Runaway Cowboy by T. J. Kline Read Free Book Online Page A

longing throughout her body. He rested his free hand on her shoulder, his fingers finding the curve of her neck. It was such a tender caress; she closed her eyes, allowing herself a moment of pure joy, a few seconds to imagine they were younger, in another time, before mistakes were made and hearts were broken.
    Just the thought brought her back to the present, and her head fell forward, her chin dropping to her chest. She sighed. “Why did you come here?” she whispered.
    He didn’t speak for a long time, and she began to wonder if he had even heard her question. “I just wanted to apologize.”
    Nothing more. He only wanted to assuage his guilt. The painful truth of his answer was nearly her undoing, as her heart made its own confession—she still loved him. He’d left her with her heart broken, bleeding, and betrayed, and she couldn’t deny she still had feelings for him, but they simply weren’t returned. She might want him; she just didn’t want the pain that came with loving him. And she couldn’t allow herself to fall prey again.
    â€œI don’t want you to,” she lied. “I will never forgive you for what you did.”
    â€œI was protecting you.”
    â€œNo.” Jennifer rose and took the comb from his hand, careful not to touch him. “You were protecting yourself.” She walked to the trailer door and opened it. “Please, leave.”

Chapter Four
    C LAY HAD JUST dropped into one of the folding chairs outside Scott’s trailer when Scott joined him. “Trouble?”
    He could see the humor in his friend’s eyes and thought about punching him for a brief moment. “Shut up.” He dropped his head back and stared up at the stars. “What was I thinking?”
    â€œWell, I guess that really depends on when you mean,” Scott said. “Now, or when you first left?”
    Clay shrugged, not really expecting an answer to his rhetorical question.
    â€œIf the question doesn’t matter, Clay, then neither does the answer.”
    He shot Scott a sideways glare. “Sounds like you’ve been hanging around Mike too long.”
    â€œOkay, here’s a better question—are you happy with the way things have turned out since you left?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Clay confessed. “I thought leaving would be the best way to protect her. In a way it did, but in some ways, it did the opposite. I couldn’t be two places at the same time.” He saw Scott looking at him skeptically and defended himself. “My brother had just been found dead. My mom needed my help.”
    â€œYou ran away and never even called her. Face it, you were scared.”
    â€œI was twenty-two years old. I wasn’t ready for a premade family. I didn’t even know how to take care of myself, let alone support your sister and both of you.”
    Scott sat up in his chair and leaned forward. “Who are you trying to kid? Jen never expected you to support her or us. We’ve been working with Mike since our parents died, and we all know this is a family business. We do it together.” The light above the door highlighted the muscle ticking in Scott’s jaw as he narrowed his eyes. “She never asked you to step in and be our father. Matter of fact, she never asked you for anything, but she offered you everything. You were just too chicken to accept it, and so you crawled back into that pit you thought you were destined for.”
    Scott stood and shook his head. “I don’t know what kind of bullshit you’ve been telling yourself over the past five years, but the Clay I remember would have at least been honest. You might have left to help your mom, but you stayed away because you were too scared to admit the truth to Jen.”
    He just walked away without giving Clay a chance to respond, leaving Clay staring at his empty hands, wondering how he could have ever imagined what he had now was