Now his heart was in shreds and the woman he loved had just walked out of his life.

And his house was emptier than it had ever been before.

He walked through the house and turned out all the lights, then headed upstairs to bed.

Alone.

He was used to that, had done it for years. It had become his comfort and his solace.

It had become his hell.

Until Des had come into his life and changed it all.

But now he was alone again.

And hell had moved back in.

Chapter 23

A WEEK AND a half after Des had left, Logan took an uncharacteristic night off and headed to his friend Bash’s bar. It was a quiet, middle-of-the-week night and all he wanted was to watch some baseball and drink beer.

The one thing he could count on when hanging out with Bash was quiet. He could drink beer, they’d watch sports together, and they wouldn’t have to talk about anything.

Or at least that’s how it used to be.

“So how are things going with you and the hot actress?” Bash asked.

“That’s over.”

“Sorry to hear that. I thought you two had something that might last.”

Logan took several long swallows of beer before answering. “Not sure why you’d think that.”

“Because everyone in town talked about the two of you and how you and Des seemed like such a good fit together.”

“Yeah, well, you can’t believe everything you hear.”

An hour later, his brother Luke showed up.

Logan sighed. “What are you doing here?”

“Saw your truck outside, thought I’d have a beer with you. You got a problem with that?”

“Nope.”

Bash sat a beer in front of Luke.

“Have you heard anything from Des since she left?” Luke asked.

“No.” His no had come out sharper than he’d intended.

“I see.”

Logan grabbed his beer and finished it, then signaled Bash for another. “No, you don’t see anything. No one sees anything. Why is everyone trying to push Des and me together?”

“I don’t think anyone tried to do that, but the two of you were together a lot when she was here. I think it was a given you were a couple.”

He shrugged and took a long swallow of beer. “Well, we aren’t now.”

“And you’re obviously not happy about that.”

“I’m just f**king fine.”

Luke laughed. “Yeah, you’re fine all right. What happened, Logan?”

“She’s all Hollywood glamour and traveling all over the world. And I’m . . . here. Anyone with two eyes can see that we’re not meant to be together.”

“Or was it just you who saw that? You dumped her, didn’t you?”

He stared down at the bottle of beer. “Maybe.”

“You are such a dumbass. She was the best thing that ever happened to you. I’ve never seen you so full of life as you were when you were with her. She really did bring out the best in you—if there is such a thing.”

“She’d have ended up hating me. And hating the ranch.”

“She’s not Mom, Logan. And she loved the ranch. Tell me what happened.”

“She invited me to her movie premiere. I broke things off.”

“Because you’re afraid to try and make it work with her. God forbid you actually take a chance on loving someone, right? Because it might actually work and you’ll have to admit that someone could actually love you—and love the ranch. You have to stop letting that fear rule your life. It’s taking away every chance you have at happiness.”

Despite the six beers Logan had had, Luke’s words sank in. Not that he hadn’t heard them before, but he’d never been so crazy in love like he was now. And he’d never lost a woman he loved. He’d lain awake every night since she’d left his house, unable to sleep. He’d walked out onto the deck, thinking about how he’d shared the deck with her, wishing she was there with him and missing her so much even his bones ached.

“What do you think, Bash?” Logan asked as Bash cleaned away the empty beer bottles.

Bash laughed. “I’m the last one to give love advice, man. It didn’t work so well for me. But if you love her, don’t let dumb shit like geography and career get in the way. Go get your woman back.”

He did want her back. But had he done too much damage to make that happen? Because Luke and Bash were right. Des loved him. And she loved the ranch, too. And if he couldn’t give a little, then he didn’t deserve her.

“I’ve had too many beers to drive back to the ranch,” he said to Luke. “Give me a lift?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks. I’ve got a few phone calls to make.”

And he hoped like hell it wasn’t too late.

Chapter 24

IT WAS PREMIERE night for Lost Objectives. Des was both excited at the prospect of having critics and fans see the movie she and Colt had filmed last year, while simultaneously dreading going to the premiere.

“I’ve got a date lined up for you,” her agent, Jennifer Simonds, had told her earlier in the day.

“Oh, God, Jennifer. I don’t need a date. Going solo works just fine for me.” The last thing she needed to deal with was being matched up with some up-and-coming actor who needed the exposure.

“You do need a date. It looks better for the press. And I think you’ll like this guy.”

“Who is it?”

“I’ve got another call, honey. He’ll meet you at the premiere. Talk to you soon.”

Jennifer hung up.

Des stared at her phone. Great. Just great. Now she had no idea who her date even was. If Logan hadn’t been such a disappointment, he could have been her date. But that would have required him to meet her halfway, and God forbid he do that.

Her stomach tightened, the pain since she’d walked away from him ever present. She’d misjudged him, and how she’d thought he’d felt about her.

But she couldn’t worry about him anymore. He was out of her life, and she was going to have to get used to it. He hadn’t called her, hadn’t texted, and he had obviously moved on.

So would she. And eventually she’d stop thinking about him.

Like today, when there were so many other things to attend do. She’d left her condo and booked a room at a hotel near the movie theater. There, her makeup and hair team would attend to her, and her dress was being brought in.