And then there was Creed.
To deny how he made her feel would only be lying to herself. The connection between them remained and grew stronger each time they were together. They could toss inflammatory insults at each other and a second later he would do something kind and big-hearted, like offering his coat because he knew she was cold. These acts of thoughtfulness were what drew her to him. Yet, what would happen if he knew about Jane? Would he forgive her? Could he?
Chapter Nine
KEEPING HIS EYES on the road ahead was a challenge with the beauty sitting next to him. Mindy was relaxed back in the seat, her boots off and her bare feet pressed against the dashboard. He wasn’t much into feet, but she had nice toes with bright pink painted toenails. She tapped her toes to the beat of the music and stared through the side window.
He didn’t like talking about Melody with her. Or Branch. He felt a mixture of jealousy and humiliation when those two names crept up into the conversation.
What right did Creed have to feel jealousy? He too had a child with another woman.
Maybe those feelings stemmed from the life he’d wanted with Mindy. A family. A house on the west property.
It was too late…
Or was it?
He stole glances between her and the road ahead, slowing the truck so he could stare a little longer.
What the hell had he done?
He’d allowed her to slip through his fingers.
Why hadn’t he chased after her?
Because he’d been so wrapped up in his immaturity that he’d been incapable of seeing outside his own pleasure bubble. He’d made the mistake of believing she’d always be around. That wasn’t the case.
He inhaled deeply, trying to make heads or tails of his emotions. The task was almost impossible.
Creed bereaved the loss of time they could have had together. The life they could have shared here in Cooper’s Hawk. She wanted him to sell her back a portion of Sage Ranch, but what he wanted was for them to share it together.
And there it was.
A part of him still believed they could be together.
Since she’d come back, he’d noticed that the dark circles under her eyes were fading, the hollowness of her skin was now sun kissed. The light was returning in her eyes. That’s what this place did for people. She couldn’t deny that this place was where she belonged.
He rubbed his brow and sighed. What if he could have Mindy as his wife? The attraction remained. The desire was stronger than ever.
Creed didn’t just have himself to think about. His daughter mattered, what she wanted mattered. Although she probably didn’t think he cared. He loved her and wanted her to be happy.
Looking up into the sky, the sun was starting to come up. This was his favorite time of day when the light pushed through the darkness. When a new day was at his fingertips. He’d been around the world and he’d never seen a better sunrise than those here in Montana. It took his breath away no matter how often he watched.
He turned into the cracked asphalt lot of Hawke Landing but instead of pulling in front of the building, he continued the dirt lane that took them through the field of purple wildflowers and closer to the mountain. The truck rocked back and forth, and he slowed to ease over the bumpy landscape.
Mindy dropped her feet and sat up straight. “Why are we here?”
“You’ll see.” He tamped down her curiosity as he drove the truck along the mountain side until they came to a pull off next to a row of tall trees.
“Let’s get out.” He grabbed a flashlight from the glove compartment and a blanket from the backseat.
He met her at the front of the truck, grabbed her hand and led ger toward the trees.
“Slow down,” she said.
“We have to hurry. We don’t want to miss this.”
He clicked on a flashlight and shone the light ahead of them as they followed a worn, rocky path he’d walked a hundred times.
Creed still held her hand and she didn’t make a move to pull away from him. It felt nice to thread his fingers around hers, palms pressing to each other, as if they were more than just the history they’d shared.
“How far do we have to walk?”
“Patience,” he muttered.
Her breathing was labored as they continued up the incline. “I didn’t realize I was in such bad shape.”
“It’s the air. We’re almost there.”
The path branched off and they steered left, then pushed through a line of trees. This took them into a small clearing.
“No one comes here.” He laid the blanket over the large, flat rock where he’d come and sit for hours. “Have a seat. Then watch.”
The fluid orange of the sun peaked up from the horizon. The rays crawled across the sky, slowly. It first appeared like a blaze and soon became an awe-inspiring golden ball bidding farewell to the darkness and hello to the new day. The view went for miles and if they looked closely, they could see Cooper’s Hawk, Sage Ranch and the Farm in the distance.
“This is wonderful, Creed,” she said, still watching Mother Nature’s show.
They sat on the rock at the edge of the cliff, holding hands, like they were kids again and feeling the excitement of what was to come. The feelings and desires rolling through him weren’t that of a child though.
“No words to describe it, is there?”
