Everywhere she looked, Chloe was reminded of Easton. Even now, as she stood at the kitchen sink arranging the wildflowers she’d picked in the field behind the cabin, she noticed the flax petals were the same blue as his eyes. A pine-scented breeze drifted through the open kitchen window, ruffling her hair still damp from the outdoor shower she’d taken. Despite Easton’s enthusiastic recommendation, she’d been hesitant at first, but at the thought of chemicals damaging her skin, she’d given in.
Once she was out there, standing naked under the soft, warm water with only the majestic mountains and their snow-covered peaks as her witness, she understood what Easton meant. She felt free. No paparazzi to worry about or judgmental neighbors, just her and nature. She snorted a laugh at the thought. She must have spring fever, there was no other explanation. Well, there was, but she thought it was a little early to be thinking about the L word.
Chloe hadn’t felt this peaceful in…Gosh, she couldn’t remember how long it had been. Every minute of every day for the last five years had been consumed by her career, wanting to get ahead, wanting to impress, wanting to be the best. The pressure of staying relevant in Hollywood was exhausting, and she hadn’t realized how exhausted she was until today. And she had no doubt, as difficult as it had been to hear, that learning her heart wasn’t to blame for her attacks contributed to her more tranquil state of mind, too.
If it wasn’t for Easton pushing the issue, she’d still be walking around thinking she had a time-bomb in her chest. She froze mid-step, wondering if that was just one more sign that he might be her one. Unlike that long-ago spring when he’d been her sister’s.
Chloe buried her face in the wildflowers as she carried the vase to the kitchen table, inhaling their sweet scent in an effort to avoid thinking of Cat. But her brain wouldn’t cooperate, and neither would her stomach. Ever since Easton left, she’d had an uneasy feeling something wasn’t right with her sister. A feeling Chloe had spent the morning ignoring.
Because the stories about the psychic connection between identical twins were true. At least they were for Cat and Chloe. She’d experienced her sister’s heartache over Michael as if it were her own. And while Cat never came out and admitted it, Chloe was positive her sister had felt her pain over the years, too.
Then again, the heavy weight taking up residence in Chloe’s stomach might be nothing more than guilt. After all, even if it was with the best intentions, she’d planned to break up Cat and Grayson. At the thought, a sense of panic shattered her earlier contentment. She should have come straight out and told Easton the win-Cat-back plan was off before he left for work. No, she was being silly, she reassured herself. She had nothing to worry about. Not after the kiss they shared and Easton’s promise for this evening.
And that’s what she wanted to focus on, a wonderful night of delicious food, a walk under the stars while they talked about their day. And then they’d end the night in bed. She glanced at her watch. It was almost noon, and she was past ready for her lunch date with her mother. At least as far as her face and outfit were concerned, she was ready. The yellow racer-back sundress with the zip front she had on was sexy, her red shoes totes fab. Sadly, she couldn’t say the same for her hair. She’d blown a fuse with her professional blow-dryer and had to settle for pulling back her unruly mane in a ponytail.
Checking out her chipped red-polished fingernails as she reached for her cell phone, she wondered if she could convince her mother to stop at Ty’s salon before lunch. The household chores were playing havoc on her manicure. She picked up her ringing cell. “I was just going to call you. Are you on your way?” she asked, when her mother’s voice came over the line.
“Darling, I’m afraid I have to cancel.”
“Oh, no, Mommsy, I’m so disappointed.” She wasn’t. She’d been afraid their entire lunch-date conversation would revolve around her “attacks,” but she made sure to sound like she was. “Are you all right?”
“No. I mean, yes, I am. But I have devastating news. The worst news ever. Prepare yourself, darling. Are you sitting?”
Out of habit, Chloe’s hand went to her chest, and she sank down on the couch. “Yes, tell me.”
“It’s…There’s no easy way to say this. Grayson left Cat.”
“What!” Chloe’s heart started to beat triple time against her ribs, and she fell limply against the back of the couch, weakly flapping her hand in front of her face.
“Just breathe, darling. I knew I shouldn’t have told you.”
“I’m…I’m okay. Is Kit Kat all right?”
“I have no idea. She won’t answer her phone. You know what she’s like when she’s upset. She shuts down. But I spoke to Chance, and he says Easton’s with her.”
Chloe jerked upright. “Easton’s with Kit Kat?”
“Yes, he’s such a good boy. I feel better knowing she has him to lean on. But I’m heading to the ranch right now and getting to the bottom of this. I guarantee Estelle has something to do with Grayson leaving. She’s never approved of his relationship with…” For several beats, all she heard was the sound of Liz breathing. Chloe chewed anxiously on her bottom lip. Her mother knew her a little too well. “Chloe, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, would you?”
“Of course I don’t. I’ve been here the entire time. Stuck out in the middle of nowhere minding my own business.”
“Umhm, you have. And that’s something else I want to talk to you about. But I don’t have time right now.” Chloe collapsed against the back of the couch, sending up a silent prayer of thanks as her mother continued. “I’ll call you once I’ve spoken to Cat. You should call your sister, darling. She needs your support now more than ever. She’s always been there for you, you know.”
A twinge of guilt pinched Chloe’s heart at the reminder. It was true. Cat had always been there for her. And as soon as Chloe disconnected from her mother, she punched in Estelle’s number.
Her manager picked up on the first ring. “We did it, my dear. Grayson packed his bags twenty minutes ago and left the ranch.”
Afraid she was about to hyperventilate, Chloe stretched out on the couch. “What did you do?” she whispered.
“Are you all right, my dear? You sound—”
“Estelle, what did you do?” Chloe shrieked into the phone. At her manager’s affronted harrumph, Chloe winced and, with some effort, calmed herself. “I’m sorry. It’s just…Can you please tell me what happened?”
“No apologies necessary, my dear. I’m sure the excitement got the better of you. And really, I can’t take all the credit. The poem you sent your sister from the McBride boy did the trick. All I had to do was casually bring it to Grayson’s attention.”
Chloe whimpered, biting down on her knuckle to keep from yelling as Estelle continued. “You would have been quite proud of me. Your sister left her phone in the kitchen, and I pretended that I thought it was mine. When I found the poem, I went on about it as if Fred sent it to me. Then I made a horrified face, it was quite brilliant. Anyway, at that point, your sister realized the jig was up. I must say, though, I felt terribly bad for my grandson. He didn’t deserve to be treated—”
“Estelle, my sister didn’t do anything wrong. It was us!”
“Really, my dear, you sound quite overwrought.”
“Where are you?” Please don’t be at the…
“I’m at the ranch. Grayson was so upset, he forgot me. And he’s not taking my calls. Perhaps I should have curbed my enthusiasm, but—”
“Estelle, my mother’s on her way to the ranch. You have to leave before she gets there.” Her manager didn’t stand a chance against Liz. “Get one of the ranch hands to bring you into town. Tell them it’s an emergency.” It wasn’t far enough away. Liz would track her down. “You know, Estelle, it’s probably best if you head back to LA. Between the problems with the perfume and all the bad publicity, I really need you there taking care of my interests. I’ll book a flight for you now. Take a taxi from town to the airport.” Chloe was talking so fast that she could barely catch her breath.
“No, that won’t do. Not at all. I can’t leave my grandson in his hour of need.”
“I’ll…I’ll take care of Grayson.”
“Ah, I see where you’re headed with this. You’re right, it’s the perfect way for you to get closer to him. Brilliant, my dear.”
“Yes, yes it is. Now get Fluffy and run to the barn. Don’t waste time packing, I’ll send you your things.” When the older woman started to waffle, Chloe said, “Estelle, trust me, you do not want to be there when my mother arrives.”
While Chloe was booking Estelle’s flight, she heard a vehicle coming down the gravel road. Thinking it might be her mother, she rushed to the kitchen window. It was Easton’s red truck, followed by Cat’s black SUV. Chloe ducked down.
Easton knew she’d sent the poem, but surely, since he was in on the plan from the beginning, he wouldn’t tell her sister. And while Chloe worried about her family’s reaction to what she had done, a bigger concern reared its ugly head. What if she’d misread the signs, the meaning behind Easton’s kiss, his promise of this morning? She’d done so in the past, and if she’d done it again, Easton now had the perfect opportunity to make a move on her sister. And it was Chloe’s fault. Everything was falling apart. What had possessed her to come up with the idea in the first place? While protecting Cat may have played a part in it, Chloe had to be honest with herself. She’d been jealous of what Cat had and wanted it for herself. And now that she’d possibly found it…
Chloe inched up, hiding behind the upper cabinet to stay out of sight. Easton thought she was at lunch with her mother and wouldn’t be expecting to see her. Until she had a better handle on the situation, Chloe planned to keep it that way. They got out of their vehicles, and Easton joined her sister on the gravel drive. The first thing Chloe noticed was that her sister didn’t appear to be too broken up. Which on one hand relieved Chloe, while on the other, it made her nervous.
“You sure you don’t mind helping me out?” Easton asked her sister. Chloe was happy to see he’d changed from his riding gear into a navy T-shirt and jeans.
But really, what on earth was her sister wearing? She had on faded jeans with a pastel plaid shirt Chloe was sure she’d worn in the nineties. A sisters’ shopping trip was in order. If Cat wanted to win back her fiancé, she had to start putting some effort into her appearance. Unless she had her sights set on Easton, who’d probably approve of her laid-back look. Chloe’s chest tightened at the depressing thought.
“No, I’m glad of the distraction.” Cat held up a hand when Easton went to speak. “I don’t want to talk about it, okay?”
Easton shrugged. “Works for me.”
Well, it didn’t work for Chloe. She wanted to know what was going on in her sister’s head.
Cat crossed her arms and looked around. “My sister doesn’t do small, does she?”
Was that sarcasm she heard in Cat’s voice? Chloe leaned closer to the screen and squinted, trying to get a better look at her sister’s face.
“Nope, she went all out. And if you think this is something, you should see what she did inside.”
A smug smile tugged on Chloe’s lips. At least Easton appreciated her efforts. Then at the thought of them coming inside, she turned from the window, looking for a place to hide.
“Aside from the unfortunate color choice, it’s kind of a shame you’re tearing it down.”
He’s what? Chloe whipped her head around. She couldn’t have heard that right.
But Easton grimaced as he and Cat began walking toward the cabin. “The new place won’t be ready for a couple months. I’ll decide what to do then.”
“Paul showed me the architect’s drawings. The house looks amazing. You must be getting excited.”
“It’ll be nice to have the extra space…and indoor plumbing.” He laughed.
Chloe gaped at him through the window. How could he lie to her like that? Lie to all the men who’d come to help a fellow vet in financial trouble?
“I wish you would have gotten a picture of Chloe’s face when you told her she’d have to use an outhouse. I didn’t think she’d last a day.” Cat shook her head with a laugh. “So where’s the cow and chickens we’re supposed to be moving?”
Easton lifted his chin. “Out back.”
The rest of their conversation was nothing but a low murmur as they walked around the side of the house. Chloe ran to the bedroom and opened the window, standing to the side to stay out of sight. She heard Cat laugh. “And she really believed you lived off the land and were raising a cow and chickens?” Again with a disbelieving head shake. “Too bad she’ll be leaving now that she got what she wanted and Grayson and I are split up. You could have done a reality show.”
How rude…and mean! But hearing the pain in her sister’s voice, a thread of guilt wound its way through Chloe’s anger. Not only had Easton played her, he’d told Cat what Chloe had done. Though she wasn’t exactly thrilled with her sister’s mean-spirited remarks, she supposed she couldn’t blame her.
As they walked past the hot tub, Easton put a hand on Cat’s shoulder. “I’m sorry about you and Grayson. If I had known Chloe was going to send you that poem and buy you the Sig, I would have stopped her.”
“It’s not your fault. I practically had to twist your arm to get you to go along with her plan and have her stay with you. I should have listened to you and told Ty to disinvite her from the grand opening and put her on the first plane back to LA.”
Chloe covered her mouth; reaching with her other hand for the edge of the mattress she slowly lowered herself onto the bed.
Easton put both hands on Cat’s shoulders. “Let me call Grayson; I’ll explain everything to him.”
“I told him there was nothing going on between us, Easton. If he can’t trust me enough to believe me, then we shouldn’t be together. I don’t know why I’m surprised. Look at how he’s reacted to me working on the Martinez security detail. He doesn’t even trust me to do my job.”
“Come on, you know he loves you. He’s just trying to protect you.”
Cat rested her forehead against Easton’s chest and shook her head. He put his arms around her. Her sister looked up at him, her gaze roaming his face. Then she lifted up on her toes and put her arms around Easton’s neck and…Chloe rubbed her eyes. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Easton was kissing her sister. It was like she’d been hurled seventeen years into the past and was watching her dreams shatter all over again. Her throat aching and her eyes burning, she raised her cell phone. If she was ever stupid enough to believe in signs and Easton McBride again, all she had to do was look at the picture she’d just taken.
She turned away from the window and packed her bags. Wiping furiously at her eyes, she grabbed the handles of her suitcases. As she walked toward the front door, she took one last look around the small space. In a matter of months, Easton would level it. Somehow it seemed fitting. At least she wouldn’t be here to see the destruction he left behind.
Fighting the temptation to slam the door, she quietly closed it. She wouldn’t give her sister or Easton the satisfaction of seeing the devastation their betrayal had wrought. The bags thumped on each step as she dragged them behind her and headed down the road. Dust kicked up from the gravel, covering her luggage in a thin layer of grime. Halfway down the gravel drive, she was out of breath. She didn’t dare stop. Even as sweat trickled down her face, stinging her eyes, she trudged onward toward the shimmering blacktop in the distance. She told herself the erratic beat of her pulse had nothing to do with her heart. It was a result of her humiliation and anger at the thought of Easton and Cat cooking up their scheme and laughing at her.
In the distance, she heard Bessie moo, and Easton and Cat laugh. Chloe quickened her pace and hit a rut. She turned her ankle and winced in pain. Looking down, she released a small cry of frustration. She’d broken her heel! She lifted her foot and reached back to snap it off, then threw it in a ditch and hobbled on. And with every uneven step she took, she got angrier.
Once she reached the main road, her blood was practically boiling, and she dug her phone from her purse. She glanced back at the gravel drive, limping a few yards to a weeping willow that would hide her from view. She texted Grayson, attaching the photo. I’m sorry, but you deserve to know. She typed, then shoved her phone back in her purse and stuck out her thumb.