* * *
SAVANNAH STUFFED EVERYTHING within reach into her briefcase. At the last minute, she remembered to leave out the revised report for Sadie. Her hands were still shaking, but thankfully Rachel had packed up her computer for her.
Mike had also offered to help, but Sadie convinced him to go get some fresh air and cool off. Apparently, she’d never seem him so angry.
It was Savannah’s fault. She’d told herself coming here was strictly about closure, but that wasn’t true. A big part of her had wanted to prove something to this town...say, hey, look at me, aren’t I awesome? What a joke. She looked like a fool. What she regretted most, though, was pitting Mike against his neighbors.
Trying to sound as professional as possible, she said, “Tell you what, Mayor, let’s give everyone some time to calm down, say about a week, then I’ll send Nina to finish the presentation. How does that sound?”
Sadie snorted a laugh.
“It’s only fair.” She owed it to them for her colossal lapse in judgment.
“You’re a better woman than me, Savannah.” Sadie patted her arm. “You’ve done more than enough. Going over to Twin Creeks and Greensville and all... I know this will be hard to believe, but most of these folks understand and appreciate what you’ve done. It’s always the loudmouthed idiots that ruin things for the rest of us.”
“It’s fine,” Savannah said, trying to hide a surge of relief. “I hope you can forgive me for dropping that bomb. I thought it would help if they knew I do understand life here.” She sighed. “Which I obviously don’t, given what happened.”
“You hush. There’s nothing to forgive.” Sadie sandwiched Savannah’s cold hand between her warm palms. “I remember you now, and you’ve got every right to be damn proud of yourself. Does my heart good to see how far you’ve come. And I’ll tell you something else,” she said, leaning closer. “I thoroughly enjoyed that lecture Mike gave those old coots.”
“Amen,” Rachel said.
The mayor frowned at her. “I was whispering for a reason.”
“Better learn to do it softer, then.”
Sadie chuckled. “Rachel lays into them every town meeting. They’ve come to expect it. But I’ve never seen Mike get so riled. He’s the most easygoing man I know. Normally, he tends to keep to himself. But I guarantee he’s made a lot of people think today, about more than just this.” She glanced toward the door. “Let’s hope it sticks. He’s waiting for you just outside. Poked his head in twice now.”
Savannah drew in a deep breath and nodded, not sure she was ready to face him. If only she’d listened to his warning. But, no. In the end, her ego had won. “Thanks,” she said, looking from Sadie to Rachel. “Both of you. For everything.”
Rachel came around the table and hugged her. “I still can’t believe I didn’t recognize you,” she said, leaning back then squeezing Savannah’s arms before releasing her. “I’m glad you have Mike. You’re in good hands.”
“He’s just—we’re not—” Savannah gave up. Why repeat herself? Why postpone the inevitable? She saw Mike peek in again, just as her phone rang.
Porter’s ringtone.
Savannah winced.
“Go ahead and answer, we’ll give you some privacy.” Sadie looped an arm through Rachel’s and steered her toward the door. “Take your time and don’t worry about locking up. I’ll see to it later. And call if you need anything.”
Savannah had no intention of answering the call now, but she smiled her gratitude, anxious for them to leave so she could be alone. Even for just a minute.
Chapter Twenty
Mike must’ve thought she was on the phone because it took him a while to duck inside. “All clear?” His warm, familiar smile lightened her heart. Not that she deserved it.
Nodding, she managed to return the smile as she picked up her briefcase and laptop. They both felt so much heavier than they had earlier.
“Here.” He hurried over to her and took the laptop case.
She held on to her briefcase when he tried to grab it as well, for no other reason than he’d done too much for her already. Another layer of guilt would crush her. God, she didn’t even know where to begin.
“I moved the truck closer.” He held the door then turned off the lights. “We’re going to the motel, right?”
“You shouldn’t be neglecting the ranch for me.” As she stepped onto the sidewalk, she slipped on her sunglasses and checked both sides.
A group of chatty women was leaving the diner halfway down the next block while a pair of older men were busy inspecting their fishing poles outside Abe’s Variety.
“I pretty much chased everyone home,” Mike said with a short laugh.
Her mouth was dry. She couldn’t swallow. It was so like him to try to make her feel better, which only made her feel worse. Mike was the last person on earth she’d ever wanted to hurt.
“I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am,” she whispered, holding back tears. Although, why worry about being professional now?
“Savannah?”
She turned and only then realized that he’d stopped. She’d almost walked right by his truck.
He held the passenger door open for her, and she climbed in.
The second he was behind the wheel, he took one of her hands in his. “Listen, you have nothing to apologize for. You didn’t do anything wrong. Hell, the only reason I regret getting steamed is because I had a lot more to say but I let my temper get in the way.”
“Mike, I appreciate you trying to protect me but—” Her voice broke.
Oh, God.
She pulled her hand away and held it up, pleading for silence while she collected herself.
It was true. Mike had tried to protect her from the very beginning and when she’d ignored his warning, he’d defended her anyway. Savannah couldn’t think of a single person who’d ever put themselves on the line trying to protect her. Not even her own mother. Certainly not her father. No one.
Except Mike.
And the gut-wrenching knowledge of how she’d repaid his kindness was the thing that was going to do her in. Humiliation rose in her like a wave, pressing on her lungs and throat. He’d be the hot topic for weeks. Eventually the gossip would turn elsewhere, but that didn’t mean resentment toward him wouldn’t linger.
“Savannah.” He reclaimed her hand, warming it between his work-roughened palms. “No one is blaming you for what happened today,” he said, his eyes dark pools of concern. “Well, except maybe you.” He smiled with a brief flicker of humor. “By the way, your text made my day.”
Confused, she frowned. “My text?”
“A week’s vacation?”
Savannah was speechless. Surely he didn’t think she could stay now. After what had happened?
“I hope you’ve given some thought to staying at the ranch with me. There’s an extra room, if that’s what you want. You can unwind, go to the creek, watch the sunrise and sunset every day. Just chill. Or I can put you to work.” He smiled again, his thumb idly rubbing the back of her hand. “You wouldn’t have to see anyone, other than Chip, and not even him if you don’t want to.”
She shook her head, astonished that she could be the least bit tempted. “How could you want to have anything to do with me after what I did?”
His thumb stilled. “Come on, Savannah. I know you’re smarting right now, but once you’ve settled and you’re more clearheaded, I promise you’ll see that none of it was your fault.”
Oh, she didn’t doubt he believed that, but he was wrong. “Did you know Thelma was going to be there?”
His hurt expression took her to a new level of shame.
“Of course you didn’t. Please, just ignore me...” She looked away. “Can we go to the motel now?”
Mike started the truck and they drove in silence.
Savannah’s br
ain was far from quiet, though. She had no idea what to say. If the drive wasn’t so brief she might’ve checked for a flight out this evening. But no, she really wasn’t that big of a coward.
Perhaps her last thoughtless, hurtful remark had taken care of the problem. He probably couldn’t wait to get rid of her.
He parked in a spot close to the entrance, opened his door and hesitated. “Are you already packed?”
“Pretty much.”
“Okay to come up with you now, or should I give you a few minutes?”
“Come on up.” She hadn’t figured out how to tell him, with any grace at all, that she was leaving as soon as possible. At least in the room, they’d be assured of privacy and if she cried, it wouldn’t matter. Her embarrassment had already reached a level she could barely stand.
As soon as he shut the door behind them, Mike pulled her into his arms. The hug was like being given a lifeline, a safe harbor. The tighter he held her, the more she trembled.
“I’ve been wanting to do this all afternoon,” he whispered, his warm breath on her neck so soothing. So undeserved. “I can’t wait to steal you away. Get us out of town, back to the quiet of the ranch. You can watch all the movies you want or crawl into bed, where I’ll bring you tea and éclairs—”
She stopped him with her lips. A sweet kiss, meant to be a thank-you, an apology, a wish that things could be different. Mike turned it into something else entirely. It wasn’t hard to read. He wanted her to stay. He was sorry for what had happened. He wished he could change the past and probably the future.
Just as she was about to pull back, to tell him her plans, her cell phone rang. It wasn’t Porter’s tone. But it was work. Most likely Ron, who she had forgotten about.
“I have to take that,” she said. “It’s—”
“Work. I know.” He let his arms drop. Her hand lingered on his forearm until she had to grab the call before it went to voice mail.
“Hello?”
“Where the hell have you been?” Ron sounded frantic. “I’ve been trying to get you all day.”
“I’m sorry. The presentation went in a direction I hadn’t anticipated.”
“Next time I tell you it’s urgent, try to get back to me sooner rather than later.”
“What happened?” Her gaze shot to Mike, who nodded toward the door with a questioning look. Savannah shook her head but turned slightly away so she could concentrate.
“You’re not going to like it.”
Her stomach tightened. “Just tell me.”
“Look, this isn’t easy for me to admit.” Ron cleared his throat. “Porter and I go way back. Way back, and he was really surprised that after two years you decided to go back in the field. So he asked me to go along with you.”
“Wait. You were spying—”
“I wouldn’t put it—” Ron sighed. “Basically, yes.”
She huffed and when she breathed in again, it stoked the anger coiling in her belly. “Unbelievable!”
“You’re pissed. I get it. I would be, too. But I’m taking a big risk here. I know you can mess me up with Porter and get me fired. Obviously, I hope you don’t. In any case, I was supposed to stick with you, but I hated that he’d even asked me, so I took off. Then you decided to take vacation and Porter freaked out.
“Look, I’m sorry I went along with it. You work hard and you’ve always been straight with me. Throw me under the bus if you want, but I figured I owed you. And hell, I should have flat out told Porter no.”
She sat with this new information for a minute, her thoughts bouncing all over the place. “Does anyone else in the office know about me and Porter?”
“I don’t think so.” He cleared his throat, and she braced herself for the next awful thing. “I hope you’re not going to keep seeing him.”
Savannah let out a short, incredulous laugh.
“Oh, hell, I’m probably going to get fired anyway. I really do like you, Savannah, and I mean this as a friend. But you’re not the only one.”
She didn’t understand. At first. “Oh, God.”
“I’m sorry, and this won’t be any easier to hear, but he’s never going to leave his wife. Like I said, Porter and I are old friends, but... Hell, you’re too good for him.”
Her thumb hit the disconnect button before she could utter another word.
Stricken with a brand-new wave of humiliation and shame, she turned to find Mike. But he wasn’t in the room. Then she noticed the bathroom door was closed when it hadn’t been earlier.
What she didn’t know was how much he’d heard. Probably enough that he wouldn’t have a single complaint about her leaving as soon as possible. In fact, she connected to the airline and booked an evening flight.
The moment she hung up, Mike exited the bathroom. From the look on his face, she knew he’d gotten an earful. Before she told him face-to-face that she was leaving, she wanted to tell him she was sorry, but the words stuck in her throat.
* * *
MIKE HAD KNOWN the moment he’d lost her. It wasn’t this afternoon at the presentation, although that alone must’ve made her want to bolt. Having finally gotten closure at the cabin, Savannah had been dragged straight into the dirt of public shame.
But it was the phone call. The news, whatever it had been, about Porter.
It made so damn much sense that she’d need to go back to Denver, to someone like her boss. Someone who validated her, who made her feel special. And who didn’t know all her secrets. It hardly mattered that she didn’t have feelings for the man. Porter was rich, important, powerful and he wanted Savannah. That made her a hot ticket in everyone’s eyes. Mike didn’t even blame her. It all made sense, in a sad way.
“Mike,” Savannah said, her voice tight, her eyes telling him what he already knew. “I’m sorry. That was about work, and my career is in a pretty precarious place at the moment. I won’t be able to stay the week, although it was a wonderful idea that I would’ve loved. But things have gotten more complicated.”
Just like the presentation that had gone in a direction she hadn’t anticipated. He supposed both things were true. She hadn’t counted on connecting with someone who remembered her. Who she’d bared her soul to. That her position was precarious wasn’t even a lie. At least, he didn’t think so. “That’s...disappointing.”
Which wasn’t a lie either.
He’d known she wasn’t the woman he needed. The wife he needed. In one respect, she was a lot like Ellen. He didn’t know why he hadn’t made the connection before, but for the same reason Ellen couldn’t have been satisfied with being a ranch wife, he doubted Savannah could either. She needed a man who made her feel like somebody.
“I’m sorry it couldn’t have worked out,” she said, stepping closer to him. “You’ve been so amazing, showing me nothing but kindness. And frankly—” Her voice broke. “I’ll never forget you. Not ever.”
Despite what his brain said, his heart jumped hard and he pulled her into his arms. “Stay, Savannah. Just another day.”
She sagged against him, burying her face against his neck.
“Give yourself some space and time,” he murmured against her hair. Her body was soft and warm and seeking comfort that he was more than willing to give. Even if that meant just holding her all night.
Her breathy sigh teased the skin exposed by his shirt. “I can’t.” She drew back, and he let her go. A sad smile touched her lips. “I’ll miss you.”
“Me too.” His voice sounded hoarse. “What time is your flight?”
Her face paled. “Please understand.” She moved back a step. “I’m going to ask Sadie to take me.”
Mike hadn’t even seen that blow coming.
Chapter Twenty-One
Savannah had been in Denver for two days, but she was still exhausted. She sat in her windowless office, staring at the photograph of a suns
et she’d just hung on her wall. The photographer had captured the sun just as it had seemingly burst into red flames over a range of jagged mountain peaks. It was a beautiful work of art. But it didn’t grab her like the sunsets she and Mike had watched together.
With a sigh, she leaned back in her chair. Clearly, being with Mike had had a lot to do with it. Everything had been more enjoyable with him. Simple things like taking a drive or stopping for a cup of coffee. He made her feel comfortable and more herself.
Ironic, really, since he was the only person who possessed a true perspective of her evolution, from a timid, neglected child to a reasonably successful woman. He’d seen the shabby old cabin, had known of her parents’ bickering and her dad’s vile temper. Mike had guessed at some of the other unpleasant parts of her childhood and oddly, she didn’t regret having filled in some of the blanks.
Yes, Mike knew about most of the skeletons in her closet. And he hadn’t judged her or pitied her once. No words could describe how much she appreciated that.
Studying the photograph, her mood took a dive. It was supposed to cheer her up, remind her of the good times with Mike. Not depress her. Thinking about how much she’d paid for it sent her spirits down another notch. She’d had no business splurging like that, considering she might be without a job soon.
No, Porter wouldn’t be that petty.
Would he?
Just because she’d told him this thing between them, whatever it had become, wasn’t working for her?
Guess she wouldn’t know until he arrived on Monday.
She needed a stiff drink, but she’d settle for coffee.
Savannah rose, stopping to adjust the frame on her way out of her office. Crazy as it seemed, she now hoped Porter hadn’t filed for divorce, that he wasn’t even separated, just as Ron had implied. Yes, it made her all the more a fool. But it also bought her some time to find another job if it came down to that. If Porter still cared about his wife, he wouldn’t want this thing to blow up and go public.
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