2. Hailey

TWO

I remained rooted, unable to move, shock spearing me through and staking me to the ground as I watched him jog across the lawn that separated our yards, his giant frame getting eaten up by the raging storm that thrashed around him. A gray mist covered him whole before he disappeared through his garage door that had remained open.

Like a ghost had appeared from out of nowhere and evaporated just as fast.

Except he was no ghost.

He was Cody Cooper.

I stifled the wave of grief that threatened to suck me under. I knew it wasn't wholly because of him.

It was just the memories of this place. The memories I'd worried would be too much, which was the reason I hadn't come back here in six years.

But it was time.

Time to return to myself.

Time to reclaim.

Time to renew a purpose that had been lost somewhere along the way.

Time to stand up and fight.

It was only a tiny hiccup that it turned out Cody was my new next-door neighbor.

No doubt, Karma was laughing her ass off at me right then.

I shucked it down, the twinge of guilt I felt, and chalked it up to coincidence.

Cody was just a flirty bastard who so clearly knew how to get what he wanted. Country charm and arrogance in vats. Just as aloof and self-centered as he'd ever been.

It wasn't a big deal. I could handle it.

Another streak of lightning flashed overhead, and it knocked me from the trance and jolted me into action.

Beneath the pelting rain, I scurried the rest of the way up the walkway and onto the porch. I tossed open the door before I leaned down and shoved the three boxes inside, internally scolding myself for being relieved for even a second that I hadn't had to carry them in myself.

I was not in need of a white knight.

Specifically, one named Cody Cooper.

Slamming the door shut and locking it behind me, I straightened and dragged my fingers through the sopping wet mess of my hair to get it out of my face.

A buzz of satisfaction filled me as I took in the house.

The middle section was done as a great room, completely open.

Airy and letting in a ton of light when it wasn't storming out.

The kitchen was on the left and the living area was on the right.

The floors were done in plank tiles that looked like wood. The cabinets a deep chestnut, and the countertops were a swirl of creams and browns and golds to tie it all together.

It was nice but small.

Modest.

Especially when compared to the extravagance I'd lived in for my entire life.

But I loved it.

Loved the possibility.

Loved this brand-new chance.

I shoved down any thoughts of fear it triggered and started to lean down so I could open the boxes.

"Now who was that?" The question hit me from the side.

A gasp left me as my attention whipped that way, and I shook my head at myself when I realized it was Lolly. Only I would jump out of my skin at my grandmother's voice, but I couldn't help being on edge.

I still wasn't sure if this was the most reckless decision I could make. If I was begging for trouble, coming here. Standing out in the open like a sitting duck. But I refused to spend my life hiding.

My grandmother stood at the window with the drapes peeled open so she could peek outside. Her wrinkled face was twisted in something that appeared a little too close to glee.

Awesome.

She'd witnessed whatever the hell that was with Cody.

"No one," I muttered as I climbed down onto my knees to rip the tape free of one of the boxes.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure it was someone. No missing that hulk of a man. That one was pure muscle from his head all the way down to his boots. And those boots were big. Real big. Sex on a stick, that one. Like taking a good lick of candy."

Exasperation had my eyes dragging closed and my head wagging back and forth. Like I needed the reminder of how hot the guy was.

That was somewhere I would not let my mind go.

But I wasn't sure I could expect anything else when it came to my grandmother. I had a mind that her drooling all over my father's employees was half the reason he'd wanted to put her into a nursing home.

"You probably shouldn't be peeping out at the neighbors, Lolly. You're going to catch a reputation."

She chuckled without a trace of shame. "Oh, sweet girl, I've had a reputation my whole life."

"Lolly," I chastised, trying to suppress my grin. The woman did not need to be encouraged.

My grandmother had been married five times. Four divorces before she'd finally met the love of her life when she was sixty. She'd been devastated when he died last year, and I knew she was still suffering from it, even though she always seemed to find a way to smile.

Almost eighty years old and she was still looking to the good. I'd idolized her my entire life, sitting at her feet when I was a little girl, dreaming of being as wild and vibrant and free as she was long before I'd really understood what it meant.

Her laughter was wry. "Maybe you should earn one with that cowboy. Looked to me like he might want to take you for a ride."

"The last thing I need in my life right now is to get mixed up with the likes of that." I wasn't about to admit that I knew him.

Besides, I knew Cody's type of mixing. That guy reeked of player.

Always had.

Always would.

I went for light, playing the entire thing off. "Besides, have you seen me? I look like a drowned rat. I think he was looking to win some brownie points with his new neighbors."

Some place to toss all that brawn.

Too bad it'd felt like he'd lit a fire when he'd looked at me with those gold-colored eyes. Flecked in reds and browns that licked and danced like flames.

Too bad my lungs had felt hollow, and my stomach had felt too tight as he'd towered at the end of the trailer with the last of the day illuminating him like some kind of tempting silhouette.

Too bad my thoughts were tossed right back to the way I'd felt when I'd first seen him all those years ago.

I blamed his overpowering presence on his sheer size.

He had to be at least six foot three, a pillar of strength. Shoulders as wide as he was tall. I swore that I could have counted every muscled groove and ridge beneath the soaked fabric that had clung to his chest and abdomen.

Arrogant.

Cocky.

The man dripping sex and easy smiles.

He'd aged, though.

The boyish features that I remembered had hardened to something rough and rugged.

Worst of it all? I'd nearly gotten swept away by the undercurrent of something beautifully brutal that had radiated from him when he'd reached out and touched my chin.

Like he was on the verge of understanding.

I knew I looked different. The years have changed me. Inside and out. But I'd just thought…

Shaking off the direction my thoughts were going, I focused on trying to get into the box and did my best to ignore the way my skin tingled in the spot where he'd held me by the chin.

"Have I seen you?" Lolly tsked, taking a couple steps across our still-empty living room. "The most gorgeous girl on the planet?"

I finally got the tape up at the edge and ripped it free, and I gave a roll of my eyes to my Lolly, my voice drifting into a light chuckle. "You have a moral obligation to say that."

"I think you know full well I tell it like it is. No lies come from this tongue. And you could be my twin back in my heyday, and believe you me, I was a looker."

I laughed outright. "Don't kid yourself. You're just as beautiful as you've ever been."

Her smile went wry. "That's right. You and I are going to be the talk of this little town."

Well, it was certain one of us was going to be.

A grin spread across my face when I suddenly heard the clatter of tiny feet rushing up the hallway that ran down the right side of the house, her sweet little voice carrying as she came. "Did you find my Princess Verona?"

I glanced up to see my four-year-old daughter standing just inside the living area, wearing her favorite purple jammies and bouncing on her bare toes.

"I think it might be in one of these."

I'd searched through the trailer for the boxes with her name written on the side that had come from her room.

Madison.

She'd written her name on them herself, all the letters different colors, messy, and upper case. She'd insisted on helping me pack her room, which was how I was pretty sure we'd ended up with a missing Princess Verona, assuming the stuffed animal had been accidentally tossed into a box.

So no, Cocky Cowboy, there was not a better time to unload these boxes.

It was bad enough that Maddie had freaked out when she realized she didn't have it. The only way I'd been able to calm her down was I'd promised that Princess Verona was in one of the boxes keeping an eye on the rest of her things, and I'd find her the second we got to the new house.

We stayed at a motel in Hendrickson last night since I couldn't pick up the keys to the house until this morning.

It wasn't in the first, so I hurried to open the second box, and I rummaged around inside. Relief struck me when my fingers brushed over the soft, plush fabric.

I pulled it out, producing the stuffed, purple bunny.

"It's my Princess Verona!" Madison cried. She came running over and slid onto her knees in front of me. "You found her, Mommy! You found her!"

No question, the stuffed animal was a safety blanket for my child. One that gave her comfort when she was afraid. One that made her believe she was always secure.

Finding this bunny? It wasn't close to being frivolous or inconsequential the way that jerk had implied. I passed it to her. "Here you go, sweetheart."

She hugged it tight, swinging her shoulders back and forth as she pinched up her face in the most adorable way. Right then, her dark blonde hair appeared almost brown since it was still damp from the bath I'd given her just before I'd gone on the rescue mission.

The riot of curls springing back to life.

"Thank you, Mommy," she said in her little drawl. Holding the bunny out in front of her, she bounced it around. "We got a new house, Princess Verona! I think it's going to be our favorite, favorite because we got a yard and a swing set and even a sandbox!"

Madison turned her blue gaze on me. Her eyes were the same color as mine, though hers still shined with awe and innocence. I would give it my all to keep it that way.

"Is it your favorite, too, Mommy? I like it that we got here and now we get to live with Lolly, and we even get to go see Grandpa's horsies, and I don't think you need to be sad here one little bit."

Regret squeezed my chest. I hated that my daughter had seen me in that state. Crying and afraid. But I wasn't going to be that person for a second longer. So instead, I let love invade. The devotion that pumped eternally.

I reached out and brushed my fingers down her plump cheek. "I do think I'm going to like it here. Very much."

"Oh, I bet you're gonna like it here." Pure suggestion filled Lolly's voice, even though there was a wedge of worry beneath it.

Pulling my daughter onto my lap, I sent a playful scowl at Lolly. "Keep it up, and you're going to find yourself in that fancy nursing home in Santa Barbara my dad keeps suggesting."

She waved the idea off with a scoff. "You both wouldn't know what to do without me."

Everything softened, all teasing gone. "Thank you for this, Lolly. I truly don't know what I would do without you."

I'd finally found the courage to leave Madison's father three months ago. I'd run from Austin, Texas to Boston, Massachusetts, unsure of where to go or where to turn, but just wanting to put as much time and space between us and Pruitt as I could.

During that time, I'd lived terrified. Terrified of who he was and what he might do. But I'd come to the resolution living that way was no life, and I'd prayed the threat I'd made him when I'd packed up and left would be enough.

So I'd returned here.

To my home.

To my family.

Lolly didn't know the real reason why I'd left him. I had to keep it that way. At least until I knew exactly what I was going to do.

I'd chosen a place near my childhood home in Langmire, Colorado, though I'd decided to settle in Hendrickson, closer to where I'd gotten my dream job.

My hometown was about an hour from here. That was where my father owned the largest stud ranch in the west, and his Thoroughbred stallions were known to have produced some of the fastest racehorses in the country, though the ranch produced at least a dozen different breeds.

His wealth verged on the obscene.

He'd wanted me to come back to his home and work for him, but I'd known I had to be able to stand on my own. Have my own experiences and chase after my own goals.

Give my daughter the type of life I hoped for her.

Lolly had been living in a wing of his home, and she'd offered to move in with me until I got on my feet.

Help me care for Madison until I found a good preschool program for her.

I looked back at my grandmother. "You knew how much I needed you."

Softness played across her aged features. "Of course, I knew. You and I have always belonged together. Besides, it's time to get out from under your father's roof. My son is constantly flitting around, thinking I'm incapable of taking care of myself, and if I'm not careful, he really is going to send me off to that nursing home. He already has a room reserved and paid for."

My smile was soft. "He just wants what's best for you, but you aren't ready."

"That's right, I'm not. I still have a little purpose here. The dream team is back together."

Emotion thickened my throat and stung at the backs of my eyes.

"Can I be on your dream team, my favorite Lolly?" Madison asked, her voice perking with excitement.

"You already are, sweet child. You already are."

Affection pulsed through my spirit.

God, I'd missed her. I had missed the way she'd stood in the vacant place after my mother had been killed in a car accident when I was six.

I had missed her teasing.

Had missed her belief.

I cleared the sogginess from my throat, forced a bright smile, and patted Madison's thigh. "All right, time to get your teeth brushed. We have a big day tomorrow, and Mommy has to be up early to get to work."

Today had been my first day, which had been comprised mostly of introductions and a few meetings to familiarize myself with the staff and my surroundings.

I knew I was going to love it. I'd found the place where I belonged.

Maddie popped onto her feet, and she swung her bunny around in a circle. "Okay, me and my Princess Verona will go brush our teeth so clean they're gonna be shining."

She scrambled down the hall, leaving me sitting there smiling behind her.

"She's so sweet," Lolly murmured. "So much like you when you were little."

"She's my world."

My reason. My purpose. My everything.

And I would never let anyone taint or threaten that again.

Resolved, I climbed to standing and headed down the hall on the right side of the house where there were two bedrooms and one bathroom.

Lolly had taken the largest one at the end of the hall, and Madison's was directly across from the bathroom in the middle.

I eased in behind my daughter where she was standing on a step stool, eagerly brushing her tiny, gapped teeth, Princess Verona propped on the counter beside her.

"All done!" She beamed those gleaming teeth up at me. "What do you think? Do I have 'em shining?"

"You did a great job," I whispered, wiping the bits of toothpaste she had smeared on her cheek with a hand towel.

She grabbed her bunny and shoved it my direction. "Princess Verona, too?"

A soft giggle pulled free as I swept her into my arms, tickled her, and said, "Princess Verona, too."

I carried her into her room, the perfect weight of her in my arms, hers locked around my neck, the scent of her bubblegum toothpaste all around me. I set her on the bed.

Our beds were the only things we'd had time to bring in and set up before the storm had hit, so her walls were still a stark white and the floors were barren.

I tucked her under the covers.

"Story time!" She grinned as she clutched the top of the blanket to her chest with both hands.

I sat beside her and picked up her favorite book, Goodnight Moon, my voice softened as I moved through the story.

My daughter began to get drowsy, lulled by the familiar, comforting words.

When I was finished, I leaned down and kissed her nose. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

She gave a groggy giggle and grabbed me by the cheeks, keeping our noses touching. "Night, Mommy. You better get some big rest so you're not tired at your new job."

My heart swelled.

My sweet, sweet girl.

"I will," I promised before I rose and crossed her room, flicked off her light, and crept back down the hall.

Lolly had already retreated to her room, the light glowing beneath the crack.

I edged toward mine that was on the other side of the house, through double doors on the opposite side of the kitchen.

I'd tried to give the primary to Lolly, but she'd insisted on taking the smaller room.

I stood in the doorway, taking it in. It had the same tile floors as the rest of the house, and the walls were painted a warm beige.

I had to have pulled ten muscles dragging the black fabric headboard in, but somehow, I'd managed, and now it was covered in a plush duvet that was a rich teal and embroidered with black lilies.

Unease wobbled through me, and I knew what had me trapped in that spot didn't have a thing to do with the new room. It was the energy that swallowed me.

This feeling of compulsion.

Drawn to the window that looked out toward the side of the house.

Such a fool to give into it, but there I was, shuffling across the room as if I had a hook in my chest.

My breaths turned shallow as I pulled the drape back an inch to peer out, all covert and sneaky like some kind of creeper.

It was just as I'd suspected.

My window faced a matching one next door, the houses a mirror, though his curtains were open wide. A light burning from within illuminated his bedroom.

I somehow already knew he'd be there—on full display.

Still, a choked, strangled sound worked its way up my throat.

The man was fresh from a shower, everything bare, except for the towel that was wrapped low around his waist.

Hair damp and dark brown, longer than I'd realized, soft waves curling over his ears.

He moved to a dresser across the room, and his chiseled back was to me as he pulled something out.

Ink littered his flesh, though I was too far away to be able to discern any of the words or shapes. But I thought I would have been able to make out every carved, hewn muscle of his enormous body from a mile away.

Desire climbed out from the place where she'd been dormant, tugging at my belly in a way that made me feel sick.

And I wondered if he knew, if he could feel me, too, when he turned and waltzed all kinds of casual across his room, roughing a giant hand through the wet locks of his hair as he came, nonchalant even though each step felt profound.

An earthquake.

As powerful as the storm that continued to pound.

Because I swore, he smirked before he reached out and quickly dragged the curtains shut.

My teeth ground.

Cocky. Freaking. Cowboy.

I forced myself away from the window, climbed under the covers, and pulled them up to my chin. My eyes squeezed closed, and I whispered around the knot of sadness that suddenly pulsed in my chest, "Brooke…what am I supposed to do?"