“We’ll talk on the phone. Hell, we can video chat on the phone.”
“It’s not the same.”
“I know.” His chest heaved and he stared out through the windshield as if gathering his forces. “Bottom line—I’ll do whatever it takes so that I can hold you every night.” He turned back to her. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want me there.”
She took a deep breath and met his steady gaze. “I don’t want you there.”
“You’re lying, Iz. You want me right this minute. Just like I want you. We love each other. You can’t deny—””
“I’m trying to stop you from making the worst mistake of your life!”
“You can’t know that.”
“Yes, I can!”
“Izzy, you’re just plain scared. I don’t blame you, but—”
“You should be, too!”
“Let’s go inside.” He reached for the door handle. “We’ll talk. Iron this—”
“Talking isn’t going to solve anything.”
He smiled. “Then we’ll have to try something else.”
Panic squeezed the air from her lungs. “Don’t come in.” She knew the truth. But the fire of his lovemaking would incinerate it. She opened her door and started to get out.
He grabbed her arm. “Don’t do this.”
“I have to.” She glanced over her shoulder and sucked in a breath. The agony in his gray eyes ripped her to shreds. “Let me go.”
“I love you. You said if I ever saw you heading for a cliff, I should—”
“This isn’t a cliff.” Her voice shook. “It’s a fork in the road. Let me go. And don’t follow me.”
His grip loosened. “Izzy…” He’d never said her name like that, like he was drowning. “This isn’t over.”
She pulled her arm free and used the door to steady herself as she climbed down. Her legs were wobbly. No, it wasn’t over. It would never be over. They were having a baby.
Chapter Thirty
Izzy hadn’t managed to close the truck’s door all the way. CJ took it as her subconscious balking at what she’d done. Dragging air into his tight chest, he focused on the cabin and willed her to come back out.
Damn it, why did Jake have to be right? This shouldn’t be happening. She loved him. They belonged together. He’d contacted every riding stable in the Seattle area and received encouraging text messages from two of them. He’d planned to tell her tonight.
While everyone had been busy serving themselves stew, he’d pulled Henri aside and asked to meet with her during his lunch hour tomorrow. He’d written up a formal resignation to give her even though she might not require one. Putting it on paper would let her know he was serious and she needed to start looking for his replacement.
Although proposing to Izzy tomorrow night would be awesome, he didn’t have a ring and shopping for one required driving into Great Falls. No time. Seattle would have a bigger selection, anyway, so he’d given up on getting engaged before she left.
But now… was there anything he could do to turn this around?
He stared at the cabin door and the light shining from the front window. If her light was still on, there was hope. Come out, Iz. Please. Tell me you had a moment of insanity. Say you just realized you can’t live without me.
The light in the window went out. He’d seen movies where the hero pounded on his sweetheart’s door until she opened it and let him kiss her. If he could just kiss Izzy, everything would go back to the way it had been before.
But what worked well in the movies wasn’t a great idea in this case. The guests sleeping in nearby cabins wouldn’t appreciate a scene like that. Worse yet, he wasn’t entirely confident she’d open that door no matter how hard he pounded on it.
How could he convince her that the move to Seattle would be good for him, for her, and Cleo Marie? As he sat in the darkness listening to the crickets, nothing brilliant came to him. Okay, this was depressing. And unmanly.
Reaching across the passenger seat, he opened the door slightly and gave it a good tug so it closed tight. Then he started the engine and left his seatbelt off as he drove to the bunkhouse. Living dangerously.
Laughter and rowdy conversation drifted out the screen door as he approached. Matt and Lucy had left the picnic area when he and Izzy had taken off. Jake and Millie had been saying their goodbyes, too, along with Henri.
Sounded like a poker game was in progress with the guys who still lived in the bunkhouse—Nick, Garrett, Rafe and Leo. They might have invited Kate to play since she loved the game.
Sure enough, the leaf had been removed from the kitchen table to create a manageable size for poker. The five of them were well into a game, but the action came to a screeching halt when he walked into the kitchen.
Kate was the first to speak. “Now what?”
He’d rehearsed his explanation on the way over so he could say it without choking up like a loser. “After watching me having a great time with you jokers, she’s concluded I’ll ruin my life by moving to Seattle.” He crossed to the fridge and took out a bottle of cider.
“She’s been saying that all along.” Rafe folded his cards and laid them on the table. “What’s different?”
“This time she took a stand, wouldn’t let me through the door.” Still hurt like hell. He twisted the top off and took a soothing gulp of the cool liquid.
Nick shook his head. “That’s harsh, bro.”
No kidding. “Jake predicted this could happen, but by the time he warned me it was too late to change the plan.” Pulling out a chair, he took a seat at the table.
“That’s it, then?” Garrett frowned. “You’re giving up?”
“Hell, no, I’m not giving up.” He held tight to the bottle and put his other hand under the table so nobody would notice he was shaky. “But I’m not sure what my next move should
