Page 90 of Don't Burn Bridges
She wasn't so sure about herself.
What she did know was that there was one person she needed to talk to.
Whether he wanted to listen was another matter entirely.
Squaring her shoulders, she slipped her phone into her back pocket and headed for the door.
If Seth told her to leave him alone, she'd respect it.
But regardless, he deserved an apology.
Whether or not he accepted it.
Chapter 31
The familiar smell of hay, leather, and saddle soap usually put Seth at ease.
Today, it did nothing.
Sunlight filtered through the open barn doors in long golden streams, catching dust motes that drifted lazily through the still afternoon air. Somewhere down the aisle, a horse shifted in its stall, followed by the soft clink of a halter ring against wood. Outside, an ATV buzzed past the barn before disappearing toward the back pastures.
The ranch carried on, as it always did.
Seth wished his mind would do the same.
He tightened another bolt on the worn wooden saddle rack, more because it gave his hands something to do than because it actually needed tightening. The wrench bit into his palm as he leaned into it. He welcomed the sting.
Anything was better than letting his thoughts wander. But they did anyway—back to Shylo.
Every laugh they'd shared.
Every dinner.
Every kiss.
And every time she'd looked him in the eye and answered one of his questions.
Which answers had been true? Which had been carefully chosen to hide the one thing she didn't want him to know?
He'd replayed every conversation so many times that he wondered if any of it had been real.
The worst part was... most of it probably had.
He'd dated enough women over the years to recognize genuine smiles, lingering glances, and the subtle changes in a woman's voice when her feelings started to deepen.
Shylo had laughed at his stupid jokes, rolled her eyes when he'd defended ranch dressing on pizza, and kissed him like she'd wanted a future with him.
Every instinct told him those moments had been real.
Only she'd done all of it while carrying a secret big enough to change everything. How could he trust her after that?
The crunch of footsteps behind him registered a second before the familiar scent of vanilla shampoo wrapped around him.
His chest tightened.
He didn't have to turn around to see who it was.
He already knew.
