His cowboy hat dipped as he exchanged greetings, then my stomach dropped.
Because I knew that hat.
Son of a bitch. How was I supposed to avoid Easton in a bar this size? Wasn’t he supposed to be at dinner?
He walked inside, scanning the room and lifting a hand to wave at a few tables. Then he walked to the bar, taking off his hat as he pulled out the stool that had just been vacated. He greeted the guy directly on his left, then grinned at the bartender as she approached.
Easton’s gaze drifted past her and when he spotted me, the grin dropped.
Ouch.
I lifted my glass, giving him a silent salute.
Easton acknowledged me with a single nod.
My heart was in my throat as I took another drink, wishing I hadn’t ordered that cheeseburger. Wishing I was in any other seat than this where I had no choice but see him when I faced forward.
How was I supposed to avoid that strong jaw and those dark, dreamy eyes when they were right there?
“Here you go.” The bartender emerged from the kitchen with a plastic basket lined with parchment paper. At least I wouldn’t have to wait long for my meal. The cheeseburger was bigger than my face and the heap of fries was the equivalent of three extra-large potatoes. “Hope you’re hungry.”
I had been. “Thanks.”
I cut the burger in half as she returned to her post, leaning a hip against the bar as she focused all her attention on one man.
Easton.
I kept my eyes on my meal, but the claw of jealousy scraped deeper every time I heard her laugh carry over the music. Or when I’d catch his smile from the corner of my eye. I was chewing with rabid fury when she leaned in closer to whisper something in his ear.
He laughed. She laughed.
She smiled. He smiled.
I was most definitely not laughing or smiling.
No, I was his latest conquest, and he’d waited a whole three days before moving on to someone else. Or maybe go back for another round with a former lover.
She was gorgeous and fresh faced. Her blond hair brushed the tops of her shoulders in effortless, beach waves. Her tee dipped low enough to show a hint of cleavage and she had the perfect hourglass figure, curves I’d only dreamt of having.
But it was her smile that I envied most. It was carefree and effortless. A pretty smile. One that made Easton smile too, wider than I’d seen since arriving in Montana.
He didn’t smile around me, not like that. And as I’d suspected, it was devastating.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
I jerked, forcing my eyes away from Easton and the bartender as a man leaned against the bar at my side.
“How’s it going?” he asked.
“Fantastic,” I deadpanned, not in the mood to deal with stranger small talk and a guy who likely saw me as fresh meat.
He’d brought a beer along from wherever he’d emerged and tipped it to his lips as he grinned. “New in town or just visiting.”
“Visiting.” I ate another bite, busying my mouth so I didn’t have to talk, and cast a glance toward Easton.
His gaze was waiting, the tension in his jaw visible as he squeezed his own beer bottle to death.
For a moment, I thought he might come over, but then the bartender stood in front of him, giving Easton an eye-level shot of her generous breasts.
My appetite vanished and I tossed the uneaten portion of my burger into the tray, wiping my hands and lips with a napkin. Then I dove for my wallet, ripping out a hundred-dollar bill and slapping it on the bar.
I wasn’t sure how much a burger and a cocktail cost in Clear River, Montana, but that should cover it.
“Leaving already?” the man asked.
Not bothering with the obvious answer, I slipped the strap of my purse over my shoulder and—eyes forward—I walked out of the bar and into the fading evening light.
In a way, I should be happy he’d come to the bar. That he’d flirted with another woman in front of me. I’d been conflicted over what to do with Easton, but tonight had been eye-opening.
This was not the place for me.
Easton was not the man for me. As much as I liked my little cabin, I didn’t fit here. He’d been right all along.
I didn’t fit.
Spending three months here wouldn’t change that fact. Bet or not, I was leaving. He could gloat to his family while I was a thousand miles south, enjoying some California sunshine.
I’d stick around long enough to spend a few more nights with Katherine. But as soon as the groceries in my trunk were gone, so was I.
The light was nearly gone by the time I made it home to the cabin. The stars were out in full force and the temperature was dropping fast. Before unloading the Cadillac, I made a fire to warm up the cabin, then I busied myself with putting groceries away.
There was enough food here for a week. I’d invite Katherine over as often as possible and the two of us would have a bit more time together before I hit the road. If I was lucky, the weather would hold out and I wouldn’t get snowed in.
By the time the groceries were unloaded, the cabin was toasty warm and I poured myself a hearty glass of wine, lifting my glass to the empty room. “Cheers to another week. And a lonely Friday night.”
Tears flooded my eyes, and before I could pull them in, I was crying off my makeup.
This wasn’t why I’d come to Montana. This wasn’t why I’d started this journey.
I wanted to feel, but this? No, thank you.
But the dam had broken and there was no holding back the flood. Drops of ugly poured from my body in a stream of uncontrollable tears and broken sobs.
I stood there, in the middle of the room with my wine sloshing over the rim of my glass and cried.
I cried for the life I’d worked so hard to build. The life that had meant so fucking much to me three months ago. The life I’d left behind.
Selling the company and leaving Boston hadn’t been a mistake, but for the first time, I mourned. Because twelve million dollars in the bank hadn’t made me any less alone.
The tears came faster. The sobs wracked harder. My knees were seconds from giving way, collapsing me into a pathetic puddle, when two arms wrapped around me and kept me from falling.
Easton pinned me to his chest, holding me with one arm as he took the wine from my hand and set it on the table beside us. Then he let me soak the front of his green shirt with my tears.
I held tight, letting him keep me standing, because I couldn’t seem to pull it together. No matter how many deep breaths I sucked in through my nose, they exhaled in a mess. Until finally, minutes later, one of them stuck. Then another. And the tears just . . . ran out.
Even when I stopped crying, Easton didn’t let me go.
“I’m okay.” I pushed him away and wiped my face dry, turning my back to him because he’d witnessed rock bottom. “Sorry.”
“What was that, Gem?”
“Nothing.” I waved him off. “What are you doing here?”
“You left the bar upset.”
Honestly, I was surprised he’d noticed. And that he’d come to check on me. Or maybe he was here for a hookup. Regardless, I was such a train wreck that I hadn’t even heard him drive up. “It’s nothing. Sometimes women cry.”
“Bullshit. What the hell is going on?”
“Nothing. It’s been a long week.”
“Gemma.” He took my elbow and spun me to face him.