To Tempt a Cowgirl (33 page)

“You’re a success today because of Widmeyer.”

His mouth tightened. “Yes.”

“This is a lot to process,” she said. And she wished she’d known this earlier. It might have helped her piece things together.

Gabe seemed to follow the direction of her thoughts. “I have a hard time—”

“Talking about your past. I know.” She shook her hair back as she looked up at him. “But your past is not you.”

“It is now,” he said simply and she understood it was because she wasn’t going to let go of what he had done in the recent past. “I bought the Staley place to square things with you,” he continued. “I thought I could do that and then let things be, but I can’t. I miss you in my life. I screwed up the best thing I’ve ever had by trying not to screw up the other best thing I ever had.” He turned his palms out in a resigned gesture. “I don’t know what else to say.”

Neither did Dani.

Gabe picked up his suitcase, tucked the wet clothing under his arm. “I have to get to my house before it gets dark,” he said. “No power, you know.”

Dani rose to her feet. “Why didn’t you tell me about Widmeyer earlier? After I found out about the land deal?”

“Would you have believed me at that point?” he asked grimly.

“I don’t know,” Dani said in a low voice.

“Yes, you do.”

For one long moment, their gazes held, as if he was waiting for Dani to deny his claim, then when she said nothing—what could she say when he’d spoken the utter truth?—he opened the door and disappeared out into the winter twilight. And all Dani could think as she stared at the beat-up oak door was that it didn’t matter if he’d retreated, it didn’t matter if she’d been burned—like it or not, this was not over yet.

The big question was how would they find a middle ground? A place of trust after everything that had happened?

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

G
ABE’S
SUV
DIDN’T
make it to his house, but Dani didn’t know that until the next morning when she stopped in front of her bedroom window and stared out across the snowy landscape toward the Staley house. When she saw the bright blue vehicle sitting catawampus in the ditch, midway between his place and hers, her heart all but stopped.

If that damned man had frozen to death...

She raced downstairs and found her phone, which was nearly dead thanks to the power outage. Praying that she had enough juice to make a connection, she searched through her previous calls for Gabe’s cell number, then tapped the screen. It rang four times and she was already shoving her feet into her boots when he answered.

“You’re alive,” she blurted.

“What?”

“Your SUV—it’s in the ditch.”

“Yeah. One drift too many.” He sounded drained—like a guy who’d flown from Chicago, driven through a blizzard, rescued a dog from icy waters, then spilled his guts to a woman he professed to care about.

“So...you’re okay.”

“Pretty much.”

Dani exhaled deeply and sank down into a kitchen chair, one boot on, one off, resting her forehead against her palm. “You are ripping me apart,” she muttered.

“Dani...”

“I’m coming over.” She hung up before he could answer and when her phone rang, she ignored it.

The overhead light came on as she started up the staircase and after a deep groan the furnace roared to life. A sign?

Maybe.

She dressed in jeans and a sweater, jammed her feet back into her snow boots. She started to braid her hair, then abandoned the process after screwing it up twice.

Damn it, her hands were shaking. And she felt close to tears.
If he had frozen to death...

She pulled her wool cap on, grabbed her gloves and headed out the door. It took a few tries to get the tractor started, and then she let it warm up for several minutes before putting it in gear and driving it out of the barn. She got off to close the door, then once again started chugging toward the Staley house and...she didn’t know what.

The only plus was she was remarkably well rested—after resigning herself to a long night staring at the ceiling and thinking deep thoughts, she’d fallen into an exhausted sleep almost as soon as she’d crawled into her chilly bed. The knowledge that Gabe had had a reason for his actions had given her a sense of peace she hadn’t expected. A sense of hope. He’d had a reason that went deeper than simply doing his job. A reason that had probably tied him in knots as his relationship with her had progressed.

Yes, he could have told her, but he hadn’t and she understood him well enough now to know it was more than because she wouldn’t have believed him. He was still ashamed of his life before Stewart Widmeyer had thrown him a lifeline, despite being the guy he was now—the guy she’d fallen in love with. They’d work on that.

As she approached his vehicle, she saw him heading down the road toward her, hands shoved deeply into his pockets, head down against the cold. He looked up as she maneuvered the tractor around the Toyota and stopped in front of it and she thought she may have caught a hint of a smile.

She wasn’t certain, though.

And, yes, her hands were still shaking a little.

She climbed down off the tractor and started toward him through the snow, stopping when he was still a few feet away. She must have imagined the smile, because he was once again walled off.

“You are not going to rest until you pull a bumper off one of my vehicles, are you?” He spoke matter-of-factly, but she could read the uncertainty in his eyes. He was playing this cool, as was she, neither certain of the other.

She shrugged. “I was thinking more like the axle.”

“I bought the insurance,” he said. “It seemed like a good move with the blizzard and all, but again, I don’t think I’m covered for this.”

“You might have a little faith in me,” she said, waiting a beat before she added, “Just as I’m going to have some faith in you.”

“Dani...”

“I never properly thanked you for saving Gus.”

“No need.” He shoved his hands more deeply in his pockets, but his eyes never left her face.

Silence fell between them, making Dani all the more aware of the bitter cold biting at her cheeks. Finally she said, “I’m scared to death, Gabe.”

“You, too?” She nodded. “What are you afraid of?” His voice was low, almost a growl.

“Losing a chance to start over. With you.”

He frowned at her, as if wondering if he’d heard her correctly. She tilted her chin sideways as a look of dawning hope flashed in his gray eyes. And then he was moving toward her. Dani did not hesitate, did not analyze, did not fear. Her guy was alive. He was with her. She threw herself into his embrace and he closed his arms around her, holding her tightly against his chest, pressing his cheek against the top of her head as she inhaled deeply, drawing in his scent. Home. She was home.

“I just want a chance to be the guy you thought I was.” He murmured the words against her temple, his breath warm on her face, and Dani realized she was still shaking and it wasn’t from cold. He held her for a few more seconds, then leaned back to tip up her chin to take her lips in a heartbreakingly sweet kiss.

Dani slid her hands up around his neck, pushing aside the thick collar of his coat, needing to be closer to him. This was the guy she loved. This was the real Gabe.

When he finally lifted his head, he took her face between his gloved palms and said, “No more secrets, Dani. No more omissions. Ever. We start fresh here. Now. And we will build something strong between us.”

Dani raised her lips to touch his once again.

She believed him.

Five months later

“I
DON’T
KNOW
that breeding Lacy makes sense.” Gabe put down the pen he’d been holding and settled his forearms on the kitchen table.

“There are a lot of things in this life that don’t make sense,” Dani replied with a half smile, “but we do them anyway.” She leaned across the table toward him, watched the shift in his expression as his gaze dropped to her lips. “But in this case, it makes sense. She has excellent breeding. She shouldn’t pass her issues along to her get...she had a sweet personality before Len Olsen had his way with her.”

“Are you going to be able to sell a baby after what happened to Lacy?”

“You can’t let one incident color your life,” she said. “I’d have concerns, but there are lots of people out there who give their horses wonderful lives. Look at how well Molly landed.”

“I have to admit that was the first time I’ve ever received holiday greetings from a horse.” The Christmas card was still attached to his refrigerator with a magnet three months later.

Dani reached for his hand. He threaded his fingers through hers. “I think it’s a good idea.”

She smiled and squeezed his fingers. It was her decision, but she liked bouncing things off him, talking through her concerns and he had started doing the same, albeit slowly. He’d even asked for her input on making a final decision before taking a bury-the-hatchet contract from Stewart, wanting to make certain it didn’t bother her if he worked for the guy who’d threatened her with a water park. Dani didn’t know that she would ever warm up to Stewart and Serena, but she loved Neal and understood that Stewart was the closest thing to a father that Gabe had ever had.

He’d therefore be the closest thing to a father-in-law that she would have.

Dani could live with that.

Gabe’s thumb moved over her wrist, sending a tingle of anticipation shooting through her, and she fought a smile as she met his eyes. “Are we done?” she asked, indicating the business plan they’d been working through prior to the Lacy discussion.

“For now.” There was a wealth of promise in those spoken words.

Dani stood and Gabe followed, his hand sliding up her arm as he leaned in to kiss her. “My place or yours?” Dani asked against his lips. Dani had continued to live at the Lightning Creek with Jolie while Gabe traveled back and forth to Chicago, finishing his contract with Widmeyer Enterprises. “Jolie isn’t due home for at least an hour.”

“Mine,” Gabe said, touching her forehead with his. “We’ll take the business plan with us.”

“The plan?” Dani asked with a lift of her eyebrows.

“Well...we’ll need something to do.”

Dani laughed and pulled him closer, showing him exactly what they would be doing. “Gabe,” she said in a patient tone. “There’s a time for plans and there’s a time for action. At this particular point in time...I vote for action.”

* * * * *

Look out for the next
BRODYS OF LIGHTNING CREEK
book,
Jolie’s story, coming later this year from
Jeannie Watt and Harlequin Superromance!

Keep reading for an excerpt from HIS REBEL HEART by Amber Leigh Williams.

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