the reason didn’t matter. She was done being his punching bag.
“You may not think my foundation means anything,” she said, “but there are a lot of hungry children who would disagree with you. I might have made some bad choices because of things in my past, but at least I never betrayed my friends because I was angry at them. Erin’s right. You’re not a hero. You’re just a jerk who used to wear a uniform.”
She turned her horse and rode away.
By the time she got back to the house she wasn’t exactly calm, but she was nearly able to convince herself she would be…eventually. Damn Mitch Cassidy. Why did it always have to be like this? Why did they fight so much? Why did she have to care what he thought about her?
If she didn’t know better she would swear he was pissed that she was dating T.J. But it wasn’t as if he wanted to go out with her himself. At least he wasn’t acting like it. Not that she understood her own feelings for him. Maybe it was the past. There hadn’t been enough resolution and, because of that, old feelings were coming to life again.
Just not the good ones.
She stalked into the kitchen and wished Erin were home. Being around her daughter always made her feel better. But Erin had spent the afternoon at a friend’s house and Skye wasn’t scheduled to pick her up for another hour.
She got a glass of iced tea, then walked toward the stairs. On the way, she ran into Izzy.
They looked at each other. They weren’t exactly fighting, but they hadn’t made up yet, either. Skye told herself she should be mature and say something nice. After all Izzy was heading back to the oil rig in a couple of days.
“Are you still dating T.J.?” Izzy asked flatly.
“What? Yes. We’re having dinner tonight.”
“You can’t.” Izzy twisted her hands in front of her waist. “You don’t really like him. He’s not your type.”
Skye’s temper rose. “I haven’t dated since I was eighteen. I don’t exactly have a type. As for not liking him, I barely know him. Which is the point of dating. To get to know him better.”
“But you’re seeing Mitch.”
“Not on purpose. Mitch and I were over a long time ago.” And they were never getting back together. That was obvious.
“You had sex with him.”
Not that she was willing to admit to, Skye thought. “What is your point, Izzy? Where are you going with this?”
“You can’t go out with T.J. Please.”
“Why not? Because you’re dating him?”
“We’re not dating. Not exactly. But…”
“But what? Are you in love with him?”
Izzy crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know if I even like him.”
Skye rolled her eyes. “But until you decide, I should just step aside. Is that it? Or is the real point that you don’t want him but you don’t want me to have him, either?”
“It’s not like that. I don’t trust him,” Izzy said, her voice tight. “Just go with this, Skye. I’m trying to help.”
“I genuinely don’t understand,” Skye admitted. “Are you afraid of what will happen if I fall for the guy Jed wants me to marry?”
“Of course not. I don’t care about this stupid house. Take Glory’s Gate. Take the money. I never wanted any of it. Like you, I wanted a father-which I’m starting to understand isn’t going to happen. Is it remotely possibly I’m trying to help?”
“A few weeks ago I would have said yes, but you’ve been acting strange about T.J. from the beginning. Being a guy magnet has never been enough for you. Well, they can’t all like you best. T.J. is interested in me and I’m willing to see where that goes.”
“We slept together,” Izzy yelled.
Of course, thought Skye bitterly. She wasn’t even surprised. Izzy would do anything to make a point.
A part of her noticed she wasn’t seriously hurt by the information. At least not on the T.J. front. Izzy’s behavior, however, stung.
“Thanks for the share,” Skye said, pushing past her sister.
Izzy grabbed her arm and stopped her. “It’s not like that. I did it to see if he’d sleep with me and then still go out with you.”
“You had sex with a guy I’m dating for my own good. That’s really sweet. Thanks. But just to be clear, I don’t need any more favors from you.”
“I hate it when you get sarcastic,” Izzy muttered. “Would you at least acknowledge the point here? T.J. isn’t one of the good guys.”
“Neither are you,” Skye told her.
Izzy’s eyes filled with tears. “Don’t worry. I’m leaving for the rig soon.”
“Not soon enough.”
MITCH WIPED DOWN Bullet. The work allowed him time to think which was both good and bad.
What the hell was wrong with him? Why had he lashed out at Skye like that? Why did he keep wanting to punish her?
Part of the answer was easy enough to understand, but part of it meant going to a place he wasn’t ready for.
Fact-nine years ago she’d walked out on him for no reason except her father had told her to. Jed was big with the ultimatums and Skye had been scared. He knew why, knew what had happened from her perspective, but still he couldn’t seem to let it go.
Did he want her to hate him, because that’s where this was headed. She would only come back so many times before she was gone permanently. Is that what he wanted? To chase Skye so far away he never had to think about her again?
To what end? Because it hurt to look at her and know what he’d lost? Because she deserved it? Because he was such a bastard that he took pleasure in torturing her?
He’d had to face who and what he’d become once already. Dealing with the loss of his leg and getting better, physically and mentally. Did he have to do that again, with Skye?
It was over between them. It had been over for years. Yes, she’d acted badly and he’d been hurt. So hurt he’d been unable to commit to anyone else. But was that her problem or his? At some point didn’t he have to, as he’d so crudely put it to Skye, grow a pair and move on?
He replayed his conversation with Skye and winced as he heard his harsh words in his head. That is not the man he was. Where did he get off acting like that?
He looked at Bullet. “I’m a complete asshole.”
The horse butted him as if pointing out it was about time he realized that. Mitch staggered a few feet and started to lose his balance. Bullet moved quickly, stepping closer and shoving his head into Mitch’s side, catching him and supporting him.
He wrapped an arm around the horse’s neck and hung on.
When he’d found his center of gravity again and straightened, Bullet butted him again, but more gently. As if showing he understood that Mitch wasn’t the most coordinated human around. He patted the horse.
“A sense of humor is important,” he said. “Thanks for getting that.”
Bullet snorted.
Mitch reached for a brush. He’d defined the problem, which was step one. Now he needed a solution, which required a goal. What did he want from Skye? What did he want
THE RESTAURANT WAS crowded, but as soon as Skye mentioned T.J.’s name, she was shown back to a table.
She’d dressed carefully in a black cocktail dress she’d bought a year ago but had never worn. Although the style was very flattering, it was cut low enough to make her uncomfortable. In the safety of the dressing room she’d told herself it was time to be adventurous. But once she had the dress home, she’d lost her courage. Until tonight.
