Just make sure we don’t put Colt in any jeopardy.” Denver stretched his arm toward Ross.
“I’ll give it my best shot!” The wiry attorney shook Denver’s hand, but looked at Tessa. “Nice meeting you, Ms. Kramer.”
“You, too.”
On the way home, she barely said a word to Denver. They stopped for dinner at a restaurant owned by a young couple who served “family-style” meals. The room was crowded, the table big enough to hold four couples, which it did, but there wasn’t one bit of intimacy.
Tessa ate the chicken and dumplings and didn’t taste a bite. She couldn’t think of anything save the fact that Denver was planning to leave her again. Not that he’d ever promised anything else, she knew. And there was some time left—time to be shared here and in California. But the prospect of living the rest of her life without him was more depressing than she’d ever imagined. The past seven years she’d known that somewhere, sometime, she’d see him again, but now it seemed that once he left for Los Angeles, the only contact she would have with him would be quarterly statements about the ranch—property tax statements, income taxes and such—until he was completely bought out.
And what then? Would he return to the ranch whenever he wanted, to check up on her? Take her to bed for one night only to leave the next day? Her head was swimming, her eyes hot. She could barely breathe.
Shoving her chair away from the table, she scrambled to her feet. “I need some fresh air,” she explained, not waiting for Denver’s reaction. She struck out through the restaurant’s front door and didn’t stop until she was in the parking lot, breathing in huge gulps, mentally kicking herself for loving him.
She heard his footsteps thudding on the boards of the front porch. Before she could turn around, she felt his arms surround her waist, his breath on her nape. “I’ve been an ass,” he decided, and she clenched her fists impotently.
She couldn’t agree more. “This is all coming down too quickly. The ranch, Colton, you. It’s not turning out like it was supposed to.”
“No fairy-tale ending?” he mocked.
“I suppose I deserved that.”
“What is it you want, Tessa?”
You, her heart thundered. Just you!
“If you want the ranch, I’ll sell it to you. If you want Colton’s share, I’ll convince him you’re the right buyer. If you need money, I’ll loan it to you. Whatever it is that will make you happy . . .”
She tried not to shake, Her heart wrenched. “The ranch is all I’ve ever wanted,” she whispered, her tongue tripping on the lie. Tell him! Tell him you love him! a part of her cried, but pride kept her silent.
“Then there’s nothing to worry about. Let me handle Colton.” He kissed the nape of her neck. A shiver darted quickly up her spine to linger at the spot where he’d brushed his lips across her skin.
“Let’s go,” she murmured.
Denver yanked viciously on the tie still knotted at his throat, then threw his jacket into the back seat. After rolling his sleeves over his forearms, he helped Tessa into the car, then slid behind the wheel.
For most of the drive, they didn’t speak. The late afternoon sun descended slowly behind the rocky peaks to the west, streaking the sky in a blaze of pink and gold.
Tessa closed her eyes. She pushed her worries aside and leaned back in the seat, letting the heat of the day settle around her as Denver drove steadily north. Dusk had just shaded the sky when they passed her father’s cottage and the lane to the McLean Ranch came into view.
“Almost home,” Tessa murmured.
“Not yet.” Denver said quietly. He stepped on the throttle, passing the lane.
“What’re you doing?” Tessa asked, surprised.
He smiled crookedly. “I thought we deserved a detour.” A quarter of a mile past the lane, he cranked hard on the wheel. The car responded, lurching onto the old silver mining road. Barely more than twin ruts in the bleached grass, the tracks curved, snaking along the banks of the Sage River and the Aldridge property before climbing the gentle slope of the surrounding foothills.
“Where’re we going?” Tessa asked, though she had already guessed. This road led not only to the abandoned mine, but to the ridge where she and Denver had first made love. Nervously she reached for the handle of the car door, wrapping her fingers around the armrest.
The little car bumped and spun, leaving a cloud of dust.