Mason (Remington Ranch Book 1) (Contemporary Western Romance) (15 page)

She smiled. “That's sweet.”

“Not sweet, just true. So, my beautiful, magical creature, where would you like me to take you for dinner?”

She gave him a saucy grin and rested her hand on his thigh. “I thought you said we were going riding?”

He smiled down at her. “You want to?”

“I'd love to.”

“Who do you want to ride?”

She laughed. “How about Annie first, then you?”

He grinned at that. It sounded perfect to him, but it would be dark by the time they ate and drove back down the valley. “How about me tonight and Annie tomorrow. We can take her and Storm out in the afternoon if you have time?”

She nodded. “I guess it is a little late now, isn't it? Sorry I made you come up here. The time just flew when Cassidy and I got talking.”

“It's not a problem, babe. I'm glad the two of you got together. It seems like you really hit it off.”

She grinned. “Totally! We have so much in common, both personally and professionally. I can't wait to get started.”

“Do you think you'll be able to make enough to survive on?” He didn't want to pry into her situation, but he did want to know whether there was anything to be concerned about. The thought of her and her dad needing to sell up bothered him. The thought that Guy Preston might buy their place bothered him, too. He'd find a way to buy it himself if they needed him to, but he wanted to figure out where she stood first.

She shrugged and looked away. “I never wanted to make Dad leave here, you know. I wasn't being insensitive, I was trying to be practical.” She looked back at him. “It was a struggle to keep the place going, even when I was working with Liam and Ian. I don't know what kind of income I'll be able to generate. It scares me, Mase. I've been thinking that if we get an offer on the ranch maybe we should take it and find a little place up in town. It would be a compromise, he'd hate to lose the ranch—and so would I, but at least we wouldn't have to leave the valley.”

Mason shook his head. They weren't going to lose the ranch. He wouldn't let it happen.

“What are you thinking?” she asked. “I know that look on your face.”

He met her gaze. “I'm thinking I don't want you to leave. I don't want you to have to sell up either. There's something I need to talk to you about, but let's head back down to Pine Creek, shall we? We can talk about it over dinner.”

“Okay. I haven't eaten there in years. But before we go, at least give me a clue what you want to talk about.”

Maybe it was better to give her time to mull it over on the drive back down the valley. “Guy Preston came out to the barn today...”

The color drained from her face.

“What is it, G?”

She shook her head rapidly. “Nothing. Nothing at all. What's he got to do with anything?”

Mason was puzzled. Her whole demeanor had changed at the mention of Guy's name. She seemed hurt, angry maybe? Definitely shaken. What was that about? He didn't know, but it seemed even more important to tell her about Guy's intention to make an offer on the ranch—and about his own intention to buy it himself if necessary. “He said he wants to buy your dad's place.”

Gina sputtered. “Not over my dead body! No way in hell do I want to sell to that man!”

Mason hadn't expected her to like the idea, but he'd had no clue that she would be so angry. No one liked Guy. Gina had known of the troubles Mason had with him, but her reaction seemed over the top. “What's your problem with him, G?”

The look she gave him stunned him. She was as hurt and angry as he'd ever seen her. She took a deep breath before she spoke. “Nothing. Nothing at all. Can we go now?” She stood up and grabbed her purse.

Mason hurried to catch up with her as she stalked out of the bar. Shane looked up from his flirting and gave Mason a puzzled look as he watched Gina exit. Mason shrugged. He had no idea what the problem was—but he intended to find out.

Gina tried to keep her hands steady as she pretended to study the menu. They'd driven down here in silence. Mason wanted to know what her problem with Guy was, but the only way to tell him that would be to tell him why she'd broken up with him. Perhaps it was time to do that? To go over what she'd heard Mason tell Guy that night. To finally tell him that she knew how little she'd meant to him back then. She knew she was overreacting about Guy, she shouldn't hate him for being the person Mason had confided in, but she couldn't help it. Mason didn't even like Guy, but he'd had no problem telling him that he was losing interest in her and wanted to get back with April. She tried to take deep calming breaths. All that was ancient history, wasn't it? Shouldn't she be mature enough to accept that what he'd done back then was what he needed to do for himself at the time? That now he wanted another chance with her? She couldn't ignore the nasty little voice in her head that kept asking how long it would be until he lost interest in her this time—and how would she survive if he did that once she fully gave him her heart again?

The server came and she ordered a salad. She didn't think she could eat much of anything, the way her stomach was churning.

“Are you going to talk to me?”

She nodded slowly. It had to be done. “Can we wait until the drinks come? I may need a little Dutch courage for this conversation.”

“Sure. In fact, if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to step outside before they do.”

She watched him head to the bathroom. She needed to get a grip. The poor man had no idea what her problem was. She just needed to calmly explain to him that she'd overheard his conversation with Guy. Surely he would understand how much it had hurt her.

She looked up as he made his way back to their table. He stopped when a woman at the bar called his name. Gina's heart began to race when she recognized who it was. Good God! It was all coming back at once tonight, it seemed. She watched as he turned away from her and made his way over to April. Just wonderful. That was all she needed when she was trying to put the past behind her—to watch him hug April and peck her on the cheek. He chatted with her for a few moments. It looked to Gina like much more than a
Hi, how are you?
type conversation. Mason was asking her questions, looking concerned. April seemed to be putting on a brave face. What the hell was going on between the two of them? April gave his arm a squeeze and he leaned in to give her another peck before coming back to the table.

She stared at him as he sat down.

“What is it?” he asked. He reached for her hand, but she snatched it away, realizing even as she did it how childish she must seem. She couldn't help it. Seeing him with April like that had brought back all the hurt she'd spent so many years trying to get over.

“What the hell, G? What's wrong?”

“I didn't realize you and April were still so close.”

“Close?” He shrugged. “She's just a friend. What's the problem?”

“Just a friend?” Gina realized her voice sounded shrill, but she couldn't help it.

He shrugged. “Okay. I still feel kind of responsible for her. I didn't realize it would bother you. When did you turn into the jealous type, anyway?”

Gina was stunned. Why would he feel responsible for April? What had happened between them after she'd left? “You didn't realize it would bother me that you left me sitting here to go hang out with the woman you wanted to get rid of me for? Well, forgive me for being so jealous, Mason, but yeah, it does bother me. It bothers me so much that I think I'm going to go home. Perhaps she'll join you for dinner, and she can take my place again, just like she did when I was in college.”

“What in the hell are you talking about, Gina?”

She wasn't going to stick around to explain it. She stood up and grabbed her purse. She didn't feel very grown up right now, but she didn't care either. She just wanted to get away from him, get away from April and get away from the memory of all the pain they'd caused her. She hurried across the parking lot back to her dad's truck.

Mason came running out after her. “For Christ's sake, Gina! Will you at least have the decency to tell me what the fuck's going on before you drive away and leave me stranded?”

“Why should I? You didn't have the decency to tell me what was going on, did you? Perhaps I should go find Guy and tell him all about it, just like you did.”

She climbed into the truck, slammed it in gear and screeched out of there. She wasn't exactly proud of herself, but she just couldn't help it. She'd been on the verge of letting herself fall in love with him all over again. How could she ever trust in him now? How long would it be before he tired of her again and wanted April back? Maybe he'd wanted April all along and Guy had taken her away from him? Who knew? Gina didn't, and she didn't want to. All she knew was that she was not going to let Mason Remington destroy her life a second time.

~ ~ ~

Mason stood in the parking lot watching Gina's taillights disappear. What the fuck? His head was spinning. He'd never known Gina to behave like that before, never seen her so hurt or angry. Her parting shot, however, seemed to explain it. His heart sank at the realization that she must have somehow found out what he'd told Guy that night. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Had Guy told her? He doubted that, she would have come to him to ask him to explain, wouldn't she? She didn't trust Guy back then, no one did. But she had trusted Mason, and if she'd heard the words come out of his own mouth, that he was losing interest in her, that he wanted to get back with April, that would explain everything. He covered his face with his hands. He wasn't a liar, it wasn't in his nature, but it seemed that one lie that he'd told in an attempt to keep Gina had cost him ten years with her. In trying to make sure that Guy didn't try to steal her away,
he
had pushed her away. Guy fucking Preston had won again. Trying to outsmart that bastard had cost him ten years of his life with the woman he loved.

Mason started walking. He texted Kathy, who owned the restaurant and told her to put their drinks and untouched food on his tab. He didn't want to go back inside. He didn't want to call Shane to come give him a ride home either. He headed south back down the valley. It would be a five-mile walk home, but Mason needed the air, and the time.

~ ~ ~

Gina opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Her eyes felt puffy. She'd refused to cry last night, but the tears were there waiting to fall. She was a little ashamed of herself. She prided herself on being a low drama kind of girl, and yet last night she'd shrieked at Mason, gotten all jealous over him hugging an old girlfriend and walked—hmm, run—out on him without even explaining why. She'd left him stranded, too. April probably took him home chimed in the nasty little voice. She pursed her lips. She was bigger than that, and she was better than that. She needed to call him and apologize for her behavior. He'd been right, she did owe him an explanation. As she lay there thinking about it, it started to seem ridiculous to her that she'd let ten years go by without ever telling him, or anyone else, why she'd ended it with him. She should have told him what she'd heard him say. Should have let him know how he'd destroyed her. She was supposed to be a grown-up. Well, she was going to handle this like a grown-up. She'd call him, arrange to go see him and talk it all through. Clear the air between them, once and for all. Then she'd make a start trying to build a life for herself and her dad here. She hoped to God they wouldn't have to sell the ranch, but if they did, they did. And if Guy's was the only offer, then so be it. She’d have to be realistic and he'd never really done her any harm anyway. He'd simply been the person Mason had chosen to talk to about his true feelings. That was hardly Guy's fault, was it?

“Gina love, are you planning on getting up anytime today?” called her dad.

“I'll be down in a minute.” She knew he'd be worried about her having come home alone and early last night. Well, she wasn't going to hide. She was going to get up, go down there and tell him what she'd refused to tell him for years. It was strange that something that seemed so life shattering when you kept it to yourself, started to seem a lot less so when you brought it out in the open. She wondered what her dad would think. She hadn't wanted to tell him because she hadn't wanted him to think any less of Mason. Now that she was getting ready to tell all, she was wondering whether he would think any less of her. Had she been stupid to keep it secret all this time? One thing was for certain—if she had been, her dad wouldn't hesitate to tell her so.

She pulled on some clothes and unplugged her phone from the charger. She had two new texts. One from Mason:

Still want to come for that ride?

Be at the barn at 3 if you do.

We need to talk.

One from Shane:

WTF G girl? Call me!

She had to smile at that. It was so typically Shane. She would call him after she talked to her dad. And she would go to the barn at three and talk to Mason, too. It was time to clear the air and finally put the past to bed. She had no idea what the future would hold. She knew she loved Mason, but she couldn't even think about a future with him in it until she came to terms with their past. Last night had taught her that much. She couldn't move forward with him at all while there were still secrets undermining her trust. He thought he'd kept a secret from her, and she knew that she'd kept secret that she knew what it was. What a mess.

Her dad gave her a worried look when she came into the kitchen. He poured her a mug of coffee and carried it out onto the front porch with his own. She followed with a rueful smile on her face. He wasn't giving her any choice about sitting down and talking to him. He knew she'd follow her coffee wherever he took it. He sat in one of the rockers and placed the mugs on the table between them while she settled herself into the other.

“It's a bit chilly to be sitting out here, don't you think?” she asked.

He gave her a sad look. “It is love, but we've had all our important conversations here, haven't we? It just seems fitting to sit out here this morning.”

She'd been sitting in this very rocker when her mom had told her about the cancer. She and her dad had held each other and cried right here when they came home from the hospital for the last time. Gina heaved a big sigh. She didn't need to be thinking about that this morning.

“So, what happened last night?”

She sipped her coffee and stared out at the mountains for a few moments before she answered. “I got upset with Mason and came home.”

Her dad nodded and waited for her to continue.

“I got upset because we saw April Thomson. Mason went to talk to her, and I got jealous and left.”

“Why would you get jealous, love?”

“Because...” Gina took a deep breath. Finally, she was going to tell him. “She was the reason I never came back, the reason I broke up with him.”

“Why? What did she do?”

“She didn't do anything, but Mason was bored with me and wanted to get back with her. It broke my heart because I thought we were forever.” She felt a single tear escape and roll down her cheek.

“If Mason was done with you and wanted April back, why's he never gotten over you? Why did he never get back with her? And why's he always said he doesn't know what went wrong between the two of you?” Her dad looked thoroughly confused. “It don't make no sense to me.”

“He didn't know I knew.”

Her dad looked even more confused. “He didn't tell you that himself? Then what makes you think it? How do you know? Who
did
tell you?”

“I heard him tell Guy Preston. We were all out at Stacey's one night. Guy kept trying to get me to dance with him and Mason was pissed. I couldn't find him for a while and I couldn't see Guy anywhere either. I went to look for them out back because I was afraid of what Mason might do. Those two were always fighting when they were kids. They were out in the parking lot, but they weren't fighting, they were talking. Mason was telling Guy that I'd been fun, but he was getting ready to break up with me because he still loved April and wanted to get back with her.” There, she'd said it out loud for the first time.

Her dad stared at her. “And that's been your big secret all these years? That's your reason for not coming home after college? For not talking to Mason for almost a decade?”

She nodded.

He shook his head. “And you never even asked him about it?”

She shook her head.

Her dad ran his hand over his face, then sipped his coffee for a while. “Gina, girl. Didn't you say Mason was the only one you could talk to about anything at all? The only one who always understood you?”

She nodded again. She was starting to feel as though she had made a horrible mistake. Why
hadn't
she gone to Mason and asked him about it? Because it had hurt her so much, that’s why. She'd been reeling from the shock of it. From hearing that what they shared, while it meant the whole world to her, meant so little to Mason. When she'd heard him talking to Guy that night, his words had taken him from being her best friend who was going to love and protect her forever, to being a stranger who didn't even care enough about her to tell her that he didn't love her anymore. “I always felt that way, but listening to what he told Guy that night made me realize how wrong I was, Dad. I was stupid. Just a stupid girl who was so deeply in love that I had no clue anything was wrong between us. It broke my heart. I just had to get away. I left for college a couple of days later and I couldn't face the thought of coming back here and not being with him. Let alone coming back and having to see him with someone else, knowing that he'd broken my heart and destroyed my world so that he could be with her.”