Southern Comfort - Natasha Madison Page 0,36

you won.” She smiles, and for the first time since I told this story, I can feel good about it.

“I did.” I smile, and she turns, putting her hands around my waist. “Not only did I win, but when I found out that his farm was in the red, deep in the red, I bought it from him.” She gasps in shock. “Yeah, well, when I showed up that day dressed in a suit, he was also in shock. He had no idea I was behind it.”

“Look at you.” She laughs. “Doing the whole mic drop scene.”

“More or less. Then I came here and said my last goodbye to the barn before I demolished it,”

I say. “What I wasn’t expecting was Lorelei to be here.” For the first time, saying her name doesn’t bother me. For the first time, I can say her name without getting angry.

“Casey,” she whispered as she looked me up and down. Not the same man she left in this barn four years ago. Gone were my Levi’s and T-shirt, and in its place was the custom-made suit I got for this very occasion. “I didn’t …”

“Lorelei.” Saying her name still got me. She stood there in her own Levi’s and cowboy boots. A checkered button-down shirt tied in a knot at the stomach with her black hair curled. If you didn’t know better, you would think she was going to a photo shoot. “Good to see you.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked, and I put my hands in my pockets. “And what are you wearing?”

“I’m here to take a look around.” I walked in a circle. “Lots of memories in this barn.”

“Yes,” she said, wringing her hands together. Her lower lip quivered just a bit.

“That stall.” I pointed at the one that had her horse in it. “It’s where I first fell in love with you.” I didn’t wait for her to say anything. “It’s also the first thing I’m going to rip down.”

“What?” she whispered.

“You see, I own this now.” I looked at her. “Signed the papers an hour ago.” Shock filled her face.

“Dad said he was selling to …” I shook my head.

“CBS Corporation,” I filled her in. “Casey Barnes Security.” I took one look at her. “That stall.” I pointed back to it again. “It’s also the place you broke my heart.”

“I never meant …” she said and took a step forward.

“Lorelei, I should thank you.” I smiled. “Excuse me, my plane takes off in thirty minutes.” I walked past her as tears ran down her face.

“Casey,” she says after I say the part that I never told anyone. “She was the one who didn’t deserve you.” She puts her hands on my face so I can look at her. “She had the best man that she would ever have in her hands, and she let him get away.”

“Darlin’,” I say softly, but she doesn’t let me say anything else. She gets on her tippy toes and kisses me. And here, in the middle of the place where my heart broke, it started beating once more.

“Thank you,” she says when we walk back to the golf cart, “for sharing that story with me. I’m sure it wasn’t easy.” I don’t say anything while we drive back to my barn. I notice something is off at the crossing, so I look around and see fresh footprints. I look to the right and don’t see anything, but then I look to the left and see a shadow in the field.

Glancing over to see if Olivia saw it, I decide not to say anything when I see her gazing out at the horizon. Instead, I drive straight to my parents’ house and turn off the cart. “Tell Mom I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

“Where are you going?” she asks while she climbs out.

“I’m going to just go close the barn door.” She doesn’t ask anymore questions, and when I get back to the barn, I run in and pull up the feeds from a couple of minutes ago. I watch frame by frame until I see the man. Wearing all black, he doesn’t once look up. Instead, he stands there watching us. Then he takes a picture, and just like that, he’s gone.

I pick up the phone and call Derek, who answers right away. “Yeah, I just got the information.”

“He’s using a phantom car.” I hear him typing. “I have nothing on him. He keeps his face covered the whole time. I