He turned his head and licked my wrist.

I walked out of Jacob’s house, so in a state, I totally forgot to engage the alarm.

I also ignored it when I heard Buford start barking. He didn’t bark much so if I wasn’t in such a state, I would have paid attention.

I didn’t.

I had other things on my mind.

But before I drove away, I went next door and asked the woman there if she’d see to Buford.

With a curious look at me, she agreed.

* * *

Dane

“Shut it,” Dane said to the damned dog, kicked him back and shut the door to the bedroom, keeping the dog out.

Dane had been following Emme and when she arrived at this place, he’d slipped into the big, fancy-assed house behind her.

And he’d watched.

And he f**king hated what he saw.

His eyes moved to the kaleidoscope, then he walked there.

He picked it up but all he could see was Emme holding that f**king thing to her chest like it was her baby.

And that thing was Deck’s. It was in Deck’s house. And it was something that meant something to that guy, with his big house and heated pool who thought his dick was big enough he could stand outside the courtroom and stare Dane down like Dane was scared of his ass. Like Dane wouldn’t give a shit that Deck had moved in on his woman practically the minute they met on the street.

And he’d met Emme on the street when Dane was right f**king there.

Right f**king there.

That kaleidoscope was something that meant something to Emme too. It meant something to Emme and that f**king guy. Enough for her to cradle it. Enough for him to keep it on his nightstand.

So f**k him.

And f**k Emme.

Dane kept hold of the kaleidoscope and grabbed the box that obviously came with it and he moved to the window. He removed the screen, stole out, closed the window and put the screen back. He couldn’t lock it in place from outside but he didn’t give a f**k. If it fell out, it fell out.

Standing outside that f**king guy’s fancy-assed house in the cold, Dane made his decision of what he was going to do with that f**king kaleidoscope.

Then he did it.

* * *

Emme

Two hours later…

My phone rang.

Again.

I ignored it and ripped off more paper.

It stopped ringing.

I held the steamer to the wall of the library.

“No,” I whispered, pulling the steamer away and ripping off more paper. “No,” I repeated, putting the steamer back to the wall.

My eyes went fuzzy.

My cheeks got wet.

“No,” I whimpered. “All I need is me. Just me. That’s all I need.”

I ripped off more paper.

* * *

The next morning…

I sat at my desk in my office at the yard.

My cell on the desk rang.

I ignored it.

Chapter Fifteen

Always

That evening…

The first thing I noticed while driving up to my house was Jacob’s truck.

Strike that, it was Jacob leaning against the tail of his truck, arms crossed, ankles crossed, looking very angry.

He was home early.

To take my mind off that, the second thing I noticed was that Max and his crew had gotten a number of windows in.

Dad had given me my bonus. I’d given Max the go-ahead. He’d been working on my windows for a week. This was the start of week two.

At the front, there were now no boards on any windows as Max, per Jacob’s orders, saw to those first.

So now, outside of the fresh wood needing painting on the windows, my house looked like that. A house. A beautiful one.

Not a dilapidated wreck.

This should have made me happy.

It didn’t.

Because it was not lost on me that my bonus coincidentally coincided almost to the penny to Max’s bid.

I knew Jacob and Dad were conspiring.

I said nothing.

This was because, two weeks ago, I thought this was sweet. Sweet and protective and maybe even a little funny.

Now I absolutely did not.

I parked opposite the front door to Jacob’s truck and swung out of my Bronco. As I rounded the hood, I noticed Jacob had moved. He was now standing at the foot of my front steps.

I looked right in his eyes.

He didn’t look away and he didn’t hesitate.

“Donna called. Said not to worry. She’d look after Buford.”

“Good she handled that,” I replied, walking right by him to my front door.

I inserted the key then exerted some effort to push it open and I walked in.

Unsurprisingly, Jacob followed me.

I heard the door close then I heard, “What the f**k, Emme?”

I turned, and standing on the magnificent starburst in what, by God even if it killed me, would one day be a magnificent, opulent front entry, I locked eyes with Jacob Decker and I didn’t hesitate either

“On a wild hair, Sunday, I went to Denver to do some shopping.”

This was a lie, of course, but I didn’t give a f**k. What I did with my time was no longer his business.

“You were in Denver and you didn’t call me?” he asked.

I found this a strange question for two reasons. One, I hadn’t even thought of calling him, even to ask if he had enough time to grab some lunch together. Two, that he’d suggest he wanted to see me when he was seeing Elsbeth.

I decided it was best to ignore this and carry on as if he hadn’t said a word.

“And I popped by Fortnum’s to get a cup of coffee,” I shared, and watched with grim fascination as his entire body jerked and his face flinched. “Yeah, honey,” I whispered. “You and Elsbeth looked good together. Then again, you always did.”

“Emme—”

Oh no. I was not going to listen to his shit.

“Save it,” I snapped. “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t f**king care.”

“There’s an explanation.”

I threw out a hand and replied, “I bet.” Then I pulled my purse from my arm, walked to the table I had in the entry and dumped it while finishing, “I just don’t give a shit what it is.”

“It isn’t what you think,” he told me.

I turned to him. “What I think is you told me you hated her. You told me you never wanted to see her again. And yet, there you were, giving her a grin and a hug.”

“She ran into Erika,” he stated.

“Whoop-di-do,” I shot back. “That shit happens. Denver is a big city but it’s still a small town. That happens all the time. Hell, when I lived there, I couldn’t go anywhere without seeing someone I knew. Though, I must admit, I do find it odd that Elsbeth had the itch to share with you over coffee that she ran into Erika. What’s odder is that you’d meet her so she could share that with you.”