Rocky Mountain Hitched: Contemporary Western Romance (To Love Again Book 6) by Kate Fargo

name.”
    “I’ll look into it,” he said. “Keep your eyes open but try not to worry. Let’s go celebrate your engagement.”
    “Thanks, man,” Tray said.
    “We won’t let anything happen to your lady,” Barry said. “If he’s around, we’ll suss him out.”
    Tray nodded and they headed back up the stairs.
     

CHAPTER NINE
     
     
     
    Isabel threw her jacket on a chair and collapsed onto the bed. Tray did the same, snuggling in beside her. “That was a blast, but I’m exhausted.”
    “All the fresh air,” he said. “Our bodies aren’t used to it after winter.”
    “Maybe,” she said, propping her head up on her elbow to look at him. His face was sun-kissed, except for the white circles around his eyes from the ski goggles. “I love spring skiing.” She reached over to trace the lines of his face. Up close, she could see the years. He was still youthful looking, more than a man his age had a right to be, but looking closely it was clear he wasn’t as young as all that. Not that she cared. She just hoped that as the years passed, she’d be able to keep him to herself.
    “What are you thinking?”
    “Hey, isn’t that my line? Most men hate that question and almost never ask it.”
    “Most men?” He reached over and tickled her ribs. She squealed.
    “That’s what my clients say. What do I know?”
    “Hungry?”
    “I ate a lot of wings. You?”
    “No,” he said, rolling his weight on top of her. “We can grab a quick bite before we meet them at the club. We haven’t been dancing since we first met.”
    She looked up at him. “That’s right, we haven’t.” She wiggled underneath him, pressing her hips into his. “You’re crushing me.”
    “Apparently I’m not, ‘cause you’re still moving.” He kissed her nose and rolled off onto his side. She took a deep breath. “Faker,” he said.
    She rolled onto her side to face him. “Did you talk to Barry about Chet?”
    “Why would you think that?”
    “I know you better than you think,” she chided.
    “Clever girl. He’s going to see if he can find out something online.”
    “Like what?”
    “Don’t know. Just look into him, I guess. I couldn’t give him much to go on. You’ve never really told me about him.” His gaze was guarded.
    She closed her eyes and took a breath. “There’s not much to tell. He ran around on me, broke my heart repeatedly, shredded my trust and my dignity, then left without a word. When the dust settled, I was glad to have him gone, but the way he left crushed the girls.”
    Tray ran his hand up over her hip. “You didn’t deserve that.”
    “I know. Life isn’t always fair.” Her stomach churned. At some point, they needed to have this conversation. She sucked in a breath. “He was a bastard but I don’t think he’s dangerous.”
    “He never …?”
    “Abused me? Or the girls? Not physically, but he hurt us in a thousand other ways. Late suppers, missed birthdays, forgotten anniversaries.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “So many forgotten anniversaries.”
    “If he is following you - I’m not saying that he is - but if he is, what do you think he wants?”
    Good question. And one she’d been asking herself for the last few days. “I can’t imagine. It’s been almost four years without a word from him.”
    “I’m sorry to ask this,” Tray said, focusing on his hand tracing circles on her hip, “but, you’re divorced, right? I mean, legally we can get married?”
    “Oh, God yes. I took care of that in the first year. Since technically he abandoned us, it was uncontested. I didn’t even have to see him.”
    “And he knows you’re divorced?”
    “Of course. But we never did hear from him. I’ve always been waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I thought he’d want to see the girls. For a while, I thought he might try to get shared custody, but he never even asked for visiting rights.”
    “Bastard,” Tray said.
    Isabel raised her brows.