“The night we broke up… That was the worst night of my life and my biggest mistake.”
A feeling of surprise caught him off guard and he had to ask his next question. “Why did you leave with him?”
Her throat worked as she swallowed. “You know why, Blake. It was the reason we broke up. I had to get away from Prescott and my father. I—I just couldn’t live here anymore. You wouldn’t leave this place behind because you wanted the land and your family more than you wanted me.”
“You know that’s not fair, Cat.” He frowned. “I had a hell of a lot of responsibility here. And if you want to look at it that way, you wouldn’t stay here for me.”
She shrugged. “No one is to blame. At that time in our lives we each wanted different things.”
“Sometimes I blame myself, though.” His own admission surprised him. “If I had tried harder to keep you here, if I hadn’t let us break up the way we did—”
“You couldn’t have stopped me, Blake. I had to get away.” Cat shook her head. “My father… Things just weren’t good.”
Blake clenched his jaw, remembering the things Cat had told him about her father. “I should have beat the shit out of him then.”
Cat leaned forward. “No. Walking away was the right thing to do. I know you wanted to protect me, but by then I was with my grandmother and he couldn’t hurt me anymore.” She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. “I just couldn’t stay in the same town as him. Not then.”
“He died sixteen years ago,” Blake said. “Why didn’t you come back?”
She sighed and sat back in her chair. “It wasn’t that easy. I was still suffering some trauma from the ordeal with the horse and had to continue going through physical therapy.” She smoothed her hair back from her face. “There were other changes in my life,” she said, but didn’t elaborate. “And maybe I was a little afraid,” she added.
He frowned. “Afraid of what?”
She looked away from him for a long moment before meeting his gaze again. She touched the scar along her cheek. “Afraid of what the people I knew would think when they saw me like this.”
“Like what?” He leaned forward and caught her hand on the tabletop. “What are you talking about?”
Her eyes narrowed into a confused frown. “There’s no sense in dancing around it. I may have been pretty but that was a very long time ago. All of these years have passed and I’m scarred in more than one way.”
Now, Blake was frowning. He clasped her hand in both of his and it felt small and warm in his grip. “You may look a little different, but you’re still a beautiful woman. Who you are inside radiates out of you like it always did and that makes you one of the most gorgeous women I have ever known.”
Tears glittered in her eyes. She put her free hand up to her mouth as if holding back a sob.
“You know I don’t lie and I don’t bullshit.” He studied her and she nodded, slowly. “Take what I said and accept it as fact. Got that?”
She nodded again and moved her hand away from her mouth. “Yes,” she said, her voice almost a whisper.
He took in the pain in her expression and could read everything she’d gone through over the years. It made him want to take her in his arms and protect her from anything ever happening to her again. He wanted to kiss her.
To make love to her.
Ah, hell. He dragged his hand down his face. He was in deep shit.
Again.
As they started to leave the Hummingbird, Blake put his hand at the base of her spine, escorting her out of the restaurant. He stopped to tell Tess they’d enjoyed dinner and Cat had echoed him with compliments of her own.
On the short drive back to her house, they talked about a few of the changes in the town since she’d left.
When they reached her home, Blake parked and walked her to her front door. The soft glow of the porch light illuminated her.
She unlocked the door then paused to meet his gaze. She sounded
A feeling of surprise caught him off guard and he had to ask his next question. “Why did you leave with him?”
Her throat worked as she swallowed. “You know why, Blake. It was the reason we broke up. I had to get away from Prescott and my father. I—I just couldn’t live here anymore. You wouldn’t leave this place behind because you wanted the land and your family more than you wanted me.”
“You know that’s not fair, Cat.” He frowned. “I had a hell of a lot of responsibility here. And if you want to look at it that way, you wouldn’t stay here for me.”
She shrugged. “No one is to blame. At that time in our lives we each wanted different things.”
“Sometimes I blame myself, though.” His own admission surprised him. “If I had tried harder to keep you here, if I hadn’t let us break up the way we did—”
“You couldn’t have stopped me, Blake. I had to get away.” Cat shook her head. “My father… Things just weren’t good.”
Blake clenched his jaw, remembering the things Cat had told him about her father. “I should have beat the shit out of him then.”
Cat leaned forward. “No. Walking away was the right thing to do. I know you wanted to protect me, but by then I was with my grandmother and he couldn’t hurt me anymore.” She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. “I just couldn’t stay in the same town as him. Not then.”
“He died sixteen years ago,” Blake said. “Why didn’t you come back?”
She sighed and sat back in her chair. “It wasn’t that easy. I was still suffering some trauma from the ordeal with the horse and had to continue going through physical therapy.” She smoothed her hair back from her face. “There were other changes in my life,” she said, but didn’t elaborate. “And maybe I was a little afraid,” she added.
He frowned. “Afraid of what?”
She looked away from him for a long moment before meeting his gaze again. She touched the scar along her cheek. “Afraid of what the people I knew would think when they saw me like this.”
“Like what?” He leaned forward and caught her hand on the tabletop. “What are you talking about?”
Her eyes narrowed into a confused frown. “There’s no sense in dancing around it. I may have been pretty but that was a very long time ago. All of these years have passed and I’m scarred in more than one way.”
Now, Blake was frowning. He clasped her hand in both of his and it felt small and warm in his grip. “You may look a little different, but you’re still a beautiful woman. Who you are inside radiates out of you like it always did and that makes you one of the most gorgeous women I have ever known.”
Tears glittered in her eyes. She put her free hand up to her mouth as if holding back a sob.
“You know I don’t lie and I don’t bullshit.” He studied her and she nodded, slowly. “Take what I said and accept it as fact. Got that?”
She nodded again and moved her hand away from her mouth. “Yes,” she said, her voice almost a whisper.
He took in the pain in her expression and could read everything she’d gone through over the years. It made him want to take her in his arms and protect her from anything ever happening to her again. He wanted to kiss her.
To make love to her.
Ah, hell. He dragged his hand down his face. He was in deep shit.
Again.
As they started to leave the Hummingbird, Blake put his hand at the base of her spine, escorting her out of the restaurant. He stopped to tell Tess they’d enjoyed dinner and Cat had echoed him with compliments of her own.
On the short drive back to her house, they talked about a few of the changes in the town since she’d left.
When they reached her home, Blake parked and walked her to her front door. The soft glow of the porch light illuminated her.
She unlocked the door then paused to meet his gaze. She sounded
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