He felt a kick to his gut. I am an asshole. “Mindy—”
“Jackass.”
Smiling, he shrugged. “Controlling.”
She smirked. “Bitter.”
“Childish.”
“How does a man become so full of himself?”
“Probably the same way a woman thinks every man owes her something.”
“Do men gather in groups to brainstorm these ridiculous, sexist comebacks? When a man gets a little upset with a woman, he negatively points out her strength or accuses her of needing something from a man. Do you make index cards with these crazy points? I don’t need anything from a man.” Her face shifted from anger to something else far more dangerous.
“And women are any better? You all blame the male gender for everything. If we communicate too much, we’re weak. If we don’t communicate enough, we’re closed off. If you ask us a question and we don’t answer it perfectly then we’ve become the enemy. Can a man ever be good enough to make a woman happy?” he seethed.
“I’d love to answer yes, but I’m guessing no.”
“Don’t come in here busting my balls. You don’t have the right. When you left Cooper’s Hawk you gave up every right to expect anything from me.” He shoved his hands to his hips.
“I guess I should be grateful that I was smart enough to give up on that childhood dream. Where would we be now? Melody was much more your speed any way. Glad it only took you a couple weeks to get over what we shared.”
The mention of his ex made the hair on his neck lift. He took a step back and tore his hand through his hair. He wasn’t sure how much she knew about Melody. That was a train wreck he wasn’t willing to unveil with her, not right now.
With slumped shoulders, he took another step back. “When I came home from the rodeo circuit your dad and I became friends. He offered me a job and I worked at Sage Ranch while still helping run Hawke Farm. I needed to raise the money for this place. There’s something you’re right about. I always loved the ranch and respected your father. Year after year passed, I stuck around, even after I opened Hawke Landing. After Rusty’s heart attack he’d changed, mentally and physically. You had to see that for yourself. He started talking about his fear of losing the ranch. And financially, he was drowning after the medical bills came rolling in and a few business decisions turned ugly. He came to me one day and said he was tired, wanted to retire. He asked if I was interested in running Sage Ranch. Your name did come up, but he believed you wouldn’t come home. You were too busy.” He blew out a long breath and rubbed his forehead. “I couldn’t stand to see him sell the place to a stranger. It’s true, I had a personal stake in this too. A lot of Sage Ranch used to belong to my family. It had always been my father’s intention to get back what rightly belonged to the Hawkes.”
“I remember. Our fathers were friends until the transfer of land.”
“Dad could barely look at himself, let alone Rusty. Not that he was the enemy, but he was a reminder of Dad’s failure. Rusty felt like the property should be back in the hands of the Hawke family. He made me a fair offer and I couldn’t refuse. Didn’t want to refuse. The house with a few surrounding acres still belongs to your family. Why he didn’t speak to you first, or share the news, is something you’ll need to ask him. I’ve told you my side of things.” He picked up the deed and shoved it toward her.
With hesitancy, she took it, causing the shoulder strap of her shirt to fall down her shoulder. His attention was drawn to her necklace. Taking the space between them in two strides, he lifted the familiar looking metal ring. “What’s this?”
“It’s the makeshift ring you gave me during the tornado.”
He jerked his chin up. His breath was stuck between his lungs and disbelief. “You had it made into a necklace?”
She nodded. “The only time I take it off is when I’m skating.”
Dropping the necklace, he felt his chest tighten. “Why?”
“Do you really need to ask why?” She held his gaze.
His stability came crashing down. He needed his space. “Five minutes is up. If you’re finished grilling me, I need to get back to work.”
Without a word, she stepped passed him and started for the door.
“Mindy?” He caught her at the threshold. She looked back at him. “You said I wanted Sage Ranch all along. No. That’s wrong. I wanted you,” he said quietly.
Without a response, she left.
He watched her through the window, the soft sway of her hips and the stubborn pride of her stiff back. He’d almost told her too much. There would have been no honor in telling her how he’d convinced Rusty to keep the house and surrounding property for her and her family. Creed knew in his heart that no matter how many miles were between her and Cooper’s Hawk a part of her remained there, and with Sage Ranch. This was her home. He saw the hurt in her eyes when he’d told her she didn’t have a place here any longer. What he hoped would happen, she would prove him wrong.
He dropped into the chair, leaned his head back and closed his eyes. What he was realizing, the more he tried to convince himself that he no longer cared for Mindy the more he understood he’d never
