by Jill Gregory
Could be a part of him had never forgotten.
“C’mon, buddy,” he said as the front door opened and light spilled from the living room of the ranch house, as warm and welcoming as a fire in the hearth. Rafe, at six foot three, two inches taller than Travis but not as powerfully built, ambled out onto the lit-up porch, a welcoming grin on his face.
“There’s your uncle.” Travis put a hand on his son’s shoulder. “We’re home.”
“It’s your home, not mine.” The sadly muttered words from the boy who unsnapped his seat belt and shoved open the Explorer’s door felt like a baseball bat swung hard against his chest.
He reminded himself that bringing Grady around would take some time. Loneliness, anger, sadness…whatever was eating the boy from the inside out couldn’t be undone in an instant.
Neither can betrayal. The thought popped into his head. He’d betrayed Mia all those years ago when they were teenagers—when he was a reckless, stupid kid in a panic over the thought of a lifetime commitment.
That kind of betrayal couldn’t be undone quickly. Who was he kidding? It probably couldn’t be undone at all.
Besides, the girl he’d hurt was all grown up now—and not his responsibility. Hell, when he’d come back from college the following summer and gone to see her, hoping she might give him another chance, she’d frozen him out. Looked at him like he was a chunk of crud on the bottom of her shoe. She was dating Curt Hathaway by then so she hadn’t exactly been languishing after he left her. She’d gotten married to some business whiz sometime after she finished college and though from what he’d heard it hadn’t ended well, she’d clearly moved on.
You can never go back. Only forward. The words that his former partner at the bureau, Joe Grisham, had told him often enough echoed through his ears. After the turmoil of the last few months, including Joe’s sudden, devastating death, Travis sensed Joe was right.
He had his son to focus on now. And his future. There was an idea for a new business circling through his head. It was time to get started on building a new life for himself and Grady.
There’s no going back.
He swung his long legs out of the car, grabbed Grady’s duffel, and followed his son up the steps of Sage Ranch.
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Berkley Sensation Titles by Jill Gregory
SAGE CREEK
LARKSPUR ROAD
BLACKBIRD LAKE