Do you take this rebel - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,61

a paper that says so.”

“Yeah, but we both know…” His voice trailed off.

“What? That it’s not real?”

He nodded. What amazed him right now, though, was that it felt real, even though it wasn’t supposed to. He wanted her. He wanted all the things they had once talked about…a future, a family, a home. He wanted to make love to Cassie Collins Davis and prove that she was finally his.

He gazed into her eyes, saw the little spark of desire, caught the way her lips parted as if she was about to speak…or about to welcome his kiss. He steeled himself against his own traitorous desire and took a step back.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have disturbed you,” he said stiffly.

“Cole—”

“No, Cassie. I am not coming in there.” He said it as if she were the one who’d set out to tempt him, rather than take responsibility for his own actions in coming to her door.

“Then why are you here?”

“I wish to God I knew.”

She nodded at that. The hope that had been in her eyes dimmed, then died. Her expression hardened. “Then do me a favor,” she said quietly. “Don’t come back until you do.”

He wanted to argue that she was his wife and that he’d damn well come and go as he pleased, but what was the point? She was right. He had no business being here, not unless he was willing to forgive and forget, and he was far from ready to do that. He wasn’t sure he would ever be able to do that.

But as he turned and walked away, as he heard the whisper of her sigh as the door clicked shut behind him, he wondered if he hadn’t just consigned them both—not just her, but the two of them—to a life of pure hell.

Cassie hadn’t thought it was possible to be any more miserable than she had been waiting for Cole to decide what he wanted from her, but she’d been wrong. This so-called marriage was worse. Much worse.

To be so close to a man she loved and know that he didn’t trust her, that, in fact, he all but hated her, was sheer torment. Whatever hope she had felt when he’d held her in his arms just a few short weeks ago at the reunion dance was gone. The hunger and heat stirred by his touch was little more than cold ashes now. All of it had been lost due to her years of deceit.

The day after the wedding she got up, got dressed and waited for some sign from Cole of what he expected. When he hadn’t come by nine, she ordered breakfast in her room. She was tempted to change clothes and go to work, but Stella would have been appalled, and tongues all over town would have wagged. Cassie felt the same way about going to church. To arrive alone on the morning after her wedding would have stirred all sorts of comment.

By noon, though, she was going stir-crazy. Grabbing her keys, she went downstairs, got in her car and headed for Karen’s. If ever there was a time to be with her best friends, this was it.

She found all four Calamity Janes seated around the kitchen table debating the merits of various gourmet coffees. Well, Lauren and Gina were debating them, anyway. Karen and Emma were exchanging amused looks. All of them looked up, clearly startled, as Cassie walked in.

“Any of that coffee left for me?” she asked as if her arrival was nothing out of the ordinary. “And I don’t care what kind it is, as long as it’s strong.”

Karen jumped up, pulled out a chair for her and poured the coffee, as the others simply stared.

“Stop it,” Cassie ordered. “I haven’t grown two heads overnight, have I?”

“It’s just a surprise,” Gina began cautiously. “You got married yesterday. I thought—we all thought…”

“Well, you thought wrong,” she said succinctly.

“Where’s Cole?”

Cassie shrugged. “Beats me. I haven’t seen him since last night.”

Emma scowled. “The man walked out on you right after your wedding night?”

“Only in the loosest interpretation of that,” Cassie said mildly. “Technically there was no wedding night. And he never walked in, much less out.”

Gina clasped her hand. “Explain,” she ordered. “Then we can go strangle him.”

Cassie opened her mouth, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, all the hurt and humiliation bubbled up from deep inside. Great choking sobs emerged, taking her and the rest of them by surprise.

For an instant her friends just sat there. Then they were all around