florist or the store in town. “I prefer wildflowers. Natural and pure.”
As he headed to the counter, she saw the date circled on the calendar—just two days from now—and froze, her heart almost stopping in her chest. “Colt, when are you leaving?”
He stiffened then sagged, his head bowing. He turned and leaned against the counter, his fingers clutching the edge. “I have to go back on Monday. Earlier than I thought. The studio had an opening and they wanted to start earlier.”
She swallowed, her appetite fleeing. She slid into the chair because she was afraid her knees would no longer hold her and she stared at the flowers in the center of the table. “We knew this day was coming. We prepared for it.”
He knelt by her side, taking one of her limp hands in his. “This doesn’t need to end, Sierra. Despite what we said, this is not just physical, at least not for me. I want to see where this can lead.”
Disbelief made her shake her head. “That’s the point. We can’t be together, not when you’re half a country away. I can’t leave Granite Junction. I have a business to run. You have obligations in Nashville. Then you go on the road. I spent too much of my life being dragged all over the place without any roots. I need a place to belong, Colt. I can’t be untethered anymore.”
“This is different, Sierra. We’ll have a home base, here in Granite Junction. You don’t need to travel all the time with me, just when you want. And this time, you control the travel. You’re not dependent on anyone else. That’s not who you are.”
She yanked her hand back. “That’s exactly what this would be. I would be solely dependent on you. I’m already dependent on you for my happiness. I wait to see a text from you. I count the hours until the end of the day to see you. I love waking up to your smile. My world is already reshaping itself around you.”
“That’s no different than mine. I wonder how many times I can text you before I’m considered a stalker. I have to stay busy so I don’t drive to your business. And every single one of my songs right now is about you. I don’t want to leave but it’s my job, just like yours is here. That doesn’t mean you won’t be on my mind and in my heart every minute until I can come back.”
She stood up and backed away. “I can’t do this, Colt. I told you that we had an expiration date. That day is today. I’m sorry.”
And she fled out the door, tears blinding her every step.
Chapter Nine
The next week was brutal for Sierra. At the end of the day she retreated to her apartment, alone, where she often cried, not that she would admit that to anyone. Many times, in the dark of the night, she wondered if she’d made a mistake. Would it have been better to have a long-distance relationship with Colt than this hell she was in?
Friday morning, her mother followed her into her office and closed the door. “So he left?”
Sierra nodded miserably. “Last weekend. He had to go back to Nashville.”
“And he decided this was too hard, long distance? He didn’t want to be tied down? How dare he use my baby and toss her aside? I might have some connections from prison that reach to Nashville.” Her mother’s indignation was kind of funny, considering Sierra’s childhood and how often she was left alone.
Sierra rolled her eyes. “Mom, you were in for check fraud, not the hard stuff. Doubt you’ll have those kinds of connections. And really, spare me the whole momma bear thing. I don’t need it.”
Though it did kind of feel good to have her mother smoothing her hair back and hugging her. She may have missed out on some of those moments as a child but maybe you were never too old for that.
Her mother sniffed. “Well, still. Some of those women were pretty tough. And no one hurts my baby. Next time he comes to town, I’ll find a way to make him miserable.”
“If you’re still here,” Sierra couldn’t resist adding.
Valerie’s hand stilled on Sierra’s head. “What’s that supposed to mean? Honey, I’m not going anywhere. I know I screwed up a lot when you were a kid, but I meant what I said when I came back. I want to try to rebuild our relationship. Nothing can