Cassidy looked up with wide, scared eyes, Amanda looked sorry, and Mama just looked confused. Detective Green didn’t even turn around as I slammed on the brakes, threw the truck in park, and jumped out.

“Guess you didn’t understand the first time, but I don’t want you talking to her. Which sure as hell means I didn’t want you showing up here either.” I didn’t stop walking until I was in front of Cassidy, facing her with my back to him. “Darlin’, go inside. Please,” I begged softly.

“I’m here to make sure she’s all right—you know, what you should have been doing when she was in California.”

I turned to glare at him and was extremely happy I got to look down at him. Cassidy hadn’t moved, and her wide eyes still looked terrified as she obsessively spun her dad’s ring around on her finger. “Cass, baby, please go inside.”

“You always telling her what to do too? You’re the one who called to tell me to stay away, even after what she told you about us. What about what she wanted? I find it hard to believe that she wanted no contact with me after everything she went through with me. So now, if you’d step aside, I’d rather just talk to her.”

“Man, what the hell aren’t you getting? I don’t want you near my girl! Get the fuck off my property and go back to California!”

“Gage Michael Carson,” Mama mumbled under her breath, and I knew I was gonna get hit over the head when all this was over.

“Cassidy, are you sure this is what you want? Don’t you see what he’s like?” Connor asked, leaning around me to look at her, and my body went rigid.

“What I’m like? What I’m like? I’m a guy who’s trying to keep his girl from the prick who’s trying to take her from him! I have every right to hate you right now, and swear to God if you weren’t carrying that damn badge I would beat the ever-living shit out of you.”

“Gage Michael Car—” Mama had begun again.

“You do not,” I said, and turned my body so I was facing him and staring down at him, “do not kiss another man’s girl repeatedly, especially if you already know she’s taken. You do not beg her to leave her man and stay with you. You do not keep her pinned to a wall until she promises to come back to you if it doesn’t work out with her guy. And you. Do. Not. Fly halfway across the U.S. to talk to her after her man has already warned you to stay away. And while I’m mentioning that, you wanna share how you knew where to find her? If you’re stalking Cassidy, I promise you I’ll act like I don’t know about the badge.” Cassidy’s body went solid behind me and I worked at reining in my anger. I’d almost lost her once because of it; I wasn’t about to go through that again.

Connor had the balls to smirk at me and look around me to smile at Cassidy. “I knew your name, knew you had a ranch in Texas. Your ranch is on Google, dumbass; I’m not stalking her. After what Cassidy’s been through, I don’t trust a phone call from a pissed-off boyfriend that I already know has given her a black eye to tell me that she’s okay. And warning or not, she means something to me, so I need to know she’s all right, and since she’s not answering my calls, I took the only other option.”

Looking over my shoulder, I asked Cassidy, “He’s been calling?”

Her head shook and she shrugged. “My phone died my first day here. I lost my charger.”

God, I felt stupid. I’d already known that, seeing how her phone was currently in our house being charged with my charger. Which would be why she hadn’t answered her phone when I called on my way back.

Connor continued like we hadn’t been talking. “And yeah, I care about her that much that I’d fly to Texas to make sure she’s all right. As for kissing her and asking her not to go? I’ll remind you she kissed me back, and that promise? She willingly made it, and since you seem to have forgotten this as well, added her own part to it.”

“Nah, man, it’s kinda seared into my brain. I know what she told you. And I know at the end she told you not to wait for her because she was coming back to me. That should have been the last thing she needed to say to you. All this other bullshit is completely unnecessary. Now I’ll ask you nicely one more time. Get. Off. My. Property.”

Mama’s voice got a little higher. “Gage Michael Carson.”

“When you stop talking for Cassidy and treating her like a damn child, and when she asks me to go, then I’ll go.”

I opened my mouth but slammed it shut as Cassidy stepped around me and started walking up to him. Connor’s hands immediately went up to reach out for her hips but Cassidy stopped and took one large step back, shaking her head slowly back and forth. I should have been happy that she stepped back before his hands could land on her, but the way they’d automatically gone out to her, like he hadn’t even thought about reaching for her, it’d just happened, was like another punch straight to my chest. Without looking back at me, she reached one hand back and linked it with mine, then dragged me with her as she walked forward, pushing Connor toward the cars.

“What is wrong with you?” she hissed at him as he continued to walk backward, toward his rental.

His face fell. “Cassidy, I had to know. I had to make sure you were okay.”

“Of course I’m okay! I’m with Gage!”

“Cass, he can’t just make you stop talking to me.”

“You’re right, Connor, he can’t,” she said, shocking the hell out of me. “But he doesn’t want me talking to you, so I’m not going to. I meant every word I said to you in California, and I told Gage that too. Connor, I am in love with Gage. He is my everything; don’t you understand that? If he doesn’t want me talking to you because I allowed you to kiss me, because I kissed you back, and because I think of you in ways that I definitely shouldn’t . . . then I have to respect that. And so do you.” She turned her body into mine and let her free hand flail through the air when she continued. “Or don’t, but at least respect me and my decisions. You knew I was coming back to Gage, and you knew when I left your apartment that I wouldn’t be coming back to you. I’m sorry if this isn’t what you want, Connor, but don’t make this into the huge, dramatic scene that it doesn’t need to be. Or more of one, anyway. I already told Gage about you, and he was the only one who needed to know; now I need to unnecessarily explain you to his family.”

“Cassidy—”

“Go home, Connor, you made this into a bigger mess and now I need to clean it up. Just go home.”

He stepped right up to her and cupped her cheek with his hand; my body froze before it started shaking. My free hand was already balled into a fist, but I forced myself to remain silent and still to see what she would do.

“Cass, I need you.”

“And I need Gage,” she said softly, and removed his hand while trying to force herself even closer to me, so I grabbed her and took a step away from him. “It will always be Gage for me. Please, Connor . . . go home.”

I watched as his completely broken face studied her, then turned to me and hardened up into an impressive glare. He wasn’t lying; he really cared for Cassidy. Connor didn’t seem like the kind of guy to back down from anyone, but as soon as Cassidy started telling him how it was going to be, he’d all but crumbled. With one last pained glance at Cass, he got into the Charger and drove away.

Cassidy relaxed as soon as he was off the ranch and her forehead hit my chest. “Gage, I had no idea. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for everything. I’m sorry for California, I’m sorry for kissing him, I’m sorry for leaving you.” Her chest was heaving up and down quickly and I ran my hands over her back to calm her.

“Darlin’, it’s fine. He’s gone and from the look on his face I don’t think he’s coming back. Are you all right? You looked terrified, Cassidy, did he say something to you?”

“No, but all I could think about was how mad you were going to be. I was afraid you’d think I’d wanted him here or that I’d be happy to see him.”

“And were you?” I asked tightly.

“No! Seeing him here . . . realizing how bad I messed things up and how he could ruin them, God, Gage, I was terrified I was going to lose you.” Her body started shaking and she made a choking sound. “I’m so sorry.” She burst into tears and her knees buckled.

I easily lifted her into my arms and held her tight, letting her cry as long as she needed. Ever since the letter from her mom she’d been more emotional, but I didn’t mind. I loved that she was now open enough that she would easily share this with me too. “C’mon, sweetheart, let’s get you inside.”

She quickly shook her head and wiped at her cheeks and under her eyes. “No, you and Ty were going into town, and now I have to tell your mom and Amanda about Connor. I’d rather not have to see how I broke your heart again.”

“Darlin’, I’m not leaving you when you’re upset like this.”

“I’m fine, Gage, really. I just hate that I put you through that. Go run your errand. I’ll tell them and we’ll have dinner ready when you get back.”

“Cass—”

Her lips pressed to mine for long seconds, and without removing them she whispered, “Go, babe. I’m not running anywhere, I promise. This is my home—you are my home. I’m not leaving. Run your errand, I’ll be waiting here for you.”

My entire body relaxed at her words. “Be back soon, all right?”

“Be safe.”

Chapter Eighteen

CASSIDY

I FELT SOMETHING warm against my neck and smiled, thinking Gage had come for his morning hug. But then it felt like a weight on my throat and it was cutting off my air supply; at the same time I felt hot breath and tiny kisses cover my chin, cheeks, nose, and mouth. My eyes flashed open to see a sun-filled room and two tiny crystal-blue eyes directly above mine before a black nose plunged toward my eye and my face was covered in tons of little puppy kisses again. I reached up to pick the fluffy puppy off my neck and looked at the most precious face I’d ever seen. White muzzle and forehead, double mask of light gray with black spots and a couple brown splashes.