The sound of the door slamming shook her from her state of shock at having Nathan scolded her like a wayward teenager. She’d never seen him angry like that, and she felt as if she’d been slapped. Veronica entered her office and took a seat behind her desk with Nathan’s words still ringing in her ears. Tears began to fall. She placed her hands over her face and sobbed. She felt someone’s arms go around her. She glanced up through blurred vision, sniffled, and wiped at her eyes.
“Tell us what happened, Roni. I hadn’t asked before this because I figured you’d talk about it if you wanted to, but you’ve been hurting so badly. Then I was surprised to hear Nathan yelling at you. He stormed out of here. Never seen him like that—ever,” Patsy said hugging her.
Veronica looked at her and waved for her to take a seat. “Nathan was so angry because he thinks I’m being unfair to Lincoln. He said Lincoln is hurting too, and that I’m at fault here. Lincoln thinks I believed Cameron when he told me Lincoln just wanted to avenge my rejection of him as a teenager and to make me another notch on his bedpost. I have to admit that I had considered the idea when Cameron first brought it up but it’s more than that, Patsy. Lincoln just stood there. He didn’t deny it, he didn’t try to defend himself against the charge, and he’s never told me how he felt about me. He doesn’t love me. I was just another conquest. It might not have been done out of vengefulness, but it wasn’t done with a plan for the future with me either.”
“And you know this for a fact…how? I’ve seen you and Linc together and frankly, I don’t believe that. If his friends think he’s in love with you then he probably is. You need to go talk to him, Roni. Straighten this all out. Linc doesn’t seem like the type of man to lead a woman on, or dish out vengeance,” Patsy told her.
Veronica reached for a tissue and blew her nose. “Why didn’t he say anything the day it happened then? Or since? He had every opportunity to deny what Cameron said but he just stood there, not saying anything. Then when I was out there the other night, he could’ve said something. No, he’s had plenty of chances to tell me how he feels.”
“And just how many chances have you given him to try? Did you even stop to think how you hurt him, especially if he thought you were siding with Cameron and not him? A man likes to think his woman will stand by his side even when he’s wrong.” Patsy winked and nodded.
“I-I…I don’t understand why he never said anything. Nathan said Lincoln has loved me for years. Well, if that’s true…if he has loved me, he should’ve told me.”
“Did you tell him?” Patsy’s voice softened with the question.
Veronica looked at her. She started to argue that she shouldn’t have to, but then shook her head instead. “No. No, I didn’t tell him.”
“Why not?”
“Why not?” Veronica twisted in her chair and back. “I guess I was afraid that if I did, he wouldn’t feel the same way.”
“Well, maybe he was afraid to say it first for the same reason, Veronica. I hear that his mother abandoned him when he was just a little guy. Don’t you think he was afraid to put his heart out there not knowing how you felt about him? Maybe he was afraid you’d hurt him again.”
“He could have just denied what Cameron was saying, Patsy. Why didn’t he?”
“Who knows what really goes on in the male mind? They put on this big tough exterior but sometimes, I think they are just scared little boys. Like I said, he was probably hurt that you’d believe Cameron, and that you didn’t just trust in believing in him.”
Veronica thought about everything Patsy had said, what Nathan had said, and wasn’t sure what to think anymore. Yes, he could have said something the day Cameron showed up but maybe it was like Patsy said, she’d sided immediately with Cameron and she remembered the pain obvious on Lincoln’s face when she’d asked him if he’d wanted revenge. She’d hurt him with her accusations. She’d hurt him with her immediate belief in Cameron’s onslaught to drive them apart. She knew as soon as she left with Cameron that he’d come to win her back…and for what? Money.
You left with Cameron! You insulted Lincoln and left with your former fiancé.
Veronica let out a loud sob, and put her hands over her face, trying to quell the tears. Lincoln had been hurt by her actions that day. She’d thought the worst of him…yet again. She’d abandoned him for another man who had never loved her but only wanted what her parents’ money could get for him. Dear God! She had slapped Lincoln because he hadn’t answered.
“I am such an idiot,” she said and noticed Patsy failed to disagree.
Veronica stood and walked to the window. It was snowing again but she didn’t care. She turned back to her friend. “I have to see him. I have to talk to him. I need to apologize.” She laughed. “Won’t that knock the surprise out of him?”
Patsy glanced out the window past her. “You can’t go out there in this, Roni. The roads are already covered and it’s supposed to snow all day.”
Veronica shook her head. She didn’t care. She was going to Lincoln. She walked out of the room with Patsy following her. When she reached the coat rack, she pulled hers off and put it on. Patsy tried to stop her by telling her it could wait. She suggested calling him instead, but Veronica wasn’t listening.
“Nathan said Lincoln’s hurting and that’s my fault. I don’t know if he’ll forgive me or not, but I have to try. I need to do it in person. I should have known he wasn’t the kind of man to use a woman to satisfy an ego trip but once Cameron said it, my mind wouldn’t let go of it. I love Lincoln. I can’t lose him. I just can’t,” her voice cracked as she spoke.
She hugged Patsy and asked her to look after the place, and headed out into the snow. The streets lay covered with ice and snow, but she was going. Nothing was going to stop her. It might take her the rest of the day to drive the distance to his ranch, but she was going.
She didn’t care how long it took her.
WHAT HAD SHE BEEN THINKING heading out during a snowstorm? She’d been on the road for almost an hour and Lincoln’s ranch was only twenty minutes from town. She drove at a snail’s pace and chewed her lower lip until she thought she’d make it bleed.
What would she do if he wouldn’t talk to her? Good heavens, would he slam the door in her face. She’d deserve it that much was clear. When she finally pulled into his driveway, she groaned when the van’s tires started spinning in the snow. Damn! The driveway hadn’t seen a plow.
This is just great! She had no choice but to leave the van and walk to the house. Please be home, Lincoln. She realized she really should have called as she pushed the door open and stepped out. Thankfully, she’d worn her winter boots.
Veronica trudged through the snow, one slow step at a time. She was getting tired. Why do you have to have such a long driveway? It never seemed this long before. That’s because you drove up it, not walked…in snow!
She finally got to where she could see the house. There were no lights on which surprised her since even though it was early afternoon, it seemed much later because of the gray skies and snow. Shit! Is he out somewhere? She knew she should’ve called first. Well, she knew where the spare key was so if he happened not to be home, she’d wait for him.
As she got closer to the house, she looked to the barn. No lights on there either. His truck was there but no sign of life. There was a low hum coming from somewhere. She trudged through the snow to the shed beside the house to get the spare key. When she opened the door, the sound of the generator filled her ears. The power must have gone out. Didn’t mean he was here though. He might be in the barn, she thought. She was too cold to care this very moment.
Veronica hurried to the back door. She used the key to gain entry and stepped into the kitchen. It was warm enough but she didn’t want to let the warmth out, so she quickly shut the door behind her. Glancing around, she pulled off her wet gloves, hat, and then kicked off her boots. Her feet were freezing. She pulled a chair out from the table, the sound of it scraping across the tile floor filling the si
lent house. She took a seat and rubbed her feet. With the way her luck was going, she’d get frostbite.
Veronica shrugged out of her wet coat, and hung it over the back of the chair. As soon as her feet were warm again, she’d go in search of Lincoln. She wondered where the dogs were. Surely, he wouldn’t leave them outside. Of course, if he was in the barn, he might have them with him.
She hadn’t thought about what she was going to say when she did see him. Should she throw herself on his mercy and grovel? She laughed at her own ridiculousness. He’d just love that wouldn’t he? Her begging him for forgiveness…well, that was what she’d do if it were the only way to win him back.
A sudden squeak of a floorboard caught her attention. Maybe he was upstairs. She pulled herself from the chair, tested her toes to make sure they worked and started for the hallway. Just as she reached the doorway, she squealed. She was staring down the barrel of a hunting rifle.
“Roni? What the hell are you doing? I could’ve blown your head off,” Lincoln growled at her before lowering the weapon.
While she waited for her heart to start beating again, she leaned against the doorframe. “I want to talk to you.”
Lincoln huffed and walked into the living room. She followed behind him. There was a roaring fire in the hearth, and the room was cozy warm. She watched him set the rifle down and take a seat in the recliner.
“I don’t think we have much to talk about, do we? And what are you doing out in this kind of weather? How’d you get here?”
Veronica took a deep breath. “Never mind that.”
She took a seat on the edge of the couch, clasping her hands together on her lap to keep them from trembling with nerves. “Lincoln, please. If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine but I have some things I need to say to you.”
He got up and poked at the fire. When he turned to face her, she noticed he’d lost weight, and he looked tired. Nathan was right, they both looked like shit, and it was her fault.
“Maybe I don’t want to hear whatever it is you have to say.”
Damn stubborn man! Veronica inhaled to ease the frustration she was feeling. “Well, unless you want to put your fingers in your ears and la la la, I’m saying what I came out here to say, Lincoln Cole.”
He returned to his seat in the recliner. He didn’t look at her, and frankly, she was glad. She was nervous enough, having him stare at her might keep from her speaking at all.
“Well, I’m listening so say what you’re going to say. You might get home before dark, if you leave soon.”
Tears stung Veronica’s eyes at the coldness in his voice. She took a deep breath and exhaled. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. Cameron knew what he was doing. He knew how insecure I can be and planted an idea in my head that must have been hiding there all along. After all, we’d never really talked about the future. You hadn’t given me any reason to think it was anything more than a fling. But I shouldn’t have listened. I should’ve stood with you, listened to my instincts, and my heart. I didn’t though. I listened to my insecurities and him. He was the one who was vengeful. He wanted me back so my parents would bankroll his new practice, and knew he could sully you in my eyes. What he hadn’t counted on was that I already had his number, and wanted nothing more to do with him.”
She paused and tried to read his body language. He wasn’t looking at her so she couldn’t read his face. He hadn’t ordered her out so she hoped he was listening. “I know I hurt you, Lincoln…again. What I said to you that night I came out to see about the horse, it was cruel. I thought you had used me just for sex…to prove you could. Just another notch on your bedpost, only one it took a decade to get and I wanted you to hurt as much as I was hurting.” She watched him rub his hand over his unshaven jaw. Was he thinking what a fool she was? She hoped not.
“The truth of it is that even if you did, I don’t regret being with you for even a second, because my time with you was amazing and wonderful. If I never have another moment with you again, the rest of my life…well, I wouldn’t be happy, but I would cherish the memories because…” She took a deep breath, swallowed hard past the lump forming in her throat as tears filled her eyes. She looked up and he was watching her. “Because I love you, Lincoln Cole, and if I could take back all the hurt I’ve caused you…”
Lincoln was standing now. He was breathing hard from the way his chest was rising and falling beneath his flannel shirt. Was he angry? She swallowed hard as he stepped forward. She stood and waited. Her heart pounded in her chest, and tears slid down her cheeks.
“I thought you’d gone back to Cameron. When you turned on me, I thought you’d simply tired of me, and used him as an excuse to end things. You left with him. When you stayed in town, I started to believe you actually thought me so callous as to want to sleep with you just to prove a point.”
Veronica looked at him. “I’m so sorry I even entertained such a ridiculous idea. As for Cameron, I just made sure he got to the hospital. I don’t think I ever was in love with Cameron, that’s why it was so easy to break up with him. You’re the only man I’ve ever been in love with,” she said wiping tears from her cheek and sniffling.
Lincoln stepped close, and with both hands cupped her cheeks wiping away tears with his thumbs. “You love me?”
She nodded and looked into sad blue eyes. She wondered what he was thinking and feared asking. She heard him blow out a breath when he glanced away.
“It hurt me, Roni, having you turn on me that way then thinking you thought I would use you for sex. I fell in love with you ten years ago. I never thought about getting back at you or wanting to bed you as a trophy. It about killed me to even have you think that about me. After all the time we spent together. Hell, I even talked about my dad with you. I never talk about him with anyone—only you. And we did talk about the future. We talked about living together.”
She nodded, remembering the conversation she’d forgotten. “I didn’t think you were serious about that.”
He took a deep breath and still didn’t look at her. “I was very serious. My mistake was thinking you knew how I felt about you without me telling you. You’re right about that day…when Cameron starting spouting all that bullshit, I should’ve spoken up. I should have announced to you, and to him, that I was in love with you. I was a coward. I was afraid to give you my heart for fear you would take it, rip it to shreds, and leave me. The thing is, when I thought I’d lost you, I realized I’d already given you my heart. Then I let my foolish pride get in the way because I thought you didn’t love me.”
She reached up and caressed his cheek. It was damp. She turned his head so he was looking at her, and there were tears on his cheeks and in his eyes. Her heart ached for him. She had caused him such pain. “Do you still love me?”
Lincoln nodded. “I’ve never stopped. I need to know you’ll never doubt it again.”
Veronica pressed her mouth to his, kissing him. His hands slid around her middle and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Suddenly, his arms tightened around her pulling her in close as if he wanted to draw her into him.
She pulled her mouth away. “Lincoln, I love you so much, and I’ve been truly foolish and even more stubborn than you. Please say you forgive me.”
“Of course, I do, darlin’. Forgive me for not telling you sooner how much I love you. I promise you, Veronica Bailey, I’ll never let a day go by that you don’t know just how much I do love you.”
Veronica looked up at him, and smiled, happy for the first time in so long. “I’ll hold you to that. Now we can get married.”
Lincoln jerked back in surprise. “Whoa! Married? Who the hell said anything about getting married?”
Veronica laughed and kissed him again. “Oh, you’re going to marry me, Lincoln Cole. I have to make an honest man out of you.”
Lincoln burst out laughing then kissed her. “Well, since you put it that way. You know it’s really cold, baby. I think we both need some warming up.”
Veronica di
dn’t argue when he picked her up and carried her upstairs.
Epilogue
JUNE WAS BEAUTIFUL and a perfect time for a perfect wedding.
Veronica stood before a full-length mirror in her wedding gown, applying some finishing touches to her makeup when Patsy, Carrie, Emily, Kendra, and Isabella all entered the room in a flourish of chatter, smiles, and beautiful dresses. Their gowns were a light purple and their bouquets made with purple carnations mixed with ivy and baby’s breath.
They all made a fuss over how beautiful she looked, and she enjoyed it.
“Oh, Roni, you’re a beautiful bride.” Patsy wiped tears away.
Veronica smiled. “I’m getting married today. I can’t wait to be Mrs. Lincoln Cole.”
Patsy laughed. “I’m so happy for you two.”
Veronica hugged her. “As for you, missy, you seriously need to go after that Agent Turner.”
“Oh, please. Do not start on that again.”
“Ha, I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed the heat between those two,” Isabella remarked as she fussed with Veronica’s dress. Patsy snorted and glared at her best friend.
“He’s one good looking FBI agent, and even you can’t deny that.” Veronica winked at Patsy.
“I’m not denying it. I just don’t want anything to do with him.” Patsy sniffed.
“Liar,” Veronica and Isabella said in unison, and then they all laughed.
“Don’t get Pats started on Micah. She tries to convince me all the time how much she hates the man. I think she’s trying to talk herself out of him,” Isabella said with a big grin.
“I didn’t say I hated him. I just said I wasn’t interested in him.”
All of them laughed. Patsy stuck her tongue out at Isabella, but then laughed with her.
Lincoln Bad Boys of Dry River, Wyoming Book 4 Page 15