Page 58 of Sinful Sharing

I’m okay.

Leave me alone.

Anything. Just something to prove he’s still out there.

“I’ve been thinking about booking a flight to San Francisco.”

Roman’s expression turns to midnight. “Okay, now I’m certain you’ve lost your mind. You know we can’t go back there.”

I scoff. “He didn’t see our faces, Roman. If Wilson had any proof, we’d be arrested by now.”

“Well, I don’t want to take that chance, and you shouldn’t either. Give it a rest,” he says in a tone that makes it clear he’d give me a hard time if I tried to go.

I pick up the ratchet and turn it over in my hands. “If he’s in trouble...”

“If he wanted to reach out, he would’ve.”

The words hang in the air. I hate how much sense they make. Taylor knows where we are, and he has our contact information in his phone. He knows we would answer. The silence isn’t an accident, and that’s what hurts most.

Roman pushes away from the workbench. For a moment, neither of us says anything. The shed falls quiet except for the distant sound of wind rattling against the metal siding. He then turns toward the door, and I figure the conversation is over. But just before he steps outside, he pauses and glances over his shoulder. The hard expression he usually wears softens.

Just a little.

“For the record, I miss him too,” he mutters.

The door swings shut when he walks out.

I stare at the phone lying beside me on the concrete. I tell myself I should get back to work. There’s no use hoping every time my phone buzzes. I’d be a fool to keep waiting when he’d never asked me to.

Still, I pick up the phone one more time and check the screen.

Just in case.

Nothing.

My chest aches.

But I can’t quite bring myself to let go of that last thread of hope.

33

Roman

Two Months Later

I return a wave to the couple I’d just taken on the last trail ride of the day. The sun is already sinking behind the mountains, staining the snow-covered peaks gold and orange. Winter days are short. The nights are long and lonely, even with Jude around. A few months ago, I didn’t mind the quiet dinners and the long stretches of silence that followed before sleep claimed me. Now, it feels like torture.

I should be on cloud nine. Last month, Natasha gave me the biggest surprise of my life. It was a phone call from her assistant, but nonetheless. She kept her word. Now, I don’t need to worry about losing the resort anymore. Once this season is over, I’m going to shut down for a while. I’m going to hire a contractor to refurbish the entire property. I’m also going to need a marketing specialist, someone who can increase visibility for this place. Jude keeps saying Taylor would excel in that area, but his recommendation is useless since Taylor is still MIA.

And just like that, the simple thought of his name sends a stream of longing through my veins. I still don’t know how I got to this point, where I’m aching for the last person I should want. Rubbing a hand over Ranger’s neck, I guide him inside the barn. If only my heart would get the same message I preached to Jude two months ago. It’s over.

Taylor isn’t coming back.

I’m unsaddling Ranger when movement catches my eye. I peer through the window. An SUV cruises up the long, winding driveway, tires crunching under packed snow. With the stirrups still clutched in my hand, I head outside. We have no new reservations as far as I’m aware. The vehicle pulls to a stop in front of the main lodge. Somebody probably got lost, I guess. They might be looking for directions—

A boot hits the ground. Then another.

A slender blond man slides out of the SUV. For one impossible second, I forget how to breathe.