Kaylee had spent dozens of hours with Wes practicing her golf game these last two and a half weeks. And with Bella. She loved seeing Wes with Bella; they were adorable together. But it also made her heart constrict.

Wes had said Bella’s parents didn’t spend much time with her, and the evidence pointed to it. Bella had been with them for every practice.

Kaylee walked from the parking lot toward the golf course, her clubs on her shoulder, and searched for Bella where she always seemed to be—at the driving range. She caught sight of the little girl’s dark ponytail and small stature among the predominately male golfers, and grinned—until she saw Wes standing behind her.

With his arms crossed over his chest, muscular legs shoulder width apart, he nodded now and then at something Bella did. His mouth moved as though he were giving her pointers, and then he turned slowly, glancing around until his gaze landed on Kaylee.

A shiver swept down Kaylee’s spine and her belly clenched. It was extremely annoying that Wes still made her heart race.

Her fiancé returned in a couple of days. No matter her physical response to Wes, she had an emotional tie to Eddy. He could relate to what she’d gone through, and he would be there for her in the long haul.

Wes had changed—even Kaylee could see that. He’d always been a good man, but he was a better man now. More mature. More thoughtful. Especially with Bella. But Kaylee would never trust him with her heart.

“Hey there,” she said, and set her clubs nearby, mentally preparing for another round of kick-Kaylee’s-ass at the driving range. “What’s on the docket for today?”

Wes waved another pro over. “Help Bella out for an hour?” he said to the guy.

The club pro squatted beside Bella, a smile on his face as he gestured to Bella’s arm position.

Wes seemed satisfied, and grabbed Kaylee’s elbow, urging her forward.

Hello, shivers. His scent—so familiar, so good—wafted to her nose and her heart tapped around in her chest.

Just physical. Not lasting.

“We need to talk,” he said.

“About golf?” She looked back at the driving range growing farther away.

“No.”

They walked for a long while to a remote part of the resort beach. A jetty provided privacy, and at this point, Kaylee suspected something was up.

Wes never wanted to be alone with her. At least, that was what she’d assumed, since Bella was always there during Kaylee’s lessons. Either Bella practiced all day every day because of her absentee parents, which would be disconcerting, or Wes planned for Bella to be a buffer between them.

Wes climbed onto the rocks of the jetty and reached back for her hand. He helped her up and let go as soon as she was steady. He made his way to the edge of the water.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

Obviously it wasn’t, but he was making her nervous and she wanted to get him talking. Wes was a “lay it all out there and knock a girl off her feet” kind of man. But not now. Now there were walls built and banked anger simmering beneath the surface.

He stared at the lake for a moment, then turned to her. “It’s been a couple of weeks. We’ve gotten along well enough, haven’t we?”

They’d joked and, dare she say it, had fun on the driving range. Things hadn’t been as easygoing as they used to be between them, but she’d felt the spark of a connection to Wes that she hadn’t in a long while. “Yes, of course.”

“Good.” He nodded and let out a breath. “I’d like to know what happened when you left college. When you left me.” The hard edge no longer tainted his tone, but tension filled the air.

They were alone, and she’d come to town for this very conversation. She couldn’t drag it out forever, even if it was difficult to talk about.

Her hands began to shake and her body grew cold. She sank onto one of the rocks, but Wes didn’t follow. He leaned against a larger stone and watched her. “Before we broke up, it was a really difficult time for me.”

He shook his head, squinting. “What was hard? School? Your friends? Did something happen with your family?”

Kaylee looked out at the water, her stomach twisting. “No. None of those things. I was going through something…physical. And I didn’t know how to talk to you about it. I was afraid. You were preparing for the tour. You ate, slept, and breathed golf. It’s all you talked about. Half the time, I wasn’t sure you were listening to me. And then when I… When I needed you, I didn’t feel safe telling you what was wrong. I worried you’d flip out.”

Wes ran stiff fingers through his dark hair, the tips falling forward and touching his strong cheekbones. “Jesus, Kaylee. If something was wrong, you should have said so. Instead, you fucking left me.”

She pulled her knees to her chest. “I couldn’t trust you to take it well. I worried you’d make things worse, and I was already barely holding myself together.”

“So this was about trust?” His jaw clenched and he stared back at the water, his tone as hard as the granite they sat on. “Trustworthiness doesn’t seem high on your list of dating criteria.”

She looked up, her eyebrows knitting together. “What do you mean?”

“Eddy.” He flung his arm carelessly. “Your fiancé.”

“What does Eddy have to do with our past?”

He pinned her with a stare. “You didn’t trust me and I was devoted to you—loved you. And you’re engaged, to that…that piece of shit.”

Kaylee stood. “Keep Eddy out of this! You were an absent boyfriend. That’s why I didn’t feel I could go to you.”

“I don’t see your fiancé. Where is he, Kaylee?”

“You know he’s away on business.” She shook her head, the air leaving her chest on a wave of disappointment. “God, Wes, I thought we were past this. But all you care about is how I hurt you. Nothing I say will change anything.” She rose and spun to leave, a burning sensation prickling the back of her eyes. She couldn’t talk to him—not now. And maybe not ever.

“He’s cheating on you,” Wes said, the malice in his tone suddenly gone.

Kaylee turned slowly back, certain she’d heard him wrong. “What?”

Wes’s blue eyes churned like an ocean in a storm. “Your fiancé. He cheated on you. At least once, that I know of.”

Kaylee wrapped her arms around her waist. “Are you out of your mind? You don’t know Eddy.”

Wes chuckled humorlessly. “I know him well enough. I know his type. I’m him half of the time.” His gaze bored into hers. “Only I never cheat.”

She shook her head. “You’re wrong. You want Eddy to be the bad guy so it’ll make you look better.”

“I told my brothers you wouldn’t believe me. Just like you said, you never trusted me. And what’s a relationship without trust, Kaylee?”

Her lips parted, but she couldn’t say anything. Because he was right. She’d not trusted him when she needed him the most. And she certainly didn’t trust him now.

“Wes, I’m sorry I hurt you in college. I was in pain and not thinking straight. I had a boyfriend who didn’t put me first, and it scared the hell out of me to go to you with my problem.”

“So that’s it? You didn’t feel I spent enough time with you?”

He wasn’t even listening now. “That was part of it.”

The conversation had gone in the wrong direction. Why did she think he’d listen to her now, when he’d never listened before?

In some ways, Wes had changed. He was more responsible, seemed to truly care for Bella, when he had no reason to care beyond the money Bella’s parents paid him for her lessons. He wasn’t the same man he’d been in college. Yet in other ways, he was exactly the same. Focused to the point of missing everything.

He gave her more of that humorless laugh. “Good talk, Kaylee.” Wes turned and stalked away, crossing the large boulders like he’d done it a million times. And he probably had. “Find another golf instructor. I don’t want to see you again.”