Free Cassidy Harte and the Comeback Kid by RaeAnne Thayne Page B

tonight.”
    â€œI don’t want to fight. I just want to talk to you. Explain a few things.”
    â€œI don’t think I have the energy for that, either.”
    He should just let her go inside and sleep. But he didn’t want this ugliness between them any longer. Not if he had any chance of clearing it away. “Please. Sit down.”
    She was quiet for a long time watching him across the width of the porch with only the night sounds between them—the cool sigh of the wind, the crickets’ chatter, the creek tumbling along behind the trees.
    Just when he began to fear she would ignore him and march into her cabin, she blew out a breath and slid onto the swing next to him.
    Now that she was there, he didn’t know where to begin.
    â€œGorgeous view from here,” he finally said, which wasn’t at all what he wanted to talk to her about. Still, it was the truth. He could see the Salt River Range behind them. Even in mid-June, the mountains still wore snowcaps that gleamed bluish white in the moonlight.
    The Lost Creek had a prime location on a foothill bordering national forest land. From here he could see small glowing settlements strung along the Star Valley like Christmas lights.
    â€œI like it,” she finally murmured.
    â€œI would have to say it’s almost as nice as the view from the Diamond Harte.”
    â€œAlmost. Not quite.”
    The pride in her voice for her family ranch made him smile. Although he knew she wouldn’t be able to see much in the darkness, he could feel the heat of her gaze on him. What she could see apparently displeased her because her voice was curt when she spoke. “I’m tired, Zack. What did you want to talk about?”
    This wasn’t the way he wanted to do this, with her already testy and abrupt. But it didn’t look as if she was going to give him much of a choice.
    â€œI’m sorry about this afternoon. About Lowry.”
    â€œYou should be.”
    He winced at the residual anger in her voice. He wasn’t sorry for warning her about the bastard, just that he had gone about it the wrong way.
    She didn’t give him a chance to explain. “I find it unbelievably arrogant that you think you can blow back into town like nothing happened and start ordering me around,” she snapped.
    â€œI don’t think that.”
    â€œDon’t you?”
    â€œNo!”
    â€œLet’s see.” She ticked off his shortcomings on her fingers. “In the thirty-six hours since you showed up again, you have blackmailed me to keep me from quitting my job, you have once more dredged up old, painful gossip about me all over town and you have commanded me not to go out with a man I’ve known most of my life. Seems to me you’re working pretty hard to control me.”
    Put so bluntly, he could understand why she would be more than a little annoyed with him. Maybe he had been a little heavy-handed since he’d seen her. What other choice did he have, though?
    â€œI didn’t come to fight with you, Cass. We need to talk. I’d like to clear the air between us.”
    â€œI really don’t think that’s possible.” Her voice was small and maybe a little sad, which gave him some hope.
    â€œWill you let me at least try?”
    She remained silent, which he took as assent. Whereto start? he wondered, gazing out at the mountains. At the crux of the matter, he figured.
    â€œI didn’t leave town with Melanie.”
    She froze, stopping the swing’s motion mid-rhythm. “We went over this earlier. I don’t want to hear it again.”
    She started to rise but he held a hand out to keep her in place, brushing the denim of her jeans as his hand covered her leg. She jerked away from his touch but stayed in the swing beside him, which he took as a good sign.
    â€œPlease. Listen to me. I know you’re going to find this an amazing coincidence—hell, I have a hard time