Lottie
Cool mountain air whipped my braid against my face as I tried to take a sip of my coffee. I
tightened the blanket around me. Five months in Hawaii had made me weak to the weather of
Boulder—no humidity in the air, a stark fifty-seven degrees, the beginnings of autumn biting at
the greenery and turning it to a golden hue. The weather in Hawaii was so much nicer.
Dad sl ept soundlessly inside our family home. He’d picked me and Dana up from the airport
in the dead of night, and the least I could do was let him get a few more hours of sle ep instead
of getting him on my horrible sle ep schedule from the jet lag.
Four days had passed since I’d left Hunter’s suite. Four days of sle epless nights, four days
of touching myself and being horribly disappointed in the outcome. It wasn’t as good as he was.
How on earth could that even be possible? How was he better at touching me than I was?
Worse yet, how did I allow myself to fall into that? I let myself sle ep with my soon-to-be boss.
He was controlling as hell, that was for sure, but I wasn’t normally one to allow myself to be
swayed by that kind of behavior. He wasn’t the type of man who would back down from a
challenge. He’d had everything handed to him growing up, I mean, he must have, considering
the Harris family was one of the wealthiest in Boulder. And here I’d gone and handed myself to
him as well.
I made a mental note to never, ever, let that happen again. A part of me worried that he’d
only offered me the job to get me to sle ep with him, but I hoped he wasn’t stupid enough for
that, not when my father held so much sway with him. Besides, he’d paid for my flights home,
he’d emailed me a schedule, and insisted I meet with him on the first of the month. Either
way, giving in to him was going to be on my top-ten list of fuck-ups.
The screen door clattered open, nearly making me jump and spill my coffee. Tall and lanky
with graying hair, Dad st epped out, his own coffee in hand. Dark circles under his eyes told me
I’d more than likely woken him up.
“You should go back to bed,” I said. I pushed back in the chair, rocking it slightly as Dad
st epped around me to get to the other one. He and Mom used to sit out here every morning and
watch the sunrise. Now, I was the one sitting in Mom’s chair.
He grunted as he slowly sank into the rocking chair opposite mine. “Sun’s up, so I’m up.”
He’d always said that to me when I complained about getting up early to take care of the horses
as a kid. It stuck in his vocabulary. “You know, when you told me you were coming back home, I
didn’t fully believe you. Thought I’d show up to the airport and leave empty-handed.”
I snorted into my mug, sending a puff of steam into my face. “Why?” “You stayed out there
longer than I thought you would.” Droplets of black coffee clung to the edges of his untrimmed
mustache. “Thought maybe you’d found some peace and wouldn’t want to leave it.”
I shrugged. “I got a job offer I couldn’t pass up. And unfortunately, I didn’t get much peace.
Just enough to ke ep me sane.”
Dad’s thick, gray brows rose. “A job offer?” “Mm-hm.” “With whom?” “Hunter Harris,” I said,
watching with bated breath for any little change on his face. Instead, I was given nothing.
“Careful with that one,” he r eplied, his voice dropping just a little lower. There wasn’t a look
of warning in his eyes, but the way he spoke, the way his voice changed, I could tell it was
there. “He’s a good businessman, I’ll give him that. And he’s good to his horses. But my God,
does he have a r eputation.”
“I know, Dad.” “Womanizing bastard. Love the guy, but it’s true. He’ll do anything to get
whoever he wants. I can’t count how many times I’ve walked in on him with some pretty, young
thing under his desk with her head—”
“No, no, no, please don’t go into more detail.” My stomach churned enough to make me stop
rocking in my chair. I pulled my knees to my chest, resting my mug on top of them. I couldn’t tell
him what happened back in Oahu, couldn’t bring myself to release the guilt of it. “I’ll ke ep a
professional distance.”
“I’m just saying, Lottie bug. He’s got two heads and with women, he only thinks with one of
them.”
My phone dinged beside me on the little coffee table. Dana’s name flashed up on the
screen, a text message beneath it. I’m out front. Ready to go?
I sighed and stared out at the mountains that began on the edge of our property. It was a
view I’d never, ever get tired of. “I’ve gotta go,” I said. Dad didn’t bother to look over. A little
muscle in his jaw ticked. “I’m helping Dana find somewhere to rent today.”
“She seems nice,” he said. His eyes closed as he lifted his chin, breathing in the cool
morning air.
“She is.” Putting my feet flat on the floor, I slowly stood from Mom’s rocking chair and
grabbed my phone. Another buzz, another text. Hellooooooo? “I’ll see you later, Dad.”
I shot Dana a text back. Coming. Dana wasn’t native to Colorado. She’d ended up on the
island of Oahu after she’d finished a scholarship at the University of Hawaii and hadn’t been
back in the contiguous United States for almost ten years. But after she’d heard about my job
opportunity and I’d told her about the ranching scene here, she’d decided it was finally time.
I couldn’t be more grateful that she’d decided to move to my home state.
I pulled on my Colorado State hoodie and shoved my feet into my boots. I didn’t need to look
my best today, not when I was just ke eping Dana company. The idea of telling her what had
happened with Hunter had been gnawing at me for days now, including the entire length of our
flight, and I wondered if the ball would inevitably drop today.
I hoped not. I didn’t want to talk about it, because if I did, it would make it that much more
real. And it couldn’t have been real. I needed it to not be.
“Hold up,” Dad called, heavy footst eps falling across the wooden floors as he st epped
toward me. “I know we didn’t really get the chance to chat
last night.”
Oh God. Where was this going? His hand came to rest on my shoulder, squeezing it gently.
He was only a couple of inches taller than me, but every time he did that, I felt like I was ten
years old again and he was this towering figure that loomed over me and my life. “I’m sorry you
had to leave in order to get away from him. I am. But I’m so happy you’re home, and I’m so
proud of you, bug.”
A sigh whistled out of my nose. I hated when he brought up my ex, but I understood the
reasoning. I’d never be able to truly get away from what happened—not when the thoughts still
lingered, not when just his name was enough to set me on edge. “Thanks, Dad.”
His fingers brushed against the chain around my throat, a gentle touch against something
that once belonged to his everything. “Your mother would be proud, too. I want you to know
that.”
My lips pursed into a thin line. If they only knew the half of it, I doubt an ounce of pride would
be directed toward me, even from the grave. Not after I’d sl ept with my potential new boss. Not
after potentially sticking myself into a situation that could easily lead to another es cape from my
problems.
But Dad didn’t need to know that. No one did.