Tears clogged her throat. Tears of anger and shame for herself, and tears of sorrow for him. He blinked at her as if he’d been transported from another world and only now realized where he was. What he’d said.

He turned on his heel without a word and stalked out of the laundry room. She stood there for a full minute, reeling. He’d just told her something. Something that hurt him more than he wanted to admit.

If she’d understood correctly, he’d lost someone. And it had affected him deeply.

She stumbled out of the laundry room behind him, swiping angrily at her tears. What the heck was she crying for? Because he’d insulted her? Equated her with disaster tourists who went to impoverished areas and took selfies while helping the locals?

She wasn’t that person. Though, yes, she wrote checks to the causes she believed in. She had money, had a trust fund, though she only received a stipend and not enough to wager it on her business ideas. If she had full access, she’d have her clothing line.

She did not.

And, right now, it didn’t much matter. Wyatt was on the deck, leaning against the railing, staring at the town of Eagle’s Ridge below. Or maybe he was looking at the mountains ringed in clouds. She didn’t know, and she also didn’t know what to say.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice a deep rumble that rolled over her.

She joined him at the rail. Not too close. She propped her arms on the top rail and drew in a deep breath of clean mountain air.

“No, it’s okay.”

“It’s not,” he said, turning his head to capture her eyes with his. “I said some things I shouldn’t have.”

“You were mad. I understand. Fluffy was a jerk, and I guess I didn’t take it seriously enough.”

His comment about someone under a bridge being happy with a blanket with cat crap on it still stung. He was right, of course. She knew she was privileged. She tried not to forget it, but sometimes she clearly did.

“He’s a cat. It’s not like he had an elaborate plan. I overreacted.”

She frowned. Maybe he did. Or maybe he was right and she was too spoiled to even know how good she had it. Did she forget about those less fortunate? No doubt she did. Because she didn’t have to deal with them. She was so focused on her own life and success that she didn’t think about it.

“No, you were right to call me out. I shouldn’t have suggested you throw the comforter away. It was insensitive of me.”

“The world’s problems are not your fault, Paige. And you have enough to deal with right now.”

“Thank you. But I’m not a disaster tourist, Wyatt. I never have been. Yes, I send money to the things I believe in—women’s rights and health worldwide, advocacy for the poor, feeding poverty-stricken nations, fighting against human trafficking. I’m not silent, though I am also not affected by those things. I know I’m fortunate.”

She drew in a breath. “But you said something else… You said you had to face your friend’s wife and daughter and tell them you were sorry for their loss. That sounds like you lost your friend. Was it on a mission?”

He dropped his forehead into his hands. Ran his fingers through his hair. Turned his gorgeous face to hers. His eyes were stark. “It’s nothing. Forget I said it.”

“I don’t think I can do that.”

“It’s really easy, Paige. Think that you don’t really know me, that we aren’t friends or lovers, and that once this is over, you won’t ever see me again. Think that you’re the client and I’m the bodyguard. I’m an employee, not a friend. I’m here to protect you, not sit around the fire and talk about life. We don’t mean anything to each other and we never will. So go back inside, pet your cat, and think about your future making clothing for women. Stop thinking about anything I said, okay?”

Her throat felt lined with razor blades. He wasn’t going to tell her anything. Why did it hurt so much? Why did she care? She hardly knew him. “Okay. If you insist.”

“I do.”

She sucked in a breath, trying to tamp down the pain that insisted on throbbing inside her belly, her veins. She shouldn’t be hurt by his unwillingness to share with her. She shouldn’t care.

But she did. Damn him and his kiss today. Damn him for taking her to meet Mary Beth, whom she’d liked so much. No Man’s Land wasn’t anything special, at least not to her, but even that was going to be a memory she couldn’t erase.

“I guess I’ll go inside then. Thanks for the lovely day.”

He didn’t say anything as she spun and walked away.

* * *

He was an ass. A dick. A total jerk. But what could he say to her? He’d lost his mind back there for a moment, and he’d let her have it. But it hadn’t really been about her. It had been about the frustration and hurt building up inside him. The pain. The secrets. The things he wasn’t willing to tell anyone.

Lisa, holding little Emma and thanking him for coming to Danny’s funeral. Thanking him with tears in her voice. Telling him—my God, telling him that it wasn’t his fault.

But he knew it was. It was. He’d failed to realize the threat. Failed to protect his buddy. And Lisa and Emma suffered as a result. Danny’s parents, his siblings. They all suffered because Wyatt hadn’t seen it coming that day.

He scrubbed his hands through his hair. Took a deep breath. Told himself that was over and done with. Lisa didn’t blame him even if he blamed himself.

There was no reason to keep living with this guilt, and yet he couldn’t stop.

He spun and went inside, shutting the glass doors behind him. The washing machine was still chugging away. The house was silent except for that. Still. Like that day on the mountain before all hell broke loose.

Holy shit, he was losing it.

He went over to the computer and sat down, going through the data. He had to concentrate on what was happening to Paige. Had to figure out who was after her and what kind of a threat the guy really was. Yeah, he’d threatened to hurt the cat. He’d also threatened to punish Paige if she didn’t keep herself pure for him. Whoever he was, he was a sick bastard with a fixation.

And Wyatt had no idea who he was or what his next move would be. After an hour of studying everything, he had to give up on the idea. He shoved away from the computer and put his hands on his head, taking deep breaths and staring at the sunset happening just outside the window.

The washer had dinged long ago. He got up and went to the laundry room, tugging the tangled bedding from the washer and shoving it into the dryer. He turned it on, then headed for the kitchen. Paige still hadn’t emerged from her bedroom. Neither had her cat. He was still pissed about the cat crapping on his bed, but in the scheme of things it wasn’t that awful. It could be dealt with.

He took out a frozen pizza and turned the oven on to heat. Then he dialed Adam’s number.

“Hey, Wyatt,” his friend said, his voice happy and sane. Where was Wyatt’s happy and sane? He couldn’t seem to find it anymore. “Heard congratulations are in order.”

Wyatt frowned for a sec. Oh yeah. “What’s the story now? Marriage or a baby? Or both?”

“Well, I heard it was marriage. Jane heard your girlfriend from Virginia is pregnant and you’re doing the right thing by her. I’m assuming Nicole is Paige—either that or you’ve really got your hands full.”

Wyatt wanted to strangle Hildie Fontana right about now. But what had he expected, parking in the town square and kissing Paige in front of God and everyone? Hildie didn’t mean to be a pain in the ass. She just was. But her husband and son had both died in service to this country, so if gossiping made her happy, then whatever. Wyatt could deal with the fallout. He didn’t like it, but he’d deal.

“Yeah, Nicole is Paige. She wanted to get out so I took her to town. I kissed her and Hildie saw.”

“Whoa, you kissed her? Haven’t you known her for what, all of sixteen hours or so?”

“Pretty much. What can I say? She’s hot.”

Besides, Adam didn’t have much room to talk. He’d ended up with the woman he’d hired to help him design the boathouse makeover. Wyatt didn’t know how long before Adam made his first move on her, but he didn’t think it had taken very long at all.

“Is it a good idea, Wyatt? I mean you’re supposed to be protecting her, right?”

“No, it’s not a good idea. It won’t happen again. It was just—she said something about Gran that made sense to me. Made me think about some things. I was a little too grateful.”

“I get it. I think. So what’s up? Need more cat litter?” Adam laughed and Wyatt shook his head.

“No, we’ve got enough…” Especially when the little bastard wasn’t using the box. “Hey, I wanted to ask you something.”

This is where his throat closed up and his eyes stung. Dammit.

“Anything, Wyatt. You know that.” Adam must have sensed that it was serious.

Wyatt stood there for a long minute, staring at the mountains as they turned golden in the early evening sun. It was so beautiful. So peaceful.

So why wasn’t he at peace?

“When does it stop eating you up inside?”

Adam sighed. “I don’t think it does. I think you learn to accept it and go on with life. It’s all you can do… You want to talk about it, man? About what happened?”

“No.”

“All right. But I’m here when you do. All of us are.”

“I know.” He pulled in a breath. “Hey, thanks. I gotta run. Have to heat up a frozen pizza for the princess.”

The amusement returned to Adam’s voice. “Good luck with that.”

“Yeah. I think I’m gonna need it.”