stared at that damn phone screen. At the text she’d gotten.
She was utterly silent for so long that he began to feel uneasy. “Everything okay?”
“Hm?” Amy turned back to him, her eyes a little too bright, her face a little too pale. “Oh. Yeah. I’m okay. It’s just personal business.” She smiled again but this time it didn’t seem to reach her eyes. The happy sparkle in them was gone.
He hated that. He wanted her happy, always. “Do I need to beat someone up for you?”
“Not yet,” she told him, and her expression seemed somber. It had been a joke, but she didn’t seem to think of it as one, and that made him curious. “I’m sorry,” she said after a moment. “I need to make a few calls and then walk Donner . . .”
“It’s okay,” Caleb said, getting to his feet. The moment was gone. He was new to dating, but he knew when he’d overstayed his welcome. Clearly whatever was in that text message had upset her, and she needed to handle it. He wanted to fix it for her, but it was also clear that she didn’t want him to be the one to fix it. So he had to leave it alone, even though it was killing him to wonder about it. “I should get going anyhow. I’ve been slacking on my chores at the ranch, so I need to go and put in some extra time before Jack loses his mind.”
She got to her feet, too, clutching her phone to her chest. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to run you off, Caleb. I just—”
“Hey, it’s okay.” He wanted to kiss her again—a hundred times over—but now didn’t seem like the time. “Just text me if anything changes between us.”
Her brows furrowed and she frowned. “What do you mean, changes between us?”
He gestured at the phone.
“Oh.” She shook her head, almost violently. “That’s something else entirely. You and I . . . we’re still a thing, right?” Her expression was full of hope.
She still didn’t get it. Didn’t grasp that he’d do absolutely anything for her. Caleb nodded slowly. “You and I are still a thing, absolutely. I’ll be back in the morning to drive you to work.”
“And with another note?” She wiggled her eyebrows at him. “There’s still eleven more days until Christmas.”
It was amazing that even when he didn’t feel like laughing, she still managed to make it rumble out of him. He chuckled, nodding. “Yeah, with another note.”
“I’ll see you then.” She clutched her phone to her chest and gazed up at him. “Thank you for coming by and making me breakfast.”
“It was supposed to be cookies.”
“It’s the thought that counts,” she replied, managing a smile. “And you’re very, very thoughtful, Caleb.”
Now he wanted to kiss her again. But she was distracted, so he’d be a gentleman. He nodded and pulled his Stetson onto his head, then headed out the door and into the snow.
Tomorrow would come by soon enough, and he hadn’t lied—he did need to pitch in more at the ranch. There was plenty to do to distract himself and to stay busy. He knew one thing was going to be on his mind all day, however. He needed to know what had caused Amy’s smile to die, and how he could fix it.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Amy clutched at her phone, her heart pounding. She wanted to tell Caleb not to drive away. Heck, she wanted to get into his truck and tell him to just drive and never stop. Just keep going forever, live like vagabonds, moving from town to town, and hide from all their problems.
The real world didn’t work like that, though, and Amy sucked in a deep breath and then read the message on her phone again.
BLAKE: I’m sending you a courtesy message just to let you know that I’m filing for bankruptcy.
BLAKE: The latest start-up has been bleeding money and there’s nothing to send you. Everything’s overextended and mortgaged to the hilt, so you won’t be seeing a cent of the alimony.
BLAKE: But I know you’re hard up for money. I’m willing to send you a little from my personal account to tide you over . . . if you apologize for humiliating me.
BLAKE: If you don’t, you won’t see a cent.
BLAKE: That jewelry I sent was just a taste of what you used to have. Remember? You can have that again.
BLAKE: But you have to be sorry that you put me through this . .