“You’re not much help.” Cole groaned and shifted positions to get comfortable. “You know, all I ever wanted to do was protect her. Is that such a terrible thing?”
He closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. If he got past his anger and hurt over her lack of trust, the facts remained. According to Garner, the courts probably wouldn’t grant them a divorce, anyway. If that was the case, there was no reason to file the papers, since that would only open the door for Nathan to assert himself into Brooke’s life. That man might’ve provided the DNA that brought the child into existence, but in Cole’s opinion, it had been an act of rape. Brooke would never have slept with him if she’d known he’d already impregnated another woman and filed for divorce. That innocent child didn’t deserve to have Nathan as a father.
Brooke had said she was sorry, but he’d been too hurt to listen. Tomorrow, he would have to eat humble pie and apologize for leaving, even though going for a drive had been the best option. He knew when he was on the brink of losing it, and tonight he’d been close.
Cole could go back in an hour or two and sneak into his bedroom without waking Brooke. In the morning, when both their tempers had cooled, he could lay out all the facts. Hopefully, he could explain it in such a way that she didn’t start panicking about Nathan. There was no need for her to worry, because Cole would do everything in his power to be sure Nathan didn’t get his hands on this baby.
Though he tried his best to block it out, the sound of her anguished voice kept replaying inside his head, “Wait! I’m sorry!” Maybe he should’ve stayed until they’d talked things through. This was why he didn’t do relationships with women… he sucked at it.
The song on the radio changed, playing one of his favorites. He yawned.
A few more songs, and I’ll head back.
Cole woke to a jingle in his ear and a dollop of slobber on his face.
“Gus! Ughh!” He sat up, wiping his face on his sleeve and wincing at the stiffness in his back.
Gus gave his head a shake, rattling his tags again, and leapt to the ground to sniff a few bushes before choosing one and lifting his leg to christen it. The sky glowed with the early-morning light.
“Oh, crud! I fell asleep!”
Cole jumped down and called for Gus, closing the tailgate. But the dog, who currently wasn’t wearing his leash, was nowhere to be seen.
“Gus!” he called, followed by a whistle. “Gus! Here boy!”
He kicked himself for not keeping him on leash. Gus had been known to roam for an hour or more before returning home. He would come back in his own sweet time. Cole couldn’t afford to wait around, knowing Brooke would be awake soon. He had to talk to her alone and set things straight. Gus would have to find his way back to the ranch house on his own.
Cole jumped in the truck and turned the key. But all he heard was a click. The next word he shouted would’ve had his mother washing his mouth out with vinegar.
Looks like I’m walking back.
As the dawn light poked through the slats in the blinds, Brooke glanced over at the empty air mattress. This time, she’d gone too far. Why had she lashed out at him instead of giving him a chance to explain? He’d been nothing but kind to her for the past four months, yet she’d rewarded him with a rash accusation. Hadn’t Nathan always told her she ought to keep her big fat mouth shut?
The fact that Cole hadn’t returned all night could only mean one thing. He must’ve meant what he said when he suggested she leave. If not, he’d have come back by now and told her to stay. Was there even any chance to clear up their misunderstandings and go back to the way things were?
She crawled out of bed and scrubbed her face until it was raw, trying to wash away the memory of their horrible fight and the hurt in his eyes. Maybe it was for the best. They’d both known it was temporary from the start. But lately, she’d let herself pretend it was real. She’d imagined that he loved her and had committed to her for the rest of his life, like the words they’d both repeated during the bogus wedding ceremony. She’d known better than to let that dream take root. As she’d feared, it had grown like a weed no matter how many times she plucked it away, returning again, stronger every time.
She got dressed and padded through the silent house, intending to let Gus out. Then she saw the horrible truth. Cole was gone! He’d driven off in the truck and taken Gus with him. He was probably back at the apartment in Houston by now.
She couldn’t even be angry at him for leaving. It was nothing but what she deserved. It was a sad ending to an amazing friendship, but she’d learned a lot. She owed Cole more than she could ever repay, but it wasn’t too late to try. She still might be able to find some information about his birth mother. So far, her efforts had failed, but she hadn’t given up. Maybe, if she could give him that gift, he would find it in his heart to forgive her.
Everything had changed, but she would find a way to survive. She had to. Her hands slid onto her protruding belly as her daughter reminded her of her presence with a kick.
Harper! Harper would know what to do!
Brooke slipped into the bedroom where her sister lay sleeping and patted her shoulder.
Her eyes popped open. “Brooke! What—”
Brooke put her hand over her sister’s mouth. “Shhhh!” she whispered. “Mariah’s in the next room. I don’t want her to hear us.”
“Why?” Harper whispered back, rubbing her eyes as she sat up and swung her legs off the bed. “What’s going on?”
Brooke motioned for her to follow into the huge closet, lined in aromatic cedar, and filled with hanging racks of winter coats and sweaters. Even their breathing sounded muffled. When the door was shut behind them, Brooke said, “Cole left me.”
“You can’t be serious.” Harper looked around the closet like she expected to find hidden cameras. “I thought you two were in love with each other. I expected you to stay married.”
Brooke swallowed a lump the size of a watermelon. “I don’t know why you thought that, but you were way off base. We’ve been clear from the beginning that the marriage was temporary. Now he’s left me, and I need to get out of here before everyone wakes up.”
“Hang on a minute.” Harper compressed the sweaters, pushing them together down one side of the hanging rack to clear a space. “Let’s sit and you can tell me what happened.”
Brooke relayed the whole story, leaving nothing out, except the depth of depression that was threatening to descend. When she was done, Harper took a huge breath and blew it out like smoke.
“Are you sure he’s gone?”
“He took the truck. And Gus. And he’s been gone all night.”
“What about his suitcase?”
“We don’t take suitcases when we come here. We keep everything we need in both places.”
“Wow. You must’ve really hurt his feelings for him to take off for Houston and leave you here. He left without even telling his family goodbye.”
“I know.” Her voice came out as small as she felt.
