“I see. What if I said I’d changed? That I was willing to compromise?”

“I think that it’s for the best that we don’t revisit the past,” she said gently.

“You don’t believe me.”

“That you’ve changed?” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I think growing as a person is a good thing. But would it make me want to try again? No. I’m sorry.”

“We were good together,” he insisted. “Don’t you remember?”

What she remembered was never feeling enough for him. That his words could be cruel. “You wanted me to be like a china doll,” she said slowly. “Something to occupy you when you had time. Something to show off.”

“No, that’s not true. I might have been a little demanding, but as I said, I’m different now. I’ve learned how to be more of a partner. There must be things you miss.”

She stood. “Lewis, I appreciate you letting me know about the paperwork on the divorce. It’s final now and we can both move on. It’s for the best.”

He rose. “You’re simply going to walk away? Just like that? Without trying at all?”

It wasn’t in her nature to be cruel. She would go out of her way not to hurt his feelings, but he was starting to bug her. She drew in a breath.

“This entire conversation is an example of why I left,” she said quietly, knowing that getting angry wouldn’t accomplish anything. “I’ve told you what I want, what is important to me, and you aren’t interested. You’re pushing back without consideration for anyone but yourself. When you don’t like what I say, you tell me I’m wrong and then you try to make me feel guilty. I’m not wrong and I won’t take responsibility for how you feel now. We’re divorced. I’m not proud of that, but I accept it. I’ve moved on and you need to do the same.”

She braced herself for the explosion. Lewis didn’t like being told he was at fault and he rarely reacted well when that happened. But instead of getting angry, Lewis seemed to shrink a little.

“I see,” he murmured. “It’s truly over.”

“Yes.”

He stared at her, then turned toward the door. “Goodbye, Annabelle.”

“Goodbye.”

“You’ll regret this, you know. Regret losing me.”

She pressed her lips together and waited until he left.

She walked to the window and watched him drive away. With a little luck, he would leave town and she wouldn’t see him again.

When they’d first met, she had been so sure he would be the one to rescue her. Since then, she’d learned the only person who could take on that job was herself. She had learned the painful lesson in the weeks after she’d left him, when she’d been alone and scared and emotionally broken.

Time and hard work had healed her. Now she was ready for a real relationship between equals. Someone who loved her as much as… She smiled. Someone who adored her with the same devotion as Khatar. Without being a horse.

She wanted that to be Shane. He was smart, funny, sensible and calm. His biggest flaw was comparing her to his ex-wife. She knew she wasn’t anything like her, but she wasn’t the one who needed convincing. Until he saw the difference, she would have to be careful about protecting her heart. Because she was determined not to make a mistake again. This time, when she gave her heart, it was going to be forever.

* * *

“YOU GOTTA STOP,” Shane said, not looking up from the bottle he shook. “I mean it. Get back to where you belong.”

The riding horses he’d reluctantly taken possession of had come with their own tack. All the leather was in decent shape, but old and dirty. He’d decided to take the afternoon and clean everything. Not only to keep it in good working order, but because, well, his students were girls. Not that he would admit that to anyone, even under threat of torture.

So he’d lined up the equipment by the barn, set up a comfortable work station in the shade of one of the big trees and prepared to spend a few hours listening to the Dodgers-Giants game on the radio.

Sometime into his second hour, he’d become aware he wasn’t alone anymore. A small brown nose had poked its way under his arm, much like a dog wanting to be patted. Only it wasn’t a dog. It was the damn pony, Reno.

Khatar’s ability to escape from nearly any enclosure had been passed on to Reno. Or maybe the pony had shown up with the ability. Shane wasn’t sure, but he didn’t like it. Worse, when Reno got out, he was careful to make sure his girl tagged along. Which meant not only was the small pony loose, but an elephant was now strolling around the property.

“Explain to me why the only one who stays where she’s supposed to is the cat,” Shane muttered, putting down the leather cleaner and staring at the pony.

Reno curled back his lips in what Shane could only assume was silent equine laughter.

“I get it,” Shane said. “You think you’re tough stuff, don’t you. A new girlfriend and an instant cat family. You’re practically the quarterback of the football team.”

Reno butted Shane in response.

“Annoying twit horse,” he muttered, scratching the animal behind the ears.

He got up and walked toward the barn. There was a new shed on the other side. One with a metal door, secured by an industrial strength padlock. It wasn’t kept locked with a key…yet. So far the twisting metal mechanism had proven to be animal secure, but Shane was fully prepared to use a key if necessary.

He went inside and shoved a couple of apples in his pockets, then picked up two watermelons and walked out. Reno trotted right behind him, already sniffing at his jeans.

“Get away,” he grumbled.

Priscilla stopped exploring the flower garden and strolled along, back toward the enclosure. Reno glanced over his shoulder, as if making sure his lady love kept up. They walked back into their home and faced Shane.

“I mean it,” he told them. “This has got to stop. Don’t make me get a more complicated gate and lock. I will if I have to.”

They stared at him with shared amusement. Shane sighed.

“Back in Tennessee all I had to worry about was fifty or so racehorses,” he told them. “That was easy. You guys are hard.”

He lowered the watermelons to the ground, then took out one of the apples and used his pocketknife to slice it and feed it to Reno. While he did that, Priscilla delicately picked up the watermelon and chopped it.

“That’s quite a collection you have there.”

Shane turned toward the voice and saw Lewis approaching. At the sight of Annabelle’s ex, he felt his hackles rise and wished they were keeping something more aggressive than a small pony and a few goats on the grounds. Idly, he wondered if Priscilla was in the mood to charge.

Reno ate the last of the apple. Shane gave him a quick pat, then let himself out and secured the gate.

“Annabelle’s not here,” he told Lewis, leading the way back to the house.

“I know. I saw her earlier. At her place.” Lewis adjusted his sunglasses. “I’m going back to North Carolina.”

“Because the divorce is final?”

Lewis turned away. “Yes. Because the divorce is final.”

Shane could almost feel sorry for the guy. He’d obviously had second thoughts about losing Annabelle. He’d shown up, hoping to win her back. Although from his point of view, Lewis hadn’t done all that much to make himself the good guy in all this. A woman like Annabelle had to be wooed. Made to feel special.

“She wanted me to stay,” Lewis said, glancing back at him.

Shane couldn’t see the other man’s eyes. His sunglasses were in the way. But he would bet a considerable amount of money they were shifting all over the place, proof of the lie.

“Did she?” Shane asked.

“Thought we should get back together. She said she’d regretted the divorce. I considered the offer. I mean, who wouldn’t? She’s an amazing woman. But fool me once and all that. She’s really not…” He looked away again. “I’m done with her. In case you were wondering.”

He wanted to point out Annabelle hadn’t seemed like she was regretting anything except having Lewis show up in the first place, but where was the win in that? Kicking a man who was already down wasn’t his idea of sport.

“She gets under your skin,” Lewis said quietly. “Once she’s there, she’s hard to get rid of.” He cleared his throat. “I won’t say I wasn’t tempted, but this is for the best. That’s what I wanted to tell you.”

“I appreciate the information.”

Lewis gave a brief wave and walked to his car.

Shane watched him go. He wasn’t sure why Lewis had stopped by. It wasn’t to gloat. After all, he hadn’t gotten what he’d come for. Maybe the other man didn’t have any friends and he’d needed to share the loss with someone. Even if the information had been cloaked in lies.

Heidi came out of the back of the house. “Was that Lewis?”

“Yes. He’s heading back to North Carolina.”

“Good,” his future sister-in-law said. “Annabelle wasn’t happy to have him show up. You know that, right?”

“I figured it out.”

“I’m glad he’s gone.”

“Me, too.”

* * *

ANNABELLE SIPPED HER latte. “How many?” she asked.

Nevada rolled her eyes. “Five. Can you believe it? Five puppies. If I didn’t love my sister, I would so be killing her. Do you know how many times a night Tucker and I have to get up to feed them?”

“How old are they?”

“Six weeks. Thank goodness. The first week was the worst. They were so tiny then. Only three weeks old. Now they’re bigger and Cameron—” She paused to sip her iced Frappuccino. “Cameron says we can start transitioning them to regular food this week. I’m checking their teeth. Making sure there are enough for them to handle the kibble. Which I’m soaking in hot water.”

“They must be adorable.”

“They are,” Nevada admitted. “Come see them.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Afraid you’ll want one?”

“More than a little.”

“Tell me about it,” Nevada said with a grin. “Tucker and I are doing our best not to keep any of them. That’s the danger of fostering an animal. You get attached. Plus, they’re puppies. How am I supposed to resist? I tell myself it’s good practice for when we have a baby. At least now I know what it’s like to get up several times a night for feeding.”

The puppies’ mother had developed a fatal infection and died. Montana had roped her sister into caring for the litter until they were old enough for “forever” homes.

“I think a couple of my guys are thinking about adopting them,” Nevada told her. “I’ve been taking them to work with me, which is great. I get help with the feeding and there are plenty of volunteers to play with them. These are incredibly socialized puppies.”

Heidi walked into the Starbucks and waved. “Let me order and I’ll be right there.”

Heidi had called earlier to say she was running into town for groceries. She’d wanted to know if Annabelle had time for a quick coffee. Annabelle had run into Nevada on her way over and had invited her along.

Heidi collected her latte and joined them. They sat by an open window, the light afternoon breeze just cool enough to be pleasant.

“How are the wedding plans?” Nevada asked. “Have you reached the crazy stage?”

“Yes. I’m frantic.” Heidi touched Annabelle’s arm. “I have help, so that’s good. I can’t imagine what it was like for you and your sisters. A triple wedding? On New Year’s Eve?”

Nevada smiled. “It was a lot to organize, but there were the three of us and our mom, so that helped.”

“I’d be lost without Annabelle and Charlie,” Heidi admitted.

“I’m happy to help,” Annabelle told her sincerely. “I’m less sure about Charlie’s motivation but she’s good at intimidating people and that can come in handy.”

“She got me a great price on the tents,” Heidi said. “I have a dress. There are a few more details, then it’s just the work part. You know, counting heads as people RSVP, that kind of thing.”

“We’re here to help,” Annabelle told her.

“I know. Thanks.”

“The shower is in a couple of weeks,” Nevada said. “I got my save-the-date card tucked into my calendar.”

“We’re planning lots of fun and special stuff,” Annabelle said with a laugh.

“Are there going to be games?” Nevada asked casually. She picked up her latte, then sighed. “Okay, I’ll admit it. I love the games. Especially the one with all the stuff on the tray you have to memorize. Or coming up with words from the spelling of the bride’s and groom’s names? Silly, but they’re fun.”

“I’m surprised,” Annabelle said. “And delighted. There will be games and champagne.”

“The little Jordan almonds?” Heidi asked. “Can I put in a request?”

“You bet. In your wedding colors. Only the best for the bride-to-be.”

She and Charlie had a planning meeting tomorrow. Annabelle made a mental note to mention the games and Jordan almonds.

Heidi looked at Nevada. “How’s work? I drove by the construction site the other day. I can’t believe how much has been done on the casino and hotel.”

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