Chapter 28
Dax white-knuckled the steering wheel as he plowed down the driveway toward Triple R Ranch. A whirl of emotions warred within him. He’d spent the better part of a week trying to help Magnolia in any way he could, trying to show her this was where she belonged, but at every turn she’d pushed him away. “Y’all know what you’re meant to do?”
In the passenger seat, Calla held on to the bar above her head, her blond curls bouncing wildly as he took a turn faster than he’d planned. Tiny rocks pelted against the outside of his truck. Calla reached forward with the other hand pressing into the dashboard. “Hell’s bells, Dax, slow down. It’s not like she’s got a plane landin’ in the field out back. She’ll be there when we get there.”
“Sorry.” He didn’t slow down.
In the back seat, Zinnia clung to her seat belt, shooting him daggers with her eyes in the rear view mirror. “I’m all for off-roading but this is ridiculous.”
“If y’all would’ve seen her face at the lawyer’s office, you would’ve known what she was thinkin’. Our girl is gonna run, and y’all need to stop her.” It was a last ditch effort to keep her here. He needed her more than he needed anything.
“You just leave it to us.” Calla pressed her lips together in a firm line. “I’m gonna put my foot down with her.”
Dax nodded. “Okay, let me talk to her one last time first. Then I’ll send in the heavy hitters.”
In the back seat, Zinnia chuckled. “I like that he calls the five-foot-nothing woman in the front seat and the hundred and ten pound woman in the back seat the heavy hitters.”
He pressed his foot down on the gas. The engine revved as he crossed over the last small hill leading to Triple R. Out in front of the house, Magnolia stood on the front porch, shaking hands with a man he didn’t recognize. But the logo of the corporate ranch on the white pickup out front he definitely did recognize. “Shit.”
“What?” Calla peered over the dash, looking at the truck. “Who’s that?”
“That’s the corporate ranchers Thomas was talking to weeks ago.” He slid her a sideways look. “They wanted to buy up Triple R.”
Calla sucked in a shocked breath. “You don’t think she’d sell this soon, do you?”
Dax grabbed the steering wheel even harder. His knuckles cracked, and he felt a nervous ball sitting in the pit of his stomach. “If she did, then we’re all screwed.”
As he steered his truck into the driveway, he slammed on the brakes before he careened into the front lawn. Dust flew up around the truck and Dax reached for the handle, yanking at it. Calla pressed her hand to his elbow. “Maybe you should be a little calmer.”
“I am calm.” He was anything but calm. With his heart hammering in his chest, he leapt from the cab of the truck leaving Calla and Zinnia behind.
When he rounded the bed of the truck, he spotted Magnolia standing on the porch, staring at him like he’d lost his mind. Maybe he had? Her brows were drawn low over those perfect green-hazel eyes. She still wore that black sweater—the black sweater that hugged her body and exposed just the barest hint of creamy skin. And her tight jeans drove him to the brink of insanity. He quickened his steps, easily closing the distance between him and the woman he couldn’t live without. She leaned back on her heels. “Dax?”
He marched up the steps past the corporate man and stood nearly nose to nose with Magnolia. “I need to talk to you.”
“Um, Dax, this is Mr. Coppola from Starling.” She motioned to the shorter man with olive skin and dark brown eyes.
Dax reached out pulled his hand up and shook it. “Pleasure to meet ya.” He breathlessly faced Magnolia once more. “I need to talk to you. Now.”
At his side, the man looked at him with wide eyes and tentatively waved at Magnolia. “It was nice meeting you, Ms. Reed. We’ll be in touch.”
Magnolia kept her wide eyes on Dax. “Okay, Mr. Coppola. Thanks for stopping in.”
The only sign the man had scurried away was the sound of his hurried footsteps on the wooden stairs. Dax never took his eyes off Magnolia. He yearned to reach out and touch her but held fast, keeping his hands balled in fist at his sides.
“What’s this about, Dax?” Magnolia looked past him. “Is that Calla and Zinnia in the truck?”
He moved to the side, blocking her view. “Yeah, it is. Let’s go inside.” He walked past her and straight into the house. He could feel her at his back. Hell, if she was across the room he’d still feel her. When they reached the kitchen, he motioned to the chair at the head of the table. “Sit, please.”
“All right, are you okay? You’re acting really weird.” Magnolia slid into the chair and folded her hands on the tabletop.
A nervous ball sat in his stomach, and he began to pace the floor. “Magnolia, I have been wracking my brain to figure out a way to get this through your head.”
“Get wha—”
He held up his hand. “Let me finish, please.”
Silently, she waved him on to continue.
He pulled the folded papers from his back pocket and slapped them down on the table in front of her. “Here, look.”
Ever so slowly, she reached for the papers and unfolded them. When her eyes began to run over them, she raised her eyebrows. “Divorce papers?”
“Yeah, Lulu signed them this afternoon. She knew, Maggie. She just knew once you came back that things would be good and over between me and her. Before she signed them, she told me I’d never love her the way I love you, and she wanted that for herself.” He planted his fist on the side of the table. “And damn it, she was right.”
“Dax, I—”
“Just hold on a minute. Now, before you say you can’t do this, you can’t sell Triple R and you can’t be rid of me. Aw, hell, Maggie, I love you.” He slammed his fist on the table.
When she opened her mouth to speak, he cut her off once more—before she could walk away, before she could deny anything she felt for him. “And you love me, too. The way I see it, we belong together. I love every damn thing about you. And you forgive all my faults. We are meant to be together you and I.”
“You lied to me, Dax. How do I know you won’t do it again?”
“I swear to you, I won’t ever do it again.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Or keep things from me? Because if you do, then this will never work between us. I can’t go through any more, Dax. I really mean it.”
He knelt down beside her, looking up into her eyes. “Maggie, you’ve got to trust me when I say I don’t ever want to hurt you again.”
“What did Lulu mean when she told me to ask you about a box? What was she talking about?”
The woman gave nothing away. He couldn’t tell if she was serious or just toying with him. “Why would she tell you about that?” He stood and took a step back, wondering what the hell he was in for. That box had been a secret he kept from everyone, and the day Lulu had found it was the day she’d disappeared from his life for five years until only days ago.
Magnolia shrugged. “I’m not sure. You tell me.”
There was only one thing he could do… He spun on his heels and walked out the back door.