Chapter Twelve
The cabin sat before her.
Here she was, sitting in her SUV staring at it. It loomed before her representing more than just a getaway haven, but a crossroads. A turning point. Callie knew that whatever transpired here in the next minutes, or the next few hours, would lay the foundation for her future.
Their future.
She and Murphy deserved to have answers. To hit this thing head-on and resolve it, one way or another. And that was her intent.
Angled toward the large porch, Murphy’s silver pick-up sat as if he had slid in sideways and just left it. Lights were on inside the cabin, and it was dark as hell all around her.
She’d turned off her lights before she parked. There was no way he wouldn’t know she was out there—or that someone was out there. She wondered if she sat long enough, if he would turn on the—
There. Porch lights.
Sucking in a deep breath, and gathering her sanity and her resolve, she opened the truck door and got out. There was only one thing to keep her going, and she needed to keep thinking about that. No matter what.
Parker was right.
She loved Murphy.
****
Murphy saw the headlights of the approaching vehicle way before anyone was close enough to see him. He paced the porch, went inside, back out again, and finally stepped into the cabin and closed the door.
He went upstairs.
Came back down.
Turned off the lights.
Stood in the dark.
Waited.
He knew it was Callie’s rented SUV before he saw it. She was the only one who had seen him leave. If Parker knew he’d left, he would have given him his space.
Women were different.
Hell, what did he know about women? Especially this particular woman who had his insides tied up in knots?
Maybe what he thought he knew about her was a fantasy, made up in his head on long winters’ nights, when all he could think about was watching her ride Sugar around those barrels, her long legs gripping the horse when he wished it was him, and kissing her silly until the stars went dark.
Truly only a fantasy because he’d never carried that through. Probably the biggest mistake of his life.
I’m going to finish something I started ten years ago.
If you had kissed me then, I probably would never have left.
Dammit.
He could not exist on the hope of a fantasy any longer.
Several long minutes passed before she turned off her vehicle lights. The darkness and silence elevated and heightened his sense of awareness. Of how close she was, but so far away. It was about all he could stand, waiting. Anticipating. Wondering what was going to happen next.
Blowing out a breath, he flipped on the porch lights, opened the front door, and stepped out onto the wide wooden stoop.
She got out of the truck. The cab light came on, and then off, as she shut the door.
Callie made her toward the cabin and up the steps. In seconds, she was standing before him. He waited for her to say something.
She didn’t.
“What are you doing here, Callie?”
That broke the ice. She exhaled, long. “Murphy, don’t send me back. I want to talk with you.”
“Talk.”
“Yes.”
“About.”
“Us.”
“There is no us.”
She huffed out another breath and brought her hands to her waist, fiddling with her fingers. “I…God, Murphy, may I come in?”
“Are you leaving?”
“Wh— When? Now?”
“No. Forever.”
“Yes. I mean…Murphy, let me explain.”
He turned on his heel and went back inside the cabin, slamming the door behind him.
****
Callie stared at the door. Now what?
She could barge in. She could camp out on the porch. Or in the truck. Or she could leave. The last one wasn’t an option—she didn’t want to make her way back down in the dark, and she didn’t want to give up.
Not yet.
But standing there wasn’t going to get her anywhere.
Suddenly, the door swept open with Murphy framed by the inside light. “Get in here, Callie.”
She heaved a sigh of relief and followed him inside. He shut and latched the door behind them.
It had been years since she’d been inside Parker’s cabin, but not a lot had changed. Same rustic furniture, a few books, one lone picture on the wall. “Parker needs to get a woman up here to decorate,” she muttered.
“Like that is going to happen,” Murphy said. “He’s about as burned-out on trying to have a love life as I am.”
She looked at Murphy full on. Funny, she had never even considered her brother had a love life, let alone Murphy. What in the hell had she been thinking about either of them all these years?
“Parker says you love me,” she blurted out.
His cheeks flamed, but he didn’t stop looking at her.
“Brody said it, too.”
“What the hell.”
“They were trying to talk some sense into me.”
He snorted. “Did it work?”
Callie didn’t immediately respond. “Maybe.”
Murphy stared at her. “Go on. Talk.”
All right. She lifted her chin. “Do you love me, Murphy? Have you been in love with me all these years?” No use beating around the bush. She’d thought about this the entire ride up, but everything she’d wanted to say flew out the window once this conversation started.
“Yes.”
Whoa. She hadn’t expected him to come straight out and—
Murphy reached for her hand. Callie stepped back and put up hers. “Wait, Murphy. There is something I want to say.”
“Then say it.”
“I’m still leaving. I’m here for two weeks, but I have to go back to New York. I’ve promised Parker I will help him any way I can and I will be back more often, but I have obligations….”
“Do you love me?”
“What?”
“Do. You. Love. Me?” He drew out each word.
Callie lifted her chin, looked Murphy square in the eyes, and said, “I think I do.”
“You think you do.”
“Yes.”
“I think you can be more specific.”
“What?”
He drew closer. The heat of his body made her catch her breath. “How do you feel about me, Callie?”
“I…” She clamped her mouth shut and stared. “Oh, all right, dammit! I love you!”
She watched Murphy’s body physically relax, and a big goofy grin spread across his face. “You are adorable.”
“No, I’m stubborn.”
He moved closer and grasped both of her elbows, drawing her into him. “Adorably stubborn.” He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. “I love you, Callie McKenna.”
She sighed. “Ah, Murphy…I love you too. I probably always have loved you and was just too naïve and obstinate to realize it. It was a different and scary time back then. I didn’t even know what love was, but I knew if I gave into what I was feeling….”
“That you’d never be able to get out from under Liz’s thumb. That you’d never be able to leave.”
She nodded. “You know me better than I know myself.”
“You could be right about that.”
She paused, searching his face. “But it’s not so easy, Murphy. There are things to deal with. Decisions that—”
Before she could say another word, Murphy swept her off her feet and carried her into the master bedroom.