Secluded With the Cowboy by Cassie Miles Page B

“I’m assuming there was an autopsy. Has his body been released?”
    “Didn’t you hear me? Lucas turned against us.”
    “So what? He made a mistake.”
    “He lied to me. He willfully destroyed our property.”
    “He was part of our family.” Lucas had given years of his life to the Carlisle ranch, and his contribution should be recognized. He died trying to protect Carolyn. “You have to forgive him.”
    “The hell I do.”
    She shook her head in disbelief. What had happened to the kind, sensitive man she’d married five years ago? When had he turned so judgmental? All that mattered to Dylan was his precious ranch. Lucas had destroyedhis property and couldn’t be forgiven for that sin. “You’d carry a grudge beyond the grave?”
    “Some treachery can’t be forgiven.” He stood before her—tall and undeniably strong. “I thought I’d lost you, that I’d never see you again. And Lucas was working against me. Against us.”
    “You used to be forgiving. Remember that time when you caught that teenager poaching on our land? You could have turned him in to the sheriff, but you didn’t. His family was going through a hard time, and you gave him a job.”
    Dylan frowned at the memory. “That was a long time ago.”
    “I don’t know you anymore. All you think about is business. You used to take days off, and we’d go for a long rides. You used to bring me wildflower bouquets.”
    “Is that what you want?”
    “I want the man I married. A kind man. A good man.” She sank into the chair, too tired to fight. “Please leave, Dylan.”
     
    D YLAN WINCED . Her words were a knife in his heart. His wife was ordering him to leave, telling him to get the hell out of their bedroom. It wasn’t the first time that one of their arguments had ended with him sleeping on the sofa in his office.
    But that wasn’t going to happen tonight. He couldn’t be angry at her. Not after what she’d been through.
    “You shouldn’t be alone,” he said.
    “I’ll be fine.”
    She rose from the chair. Her long cotton nightgown reached almost to the floor. Though her shoulders were back and her posture erect, she seemed wobbly. Her feet were bare, and her pink toes looked tiny and vulnerable.
    He wanted to go to her, to support her. But he held back.
    “You’ve been through an ordeal,” he said. “I shouldn’t have left you sleeping alone before, and I won’t make that mistake again.”
    She moved toward the bed, sat on the edge. Her blue eyes appeared huge in her thin face. “I’m tired.”
    “You can lie down.” He settled in the overstuffed chair she had vacated. “Get some sleep. I’ll be right here if you need anything.”
    He reached toward the bedside lamp to turn it off, but she stopped him. “I’d rather leave the light on.”
    “Whatever you want.”
    She looked toward him. For a moment, he thought she might invite him into the bed with her. Instead, she slipped under the covers and closed her eyes.
    He pulled off his boots and tried to find a comfortable position. Not that he expected to get much sleep tonight. Nicole had given him a lot to think about.
    She’d been right when she’d said he wasn’t the same man she’d married. Five years ago, he’d been struggling to manage the ranching operations after his dad passed away. Dylan knew his responsibilities. His father had lectured him daily.
    In the years before his death, Sterling Carlisle had been a hard-driving teacher who didn’t make allowances for failure. He’d been an innovator. His changes—using free-range organic processes to raise an antibiotic-free, grass-fed herd—had revolutionized the industry in Colorado.
    Dylan had inherited a big job. Though he was only twenty-seven at the time, he needed had to prove himself. When it came to the ranch, he couldn’t afford to be a dumb kid. Even small mistakes could cost a fortune.
    Lucas Mann had helped with practical advice and guidance. He never hesitated to speak up when he didn’t