Do you take this rebel - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,69
forth. He might as well feel at home when he’s there.”
“Just don’t get carried away,” he warned his father. He wouldn’t put it past the old man to try to convince Jake to move in.
“I have no idea what you mean,” Frank retorted, heading for the door at a brisker pace than usual, clearly eager to avoid a drawn-out explanation.
Cole let him leave, then sat back with a sigh and braced himself for Cassie’s return from work. He had a decision to make between now and then. He could agree to her terms or go to war. With his body already squarely on her side, in fact eager to join her in bed, the decision was all but made.
He just had to figure out if he could live with it.
Cassie wiped the counter at Stella’s with slow, distracted strokes.
“I think it’s clean now,” Karen commented.
Cassie’s gaze shot up. “What?”
She had almost forgotten her friend was there. Karen had come in right at closing, claiming that she’d had a sudden yearning for a piece of Stella’s apple pie. Since Karen’s pies had been winning ribbons at the local fair for years now, the explanation hadn’t rung true.
Karen placed her hand over Cassie’s to still the idle motion. “I said that the counter is clean.” Her gaze narrowed. “What’s on your mind? Did you and Cole have a fight?”
“We don’t exactly fight,” Cassie said. “Though yesterday we came as close as we ever have.” She sighed. “He’s so cool. Even when he’s furious with me, he refuses to let down his guard. He just makes some sarcastic comment that’s designed to put distance between us.”
“Don’t let him get away with it,” Karen advised. “Call him on it.”
“I do. Last night I told him he had to make a decision. We either work at a real marriage or I walk and I take Jake with me.”
Karen’s eyes widened. “You didn’t?”
“What choice did I have? Things are impossible the way they are now. And after yesterday…”
“What happened?”
“We made love,” she said, feeling the heat climb into her cheeks at the memory. “And it was the way it used to be—better, in fact.”
“That’s wonderful. And it’s progress.” She studied Cassie intently. “So why did you issue an ultimatum after that?”
“Because he would have gone right back to the way things used to be. He was already pulling back even while I was right there next to him.”
“He’s scared,” Karen concluded.
The comment was so ludicrous that Cassie laughed. “Cole Davis isn’t scared of anything.”
“Sure he is,” Karen said. “He’s scared of the same thing all men are scared of, letting down their guard and getting hurt. Frankly, I think that’s very positive.”
“Pardon me if I have a little trouble following your logic. Why is that a good thing?”
“It means he loves you. You still have the power to hurt him and he knows it. It terrifies him. So what does he do? He puts those walls up to protect himself.”
Cassie considered the explanation thoughtfully. It made a lot of sense. Unfortunately she wasn’t sure how much longer she could fight to try to tear those walls back down. A lot depended on what Cole said when she got back to the hotel today. If he agreed to her terms for staying, they had a chance. If not…
“I don’t know what to do anymore,” she admitted. “I’ve tried everything I can think of, including threatening to leave.”
“Which would only prove to him that’s he’s been right all along not to trust you,” Karen pointed out.
Well, hell. She was right about that, too. “I can’t talk about this anymore. My head is spinning. Let’s talk about you. How are you doing?”
“I’m getting through one day at a time,” Karen said. “Lauren’s been a huge help. She refuses to go away. I feel as if I am totally disrupting her life, but the truth is I’m glad of the company. And she’s working as if she’s obsessed. She’s always had a magic touch with horses, but she’s turning into an all-around rancher. I dread the day she goes back to her own life.”
Her shoulders slumped and a weary expression settled on her face. “I don’t know what I’d do without her. I thought I could do it all, but I can’t, and I can’t pay for extra help. If I lose the ranch, I’ll feel as if I failed Caleb.”
“You’re not going to lose the ranch,” Cassie said fiercely. “We’ll all do whatever it takes to see to that.”