From This Moment On - By Debbi Rawlins Page 0,40
no investment in the Lone Wolf, emotional or otherwise. She was only here in Montana because...
Her breathing stalled again, and she forced herself to pay attention to what her body was telling her. She was in major stress mode.
With Wallace alive, she’d been coasting. Any decision regarding her future she’d easily shelved for later. Matt had been busy with his care, and she’d scrambled to make herself unavailable. A tiny part of her had hoped by the time Wallace was gone she’d have grown attached to the ranch and Blackfoot Falls. She liked her job and most of the people she’d met, but enough to make this her home? She couldn’t say. So where did that leave her? Aside from feeling utterly confused.
Startled, she saw the turnoff to the Lone Wolf up ahead. Of all the nights for the drive to seem short... She slowed to make the turn and, yep, Trace was still right behind her. Maybe it was best he’d be there with her. He’d be a distraction and Matt wouldn’t fuss over her so much in front of Trace.
She forced herself to concentrate on the narrow private road, looking out for deer that liked to come bounding out of nowhere and dash in front of the truck this time of night. Her hands were cold again, actually freezing and stiff, and she let go of the wheel to shake the circulation back into her fingers.
She hadn’t made it far when the lights became visible. Normally she wouldn’t see the Lone Wolf for another half a mile. But tonight, God, so many lights were ablaze they lit the sky. Had someone flipped every single switch on the property? How many people were there? And why? Had they come to see her father in his last hour?
The thought stopped her, the truth hitting her so hard it was impossible to breathe.
Wallace was...or had been...her father. It didn’t matter how much she hated him. Or that they’d never bonded, and she’d resented him as far back as she could remember. Her father, the man who’d given her life, had died tonight. And she had the horrible, horrible suspicion that she had wanted something from him after all.
Just once she’d wanted him to look at her, really see her as his daughter. Give her that special smile fathers reserved for their little girls. Let her believe that in his heart he was happy she existed.
God, how could she have been such a fool?
In spite of herself, in spite of all the nasty things of which she’d known he was capable, she’d secretly been hoping Wallace would tell her he regretted abandoning her and her mother. People changed. She had, so why not give him the benefit of the doubt? But she’d never gone to see him at the end, so how could he have told her?
In her heart she knew he hadn’t changed, and he hadn’t cared about anyone, not even Matt. To think she’d pitied her brother for yearning for Wallace’s approval. She was no better. And the really sad thing was, she’d prided herself in being too smart to buy into such emotional nonsense.
Her foot slammed on the brakes before she knew what she was doing. Not much room for her to pull over, but she managed to park halfway off the road in case anyone had to squeeze by. She cut the engine and jumped out, knowing Trace would’ve stopped, as well.
She couldn’t go inside. Or be anywhere near the house. Funny, how only minutes ago she’d worried people expected tears she couldn’t shed. Now she feared the flood gates wouldn’t hold.
“Hey, honey, you okay?” Trace had gotten out of his truck and was walking toward her. The night was black except for the pickup’s headlights, and she focused on his long legs closing the distance between them.
She flung herself at him, knowing he’d catch her, confident he wouldn’t let her fall no matter what.
His arms came up around her, and she burrowed against him, burying her face in his chest, hugging him around the waist, holding on as tight as she could.
“Nikki,” he whispered when she shuddered. “It’s okay, honey, I’ve got you.”
What was it about Trace that made her want to trust him? She couldn’t figure it out, and right now she didn’t care. “Take me someplace,” she said, finding comfort in the sure steady beat of his heart against her cheek. “Anywhere we can be alone.”
He stroked her back. “Matt’s expecting you.”
“It’s fine. I’ll call