Reunited with the Sheriff Page 16

  “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” She hadn’t realized she’d been praying aloud until she heard Maggie’s melodious voice joining her in prayer.

  * * *

  Hours later when all the guests were gone, the band had broken down their set, the volunteers had helped to clean up the grounds and pack up the tables, Tate and Cassidy were sitting on the front veranda relaxing in the porch swing. Tate had invited her to stay at the ranch for a while so they could both unwind from the exhausting day and evening. With a shy smile, she had agreed.

  The weather had cooled down a bit, to the point where Cassidy was shivering in the night air. Without saying a word he removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She wrapped the jacket around herself, snuggling into the fabric.

  “I can’t believe how quiet it is,” she marveled. “Listen. You can hear the crickets chirping. Yet less than a few hours ago this place was jam-packed with people partying for a cause.”

  “The quiet is nice, isn’t it?” He placed his arm around her shoulder, giving in to the desire he’d been fighting against all night. He wanted to hold her, to be near her, to make up for all the time they’d lost. Rather than worry about her leaving, he wanted to focus on the fact that for this one moment in time she was still here beside him.

  “It’s so peaceful out here,” she murmured. “Your family is so blessed to have this ranch. Acres and acres of wide open spaces.”

  Tate couldn’t agree with Cassidy more. In his life he’d been graced with so many blessings. A wonderful family, Horseshoe Bend Ranch, a career in law enforcement...and Cassidy.

  “That’s for sure. And we’re very thankful to my grandfather. He’s the one who took a chance and left his home state of Kentucky based on nothing more than gumption and faith.” Tate rocked the swing ever so gently with his legs, enjoying the back and forth motion.

  “Sounds like someone else I know,” she teased, nudging him in the side with her elbow.

  “Who, me?” he scoffed, not making the connection between his grandfather and himself.

  “Yeah, you. It takes a lot of gumption to be Sheriff of West Falls. And you’ve always had a lot of faith, not just in God, but in people. I’ve always loved that about you, Tate.”

  “Cassidy,” he murmured her name. Her face was upturned, her eyes full of wonder. He leaned down and captured her lips in a tender, emotional kiss that left him breathless. As his lips moved over hers he felt her fingers grazing the hair on the back of his neck as she clung to him. He wanted this kiss to go on forever, to lose himself in her. As the kiss ended she breathed his name, making it sound like an endearment.

  He brushed his fingers across his lips. He felt so connected to Cassidy at this moment. Was he going crazy? With this kiss he finally felt as if he was home. In that one moment all the pain and heartache of the past eight years had melted away. All that was left was the two of them. Nothing else mattered.

  They stared into each other’s eyes. He saw a hint of uncertainty lurking there.

  “Are you sure about this?” she asked, her brow furrowed.

  Tate chuckled. “Are you trying to scare me off or something?”

  “No, of course not. It’s just that...I know I hurt you before. Terribly. I know there are a lot of wounds here.” She reached out and tapped her palm against his chest. “And when you almost kissed me the night of the storm you talked about regret.”

  “I’m healing from all that. And a lot of that has to do with your being back in town. It’s made me see things with a new set of eyes. It’s allowed me to close the door on the past. At the same time I’m looking toward the future.”

  “I can’t promise you—”

  He placed a finger on her lips. “Shhh. No promises. Let’s just savor the moments.”

  Cassidy sighed. “I like the sound of that.”

  “And by the way, Cassidy, I could never regret kissing you. Not in this lifetime.”

  He’d only spoken of regret because he didn’t want to be disappointed. He watched her light up, saw the huge grin stretching from ear to ear. She reached for his hand, joining it with hers in an easy, relaxed manner. He squeezed it tightly, finding comfort in her tiny hand paired with his larger one. For what seemed like forever they sat in the moonlight gazing at the stars, basking in the simple pleasure of each other’s company. It was enough. For now. For always.

  Chapter Eleven

  On her way back home from the oncologist’s office with her mother, Cassidy made the suggestion that they stop by an ice cream parlor a few miles outside town. Neither one of them could resist ice cream, nor could they drive past the quaint pink and white shop with the fuschia shutters without stopping inside. It was like something from a fairy tale, Cassidy decided, as she admired the pink heart-shaped tables and the pastel chairs.

  “Mmm. This is a decadent way of celebrating,” her mother raved as she heartily dug into her ice cream sundae. It pleased Cassidy no end to see her mother’s healthy appetite and the way she was making short order of the frozen treat. She was still far too thin for Cassidy’s liking.

  Cassidy reached over and took a spoonful of her mother’s mocha chip ice cream. “Yes, it is, but you deserve a treat after everything you’ve been through.” She shook her head in amazement. “You haven’t complained once since I’ve been here. Not a single time.”

  “What’s there to complain about? God has been good to me, and He’s answered all my prayers.”

  Cassidy smiled at her mother’s upbeat frame of mind. “You’re really an inspiration, Mama. The way you’ve stood up to cancer...it’s really shown me a lot about who I want to be in the world and how I want to face life’s challenges.”

  Her mother always faced problems head-on without wavering. She used her faith as a foundation and drew strength from God and from within. Cassidy knew she needed to lean on the Lord as the time drew ever nearer for her discussion with Tate. As it was, the secret was wearing on her something fierce, making her feel guilty and shameful whenever she was around him.

  “Aren’t you meeting up with Tate in an hour or so?”

  “Uh-huh. We’re meeting at the Falls Diner.”

  Her mother gave her a curious look. “You don’t seem very pressed to get back to town.”

  She twisted her mouth ruefully. “I’m not sure seeing Tate is a good idea anymore.”

  Surprise flared in her mother’s eyes. “I thought the two of you were enjoying yourselves and getting reacquainted.”

  “We are,” Cassidy acknowledged. “But sometimes I just wonder what the point is. I’m leaving for Phoenix in a few weeks. I just don’t want to start something that I can’t finish.”

  Lately the thought of leaving West Falls was weighing heavily on her mind. She’d gotten so used to the laid-back rhythms of her hometown that the thought of the hustle and bustle of Phoenix paled in comparison. And ever since the community gathering, she’d been treated with actual kindness by most of the townsfolk. A few of the parents had even approached her with gratitude about the art class she’d held there. Leaving her hometown this time around wouldn’t be easy.

  Her mother frowned and pushed her ice cream sundae to the side. “What’s really bothering you, Cass? Relationships aren’t confined to one zip code. The two of you could easily visit each other and build on that if the feelings are strong enough. You know your father and I would be delighted if you would come back home more often.”

  Cassidy sighed. “Mom, there’s something about the accident that I never told you. Something bad.” She waited a beat, watching from across the table as her mother steeled herself. “The night of the accident we were playing chicken with the car...that’s why it skidded off the road.”

  Her mother gasped, then raised her hand to her mouth. Her eyes were wide with shock and d
isappointment. “Cassidy Anne Blake! Why would you girls ever do something so dangerous?” she asked in a stern voice. “You all could easily have been killed!”

  She hung her head, not wanting to even make eye contact with her mother. “We were young and foolish. I can’t even wrap my head around how immature we were. We were four teenagers looking for a thrill, I suppose. Never in our wildest dreams did we think something bad would happen.”

  Her mother tutted. “You girls were always so responsible, such good citizens of your community. Yet I always had the feeling something more went on that night, particularly when all the friendships fell apart afterward, but I never put the pieces together.”

  “We swore each other to secrecy. Tate doesn’t know.”

  “Oh, dear. And that secret is standing between you and Tate, isn’t it?”

  Cassidy teared up. She was under so much pressure she felt as if she could explode. “I can’t go on like this, Mama. Keeping secrets about something so important isn’t who I want to be. I want to be better than that. I know it might cost me Tate, but if I don’t tell him then everything we’ve built will be based on half-truths.”

  “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”

  Her mother was a true pastor’s wife. She had a scripture for every situation under the sun. And this time her scripture touched Cassidy in the deepest regions of her heart. Although she’d known for some time that she owed Tate the truth, she hadn’t been able to take that step. Until now. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wanted her world to be as radiant as the full light of day.

  * * *

  Just after his shift ended at the Sheriff’s Office Tate walked into the Falls Diner, his arms full of a vibrant bouquet of calla lilies, snapdragons and roses. All day he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Cassidy. Her radiant smile mesmerized him. Her joyful spirit always lifted him up. The cute little freckles scattered across her face made him want to kiss her. Her generous heart inspired him to greatness.

  She was meeting him here for dinner after finishing up with her mother’s weekly oncology appointment. They were celebrating—Main Street Church had a new roof. He’d offered to take her somewhere more fancy, but she’d declined, reminding him that she was a big fan of Doc’s cheeseburgers. He looked down at the bouquet of flowers, wondering if they were too over the top. He still didn’t know how Cassidy felt about him. He had a hunch she felt the same way he did, but what did he know anyway? He could barely keep his own feelings straight. Something was holding him back from voicing his feelings to her. He couldn’t stop the doubt from creeping in, leaving him questioning whether or not they had a future.

  Was it wise to try to reignite a flame that had already been extinguished?

  And it was difficult to even consider laying his heart on the line when he knew she’d soon be leaving West Falls to go back to her gallery. How could he compete with the life she’d built for herself in Phoenix? Did he even have the gumption to try?

  By the time she walked into the diner—fifteen minutes late—he was feeling a bit grumpy and out of sorts. The very sight of her caused him to suck in a deep breath. She looked beautiful in a simple floral skirt and sleeveless top. He stood up when Robin walked Cassidy to the booth he was sitting at, noticing right away the way she avoided eye contact with him and seemed a bit jumpy.

  “Is everything okay? I was beginning to think you weren’t coming,” he said as soon as she got settled in her seat, a slight edge to his voice.

  “I’m sorry, Tate,” she apologized. “It’s been a long day.”

  “How did your mother make out at her doctor’s visit?” He could clearly see the stress and strain on her face and it dawned on him that the checkup might not have gone well.

  Cassidy gave him a half smile. “It went amazingly well. Her doctors are very pleased with the scans and her recovery.” She let out a sigh that sounded as if it came from deep within her soul.

  “If you want to head home, I understand. We can do this some other time.”

  “No, it’s fine. Unless of course you want to head home.”

  “I’m good if you are,” he said, making an effort to hide his dismay. Her indifference caught him off guard, making him question whether he’d been kidding himself.

  Robin appeared at their table to take their order. It gave him a chance to study Cassidy while she asked Robin a few questions about an item on the menu. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but suddenly they were tripping over each other like two teenagers on their first date. Cassidy wasn’t acting like herself. She was skittish and disconnected. Their conversation was nonexistent. The flowers he’d brought her sat beside him in the booth, neglected and unloved. He didn’t have the heart to give them to her. It was a grand gesture that didn’t seem appropriate given the tension hovering in the air between them.

  His heart was all tied up in knots. He couldn’t help but feel that he was losing Cassidy all over again, and if he wasn’t mistaken, it felt just as painful as the first time.

  * * *

  Fear unlike any she’d ever known held Cassidy in its unrelenting grip. Although she was supposed to be enjoying a dinner date with Tate, she could barely get the food down her throat. Being so close to him and keeping this secret was unbearable. It burned inside her like acid. She didn’t want to hurt him all over again. She didn’t want to see the pain in his eyes when he discovered the truth. The thought of him hating her was too much to bear.

  All through dinner she’d avoided looking into his beautiful eyes, because every time she gazed into them guilt washed over her. The longer she stayed in West Falls the more intensely guilty she felt about withholding the truth from Tate. Once he knew everything he wouldn’t even be able to look at her without disgust rising up within him.

  Over the previous few weeks they’d managed to lay to rest some of the issues from the past. All of that would disintegrate in a heartbeat. He’d look at her with the same wounded eyes as when he’d first spotted her in the diner. He’d hate her. And the very thought of Tate hating her caused her physical pain.

  Tate. The man she loved. The one she didn’t think she could live without.

  Although she’d known it for a while, she’d stuffed the feelings deep down inside herself, not wanting to recognize them for what they were. It was too scary to be in love with Tate. Hadn’t she been down this road before? And she’d hurt him—broken him—to the point where she wasn’t sure he would even allow himself to love her again.

  She looked down and nervously twiddled her fingers.

  Lord, how can I face losing Tate when I just found him again?

  “Cassidy! Cassidy!” The sound of his snapping fingers caught her attention. She hadn’t heard a word he’d said. She swung her gaze toward Tate, recognizing the hurt look in his eyes.

  “Sorry. What did you say?”

  “I asked you if you wanted something for dessert. Pie? A milkshake?”

  She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “No thanks. I’m stuffed,” she said in a quiet voice that hid all the anxiety bubbling up inside her.

  “Stuffed? You barely ate half of your meal.” Tate’s voice sounded incredulous.

  Arctic blue eyes studied her and she saw the questions looming in their depths. He’d always been able to read her so well, but tonight she wasn’t sending out any signals. It felt as if they were worlds apart. There was still the truth about the accident lying between them and it felt like an insurmountable barrier.

  Just as Tate was ridding himself of all the anger and pain, she was now faced with unleashing a world of heartache on him. And knowing Tate as she did, he would react by retreating back into his shell of rage and hurt. All she wanted to do at the moment was bury herself under her covers and hide away from the world, to pretend as if it wasn’t her re
sponsibility to tell the truth.

  As Tate settled the check, Cassidy studied him from across the table. She wanted to capture the picture of him in her mind so that once she went back to Phoenix she could recall his image at will. There would be many nights ahead when she would think of him just before she closed her eyes and headed off toward a fitful sleep.

  His baby blue eyes. The manly cleft in his chin. His mane of chocolate-colored hair. His broad shoulders that were made to be leaned on.

  Losing Tate the first time had been devastating. Losing him a second time might be more than she could bear.

  Chapter Twelve

  Holly, Regina, Jenna and Cassidy had all gathered at Horseshoe Bend Ranch. A few days earlier Cassidy had laid it all on the line with Holly. She’d told her that she needed to come clean with Tate about the accident—that they couldn’t build a relationship on a lie. Holly had been a real friend, listening as she cried her heart out to her and spoke of her dreams for the future. Just like in the old days, Holly had vowed to help her. They had both realized that in order to move forward they had to let the other girls know that they no longer wanted to be bound to their vow of secrecy. After all they’d been through together, it was the only fair thing to do.

  Holly had made all the phone calls, and without being explicit, she’d let Regina and Jenna know that this meeting was of the utmost importance. Jenna had balked at meeting up with the three other roses, but Holly had been persistent, making subtle references to “unfinished business.”

  Jenna was the last to arrive at the ranch. She’d looked mutinous from the moment she’d stepped into the stables, dressed in a yellow rain slicker and boots. A light rain had been falling all afternoon, creating a gloomy atmosphere at the ranch. Cassidy wrapped her arms around her middle, wishing she’d added another layer to her sweater to ward off the chill in the air.