Free Dillon's Claim by Callie Croix Page A

woman.
    Deke was silent a moment. “Yeah.”
When his shoulders lost their stiff posture and he seemed to settle easier in
the saddle, Dillon knew the verbal olive branch had done its job.
    Unfortunately, he was still frustrated
and restless as hell. This perimeter check had already cost him precious hours he
didn’t have. He knew he’d made headway in terms of earning Charissa’s trust
last night, but their time apart gave her yet another opportunity to put her
defences back up between them.
    All he wanted was to go to her
and finish what he’d started so he could lay the final bricks in the groundwork
of their relationship. The one he hoped she wanted as much as he did. It drove
him nuts that he had to wait. Even at a trot, the horses seemed to plod along
at an annoyingly slow pace, their coats streaked with sweat and their hooves
thudding against the parched ground.
    He glanced at Deke. The
residual tension in his brother’s jaw told Dillon he wasn’t entirely appeased. Dillon
knew why. He had taken an unnecessary risk by going out to find those trespassers
alone in the dark last night. Much as he hated to admit it, Deke had every
right to be pissed at him. If the shoe had been on the other foot, Dillon would
have torn a strip off his brother’s prickly hide.
    “You’re right,” Dillon finally
muttered, staring out at the rolling hills in the distance. “I should’ve called
you. I’m sorry.”
    Deke glanced over at him in astonishment,
then chuckled. “How’d those words taste coming out of your mouth?”
    A reluctant grin pulled at his
lips. “Like shit.”
    When they finally reached the
corral and took care of the horses, the only thing on Dillon’s mind was finding
Charissa. But once he walked the short distance to the lodge, her car wasn’t
parked out front.
    Frowning, he jogged up the
stone steps and went to the office. Ashley, the office manager, looked up with
a smile.
    He didn’t smile back. “Has
Charissa Myers checked out?”
    “Yeah, she left about an hour
ago. Why? Something wrong?”
    Fuck. “No.” Just that his
heart had stopped beating. He kept his expression impassive. “Did she leave a
message?”
    “No, not that I know of.”
    He could almost feel his lungs
deflate. “Thanks. If Dusty calls in, tell him everything’s clear.”
    “Sure.”
    Stepping outside into the
oppressive midday heat, he tugged his hat on and struggled to pull in a lungful
of dry air. The crushing disappointment in his chest made it hard to breathe. She’d
left him again without a single word. Even after what they’d shared last night.
Fucking hell , that hurt.
    He trudged back to his truck,
slammed the door behind him, and took off for his place. Damned if he’d call
her this time. This time he’d gotten her message loud and clear—she wasn’t
interested. Somehow he was going to have to deal with that. Because he was done
chasing after her and trying to convince her to give them a chance at a future
together.
    ****
    Closing her car door behind
her just before noon, Charissa climbed out next to Dillon’s truck in the
scorching hot air and smoothed down her flouncy, white, knee-length skirt as
she stared at his home. Made of smooth pine logs, the modest cabin was simply
constructed but tidy and well maintained. Not that she expected anything less from
someone as particular as Dillon.
    Though she’d planned to be on
her way back to Austin by now, the need to see Dillon again had kept her here.
She’d waited all morning for him to contact her, but he’d never called or sent
word from one of his brothers or the other staff members.
    When she’d found Dusty and
asked about his whereabouts, he explained that Dillon had still been busy with
the security check. Then, instead of giving her Dillon’s landline number, Dusty
had given her directions to the isolated cabin. That hadn’t worked out too
well. She’d driven past it on the first attempt by accident and, realizing she
was lost, finally turned