to see the house. ”
He took her hand and pulled her toward the path leading down the hillside. His fingers were like iron digits around hers. No escape. No choice but to follow him.
She walked stiffly, each step making her want to cry out for him to stop.
“Why are you doing this?”
Max paused only for a moment as he turned back to stare at her. “This is yours, Callie. It’s all for you. Every last piece of wood. Every nail. Every coat of paint. Every flower planted in the boxes out front. It’s all yours. Your dream. Just the way you wanted it. ”
Her mouth fell open and she stumbled after him as he continued dragging her closer to the house.