DANA DIDN’T WANT TO answer her front door, but the person knocking didn’t seem to be in the mood to walk away. She crossed the small living room and undid the lock.
“Finally,” Lexi said, walking inside. “Do you have any idea how swollen my ankles are? A woman of my size should not be standing for so long. There are-” She took one look at Dana’s face, then dropped her purse to the floor and held out her arms. “I’m sorry.”
Dana brushed away tears, then stepped into her friend’s embrace. “You don’t know what’s wrong.”
“I haven’t seen you cry in about fifteen years, so I know it’s big.”
“I’m fine. Or I will be.”
“You’re not very convincing. I take it this is about Garth?”
“I told him I loved him.” Dana stifled a sob. She’d been one massive emotional bleed for nearly two days now and it was getting old. “I told him I loved him and then I walked away. And he let me.”
“That bastard.” Lexi took her arm and they walked over to the sofa. “When did this happen?”
“After we rescued Kathy.”
“You didn’t call me.”
“I hurt too much.”
Lexi took her hand. “I’m sorry you’re hurting, but I don’t understand how this happened. Garth cares about you. Why would he let you just walk away?”
Dana shook her head. She was willing to be a fool for love, but she drew the line at being played for one. “He doesn’t love me, Lexi. I know he doesn’t and you know it, too.”
“But how…Oh.” Lexi’s blue eyes darkened. “You were there? I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, I don’t think he meant it.”
“I think he did.” Dana drew in a breath. “It’s okay, or it will be. I did it. I fell in love. I gave my heart to someone. That’s good, right? I’m growing as a person. Right now it feels like someone is ripping my chest apart, but that will get better.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Lexi admitted.
“Another first.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. Isn’t that the craziest thing ever? I’m not sorry. Loving him was the best.”
“What happens now?”
“I go back to my regularly scheduled life. I heal. I continue to be a ray of sunshine in my friends’ lives.”
“Maybe he’ll-”
Dana shook her head. “Don’t. Don’t pretend he could come back. Hoping would take the last ounce of strength I have. It’s over. I’ve accepted that. Hoping would be too hard.”
“THE THREE OF YOU are the most annoying women on the planet,” Garth said, ready to start punching the wall. He’d never understood why a man would want to do that. At least he hadn’t before. He got it now.
“It’s a gift,” Izzy said serenely, from her place on the chair next to the sofa where Lexi reclined, her hand on her huge belly.
“Poor Garth,” Skye said, from the other chair. “Do you have a blood pressure problem? Should we be worried?”
“I didn’t have one before today,” he said, unclenching his teeth.
They were in Lexi’s living room. He’d brought along a list of Titan assets with the foolish hope they would be able to easily divide them. There was plenty to go around. But would his sisters talk rationally about any of it? Of course not. They’d shifted the conversation every time he’d tried to steer it toward stocks, the racehorses or the house.
Defeated, he tossed down the papers he held and dropped his head to his hands. “I give up,” he said. “You win. What do you want?”
“Magic words,” Izzy said with a sigh.
“They are pretty,” Skye agreed.
“Not pretty enough.” Lexi groaned and shifted into a sitting position. “We want to talk about Dana.”
His head snapped up. Every sense went on high alert. “Why?” he asked warily.
“She moved out,” Skye told him.
“I know that. She said she wanted to go and she did.” He hadn’t liked her leaving, but she was an adult. He couldn’t force her to stay.
“That’s it?” Izzy demanded. “You don’t have anything more to say?”
“I miss her?”
Izzy rolled her eyes.
“She’s in love with you,” Skye said quietly. “Do you know that, too?”
“She told me.”
They all stared at him.
“And?” Lexi prompted.
“She probably doesn’t mean it.”
It was a weak response, he knew that. But it was the best he could come up with.
“Men are so stupid,” Izzy grumbled. “Dana tells you she loves you and all you can come up with is she probably doesn’t mean it? What if she does? What if she totally loves you and believes you’re the one?”
His first thought was that his luck wasn’t that good. His second was that she would expect him to love her back and that wasn’t going to happen. “She doesn’t.”
Lexi glared at him. “Are you serious? Come on, Garth. Give us something to work with here.”
“This isn’t your problem.”
“It is because we care about you both,” Skye said. “Dana is our best friend and you’re our brother. Let’s walk through this together. She said she loved you and you said what?”
“Nothing.”
All three of them stared at him.
“Nothing as in…” Izzy said.
“Nothing,” he repeated. “She told me not to say anything.”
“And you chose that moment to listen?” Izzy’s voice was a shriek.
Lexi’s annoyance turned to speculation. “You were totally freaked out,” she said slowly.
“That’s not how I would describe it.”
“But you were. You don’t want her to love you. After all, you stood in my office and said you weren’t in love with her. I believe your exact words were ‘I don’t love Dana. I don’t do love. Ever.’”
The sisters all exchanged a look. He knew exactly what they were thinking, but they were wrong.
“She wasn’t there,” he said.
“Yes, she was,” Lexi told him. “She heard it all.”
He swore silently. No way. He wouldn’t have wanted that. Wouldn’t have said anything if he’d known. “Are you sure?”
Lexi nodded.
“Talk about sucky timing,” Izzy said. She pointed at Garth. “This is all your fault.”
“Why? What did I do?”
“You hurt Dana.”
“I never asked her to care about me,” he said without thinking.
“There’s a defense,” Lexi snapped. “Dammit, Garth.”
He stood. “No way. I’m not the bad guy here. I was minding my own business.”
“You were coming after us,” Skye reminded him.
“When out of nowhere, Dana appeared.”
“You hurt us,” Lexi said. “She was protecting us. Man, you so don’t deserve her.”
He agreed with that.
He hated that he’d hurt Dana. She didn’t deserve that. She was…he didn’t know what. Special for sure. But love? He wasn’t the kind to fall in love. Out loud, he only said, “I don’t believe in love.”
Lexi nodded as if she thought that was perfectly understandable. “Yes, but the question is, do you believe in Dana?”
Garth was quiet. “What?” Izzy demanded. “What are you thinking?”
“Shh,” Skye said. “Let him be. He’s a guy. This isn’t easy.”
He ignored that and them.
He’d always told himself he didn’t want to fall in love. That love was all risk and no benefit. He’d won-he had it all. And without Dana, what was it worth?
He wanted to be with her, to share his life with her. He wanted to make her laugh, make her happy. He wanted her crabbiness and her humor, her stubborn determination and her tender heart.
“What the hell have I done?”
“Finally,” Lexi said, and collapsed back on the sofa. “I’m exhausted.”
Izzy tilted her head. “I could almost hear the rusty gears grinding in place. I wonder if Nick went through the same kind of thing. I’ll have to ask him.”
“There’s a conversation designed to make him feel good,” Skye murmured.
“What do I do?” Garth asked. “How do I fix this?”
“Not our problem,” Lexi told him. She picked up the list he’d brought. “Back to dividing up the assets you bought. There are a few personal things I want from the house. A desk in the east guest room. One set of china.”
“The one with the blue flowers?” Skye asked. “You always liked that pattern.”
“That’s the one.”
“There’s a great set of flatware that goes with it, and you should take some of the crystal.”
“Okay.”
“I want the racehorses,” Izzy said. “When they retire, they can come live on the ranch. Rita will be thrilled.” She turned to Garth. “Rita runs the stable.”
“I don’t care about who gets what,” he said, frustrated again. “You have to help me.”
“A, we don’t have to do anything,” Skye said, grinning. “B, you called this meeting to divide up assets. I’ll take a few thousand shares of Titan World for Erin. I know you’re going to sell off the company, so they’ll be converted into something else, but that’s fine. Mitch should get the cattle. I’m with Lexi on wanting a china set. Which leaves the house.”
They weren’t listening and he had a feeling it was on purpose.
“I’m thinking Garth,” Izzy said.
“You should have it,” Lexi told him. “You earned it.”
“Plus we can have Christmas Day there,” Skye said.
Wait a minute. “You said you were having Christmas at Cruz and Lexi’s place.”
“We changed our minds,” Izzy told him. “Just as an FYI, you need a really big tree. I know where all the ornaments are, if that will help.”
“It won’t.”
“I have the name of several caterers,” Skye added. “I’m guessing you won’t want to cook.”
“We are not having Christmas at Glory’s Gate.”
“Of course we are,” Lexi said. “Trust me. You’ll love it.”
He dropped his head to his hands again. “You’re killing me.”
“Then our work here is complete.”
GARTH EASED HIS CAR up the long driveway.
“Where are we going?” Kathy asked anxiously from the passenger seat.
“It’s a surprise.”
The look she gave him told him that in her world a surprise wasn’t a good thing. Something else Jed had done to her, he thought grimly.
“I have something I want to show you,” he amended. Kathy didn’t look reassured. He reached out and patted her arm. “It’s right there.”
He pointed to Glory’s Gate.
The large house stood silhouetted against the blue Texas sky. It seemed larger than usual, with windows staring down like eyes and a white fence that rolled to the horizon.
“Who lives here?” Kathy asked as the car came to a stop.
“No one, right now. I want to show you the house.”
It was something he’d been planning since he was fourteen and Jed had thrown him out of his office, he thought as he parked the car, then came around to the passenger’s side and opened the door.
Kathy got out slowly, cautiously. He held out his hand and helped her out of his car. She stared up at the house.
“It’s big.”
“Yes, it is,” he told her. “And very pretty inside.”
She didn’t look convinced.
“Jed used to live here,” he said.
That got her attention. She smiled. “I know Jed.” The smile faded. “He’s very sad. He cried. But he’ll be better soon.”
Nothing Garth was hoping for.
“Is he here now?” she asked.
“No.”
Jed was in jail. The judge had seized his passport and revoked bail. The list of charges grew every day. More people were coming forward with information to help the prosecution. It seemed that everyone Jed had ever screwed wanted payback.
“I knew him,” Kathy said slowly. “A long time ago.” She screwed up her face, as if trying to remember something, then shook her head.
Garth nodded, then released her hands. “Come see the house.”
She followed him up the stairs, then through the wide front door. He’d been by earlier, to make sure the place was clean and there were fresh flowers. Now he led her from the entryway to the living room. He started toward the kitchen, but she came to a stop and shook her head.
“I don’t like it,” she whispered.
“It’s my house, Kathy. I bought it for you.”
She shook her head again. “No. It’s too big.” Tears filled her eyes. “I want to go home. Please take me home.”
Anger filled him, quickly followed by helplessness. Why couldn’t she see he’d done this for her? He wanted her to have everything…
And then he knew. In one of those blinding flashes of insight that were never comfortable, he got it.
All these years and all the effort that had gone into winning, into beating Jed into the ground, had one purpose. He’d always believed that if he could defeat the man who had let this happen to her, if he could just hand her Glory’s Gate, then she would be healed. He’d allowed himself to think that simply stepping through the doors and knowing this was her home would be enough. That the magic of victory would replace the damaged cells in her brain.
He’d been wrong.
“Garth?” she whispered.
He crossed to her and put his arm around her shoulders. “It’s all right,” he whispered. “I’ll take you home now.”
“Do I have to come back here again?”
“Not if you don’t want to.”
GARTH RETURNED AT SUNSET. It had been the kind of day moviemakers dream about. Clear and bright with a brilliant sun. He stood in the middle of the house, where his mother had stood. He stared at the walls.
How many generations of Titans had lived here and died here? How many lives had been altered? What secrets existed that he would never know? Glory’s Gate. After all this time and all the effort, it was just a house. Nothing more. He’d been the one giving it power it had never earned.
Kathy was back in her house, with her caretakers and her pet store. She was happy again, if still fighting the demons Jed had unleashed. The psychologists said it would take time. The one thing they all had.
He heard a car outside and crossed to the front porch. Dana parked her truck next to his BMW. The contrast made him smile, as did seeing her climb out.
She wore jeans and boots, a long-sleeved T-shirt. He couldn’t tell from this distance, but he would bet she wasn’t wearing any makeup. Which was just like her. Her gaze met his, then she started toward the house.
“You texted,” she said when she was halfway up the stairs.
He’d sent her a message earlier, asking her to meet him here. He hadn’t been sure she would show up, but he’d hoped.
He didn’t know why he hadn’t seen it before. He’d spent his whole life chasing justice, never realizing it couldn’t replace what had been lost. He’d been searching for the wrong thing. He should have been looking for love and connection. But until today, he didn’t think he would recognize love if it came up and bit him on the ass. He was hoping to change that.
Dana slowly crossed the porch. She didn’t know what to think, what to expect. Garth’s half smile was a little scary.
But seeing him was good. He was as tall and handsome as she remembered. He was the kind of man who made women look twice. The kind she never would have looked at even once, mostly out of fear. Now she stared hungrily, taking in all of him. Being without him had been harder than she would have thought. More painful. Being around him made everything easier…better.
She didn’t know why he’d gotten in touch with her. In a few minutes she would ask, but for now it was enough to be close. Which made her one sick puppy, but it was a weakness she could live with. She wanted to hope, but she knew better. His text message could mean anything. It wasn’t as if he’d sent her a message saying “meet me at Glory’s Gate. I can’t live without you.” Life wasn’t that tidy.
“I’m here,” she said when she reached the front door.
“Thanks for coming. Tell me what you think of the house.”
She looked at the place where she’d spent so much time growing up. “It’s big and I’m sure it’s a bitch to heat in the winter.”
He led the way inside. She followed.
“I brought Kathy here,” he told her. “I thought being here would fix her.”
Pain sliced through her. “It didn’t. I’m sorry.”
“I’ve spent most of my life fighting ghosts,” he said, staring at the large rooms around them. “I told myself if I won, if I could defeat Jed, then things would go back to the way they were before. I didn’t even know that’s what I believed until I brought her here. But she doesn’t want this. The house only scared her. It’s been a hell of a day.”
“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “Is she okay now?”
He looked at her. “Yes. I took her home.”
“I know it’s hard, but in the end, you got everything you wanted.”
“Did I? I’m not so sure.”
He stared into her eyes. She looked back, wanting to protect herself, but knowing there wasn’t much point. She loved him and she’d already told him. There weren’t any more secrets between them.
Then he smiled at her. “Damn, but I wasn’t expecting you.”
“You asked me to come.”
“That’s not what I meant. I wasn’t expecting you to invade my life, my bed, my house, my soul. I’m doing this wrong, aren’t I?”
As she didn’t know what he was doing, she couldn’t answer. Hope returned and even though she tried to squash it, she couldn’t.
Then he did the most amazing thing…in the history of the universe. He dropped to one knee, took her hand in his and said, “Dana Birch, I love you. I’m sorry I didn’t get it before. I never thought I would love anyone. I didn’t believe in love. You’re amazing and I’m so lucky to have found you. I love you. Marry me, please. Marry me.”
The unexpected words stunned her. She couldn’t breathe. Then, to her amazement and horror, she started to cry.
“Of all the times to turn into a girl,” she muttered as he stood and pulled her close.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not. It’s humiliating.”
But it was hard to feel anything but good when his strong arms hugged her tight against him.
He kissed her, his mouth warm and sure.
“I love you,” he whispered against her lips. “I love you.”
Words she would never get tired of hearing.
“But I thought…” she began.
He drew back and stared into her eyes. “I panicked.”
“You know I heard you?”
“Yes. Please forgive me. I’ll do anything.”
The kind of apology she liked best, she thought with a smile. “Maybe,” she said. “Over time. If you convince me.”
“Absolutely.”
He kissed her again and she felt the familiar melting begin inside.
“You haven’t said yes,” he said. “Are you going to marry me and live with me here?”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’ll marry you, but we’re not living here. This house is from another time. I want us to plan our future. We’ll find a new place in the suburbs.”
“Seriously?” He sounded worried. “The suburbs?”
“Uh-huh. You can cut the lawn on weekends.”
“Can I get a rider mower?”
“If it makes you happy.”
“You make me happy.” He pulled a diamond ring out of his pocket and slid it onto her left ring finger. “I bought this, in case you were wondering. I have a receipt.”
She laughed, then caught her breath. The diamond sparkled on her finger. She never would have thought of herself as a diamond kind of girl, but she totally got the appeal.
He pulled her close again. “I need you, Dana.”
“Not as much as I need you.”
Then his mouth was on hers and absolutely everything was exactly how it was supposed to be.