Free Rewind & Go: A Blue-Collar Billionaire Romance (Sander's Valley Book 1) by Nancy Corrigan Page B

she lunged at me with a dinner fork now.”
    “Nah, she understands.” He worked his jaw. Hopefully. “We were young.”
    “But I don’t want to mislead her. I’d hate for her to think we’re getting back together.”
    He twirled a lock of her hair and brought it to his nose. The scent of his shampoo filled his lungs. Familiar, much like the woman he held.
    “Dinner, Ronnie. That’s all I’m asking for, not marriage.” He grabbed several bags from the floor and dropped them on the bed next to her. “I had Wyn stop at the store to get you some clothes. He guessed at sizes, so hopefully there’s something that’ll fit.”
    She looked inside and pulled out a lacy, hot-pink bra. “There are enough clothes in here for a week.”
    “Yeah, Wyn said it’ll be three or four days until he can get the part in to fix the Shelby.”
    His brother had better go along with the ruse or fists would fly. Kyle hadn’t thought of the excuse until after Wyn had left. His brother had tossed the bags on the kitchen table, thrown his hands up in the air, and claimed he didn’t know what women liked so he’d gotten one of everything. Worked to Kyle’s advantage, even if it put a dent in his budget. As long as it kept Ronnie in his house longer, he’d live on mac and cheese for the next month.
    “You need something to wear until then, right?”
    The bra slipped from her fingers. “Little Wyn fixes cars?”
    He chuckled. “ Little Wyn is taller than me. He’s also twenty-five and head repairman at the automotive shop.”
    “Levi and Jack are thirty, then.” Sadness clouded her eyes. “Do they still live in Sander’s Valley?”
    “Of course.”
    “Married?”
    He snorted. “None of us are. It’s been a point of contention with Mama ever since you left me. She always said you were her only shot at grandbabies because the rest of her boys were pig-headed fools.”
    She laughed, but it never reached her eyes. “I do miss your family. They made me feel as if I was a part of it.”
    He knelt in front of her and took her hands in his. “You are.”
    “Were. Past tense. I left, remember?”
    “Why did you?” He regretted the words as soon as they’d left his mouth. Couldn’t take them back, however. He held his breath and waited on her answer.
    She shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter anymore, does it?”
    “Don’t I deserve to know what I did wrong?” So he didn’t do it again.
    She leaned close and kissed his cheek. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Kyle. You were the perfect boyfriend. You just weren’t the man I wanted to marry.” She eased back and held his gaze. “I knew you’d gotten me a ring, so I left. I couldn’t bear telling you no.”
    “You loved me.” It was lame, but it was all he had to say.
    “Yes, I did.” She stood, grabbed the bags, and made her way to the bathroom. At the doorway, she stopped but didn’t face him. “I’m sorry for what I did. I should’ve told you, but I knew you’d seduce me and before I realized it, I’d be wearing your ring.”
    The door closed, blocking her from him in more ways than one.
    “You just weren’t the man I wanted to marry.”
    He was screwed. He didn’t know how to be anyone else.
    * * * *
    Kyle drove slower than normal. He wanted to get a few more answers out of Ronnie before his family sequestered her.
    “Tell me about the break-in.” He cut her a quick glance. She tensed. “Everybody will ask once they see those bruises, and I want to know the details first.”
    “Armed robbery, just like I’d said.” She laid a hand on his thigh. “Don’t worry. The guy’s behind bars, and I have the security company redoing all of our alarm systems. It was an unfortunate one-off.”
    Not where her family was concerned. He ground his jaw. “Tell me what happened. All the details.”
    “Mom and I were working late.” She glanced at him from under her lashes. “We hadn’t bothered to lock up. Foolish, I know. You don’t know how many times