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“Uncle Colt, what’s wrong?” It was Ben this time.

“I don’t know.” Colt pointed to the kids in turn as he backed toward the door. “Be good for Miss Stella.”

He didn’t wait for a response as he ran after Remi. She might be too far gone, but he wouldn’t stop until he found her.

Chapter29

Remi

Remi pushed the accelerator until Colt was only a speck in the rear-view mirror. The deep breath she’d been holding rushed out, coaxing tears in its wake. What was she doing? Where was she going? Stopping at the main road, she looked left and right. One led into town and the other led farther into the wild.

She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes.Think. Think.The urge to bolt had smacked her in the face on a whim, and once she’d taken that first step, she had to commit.

Her mind had made itself up, hadn’t it?

Obviously not, because she looked left and right again. Where was she going?

Away from Colt. That thought pierced her heart.

The moments alone forced her to really consider her direction. She could still go back, but what would she say? What would he say? He’d tell her again that the simple word–that endearment that she held on to–was only hers. But did she believe it? He’d been calling her princess since the beginning. Had she always been one of many? She wanted to be special and worthy, just this once.

Everything inside her said Colt wasn’t like that. He’d treated her like a prize, and while she’d been afraid to enjoy the attention, he’d always given it without pause.

Gripping the steering wheel, she recalled his kiss from earlier. He’d gotten up early to help Jess check the troughs and feed the horses. When he barreled back into the house later in the morning, he’d swept her up into a toe-curling kiss. The pounding of her pulse in her ears had been deafening as Colt’s healing kiss swept over her. He’d been opening her heart over the last few months, and he’d painstakingly patched the wounds others had left behind. The chains around her heart were falling, one by one, taking with them the pain and scars of the past. It had all been erased in the wake of Colt’s love.

The shock of Camille’s call and the text messages after were enough to throw those walls back up, but a small, pleading part of her hoped it was all a misunderstanding. How could it be? The one endearment Colt held for her was sitting menacingly in the midst of those texts.

The old saying that it was better to have loved and lost than never loved at all was so wrong. She’d gone through life without opening herself up to hurt, and as a result, none of the things people had done to her in the past had hurt like this. The pain was shattering.

Remi rested her forehead against the steering wheel and closed her eyes. She needed to make a decision.

She whispered a prayer into the quiet cab. “God, please lead me. Help me see the truth. I don’t know who to trust, and I’m lost.” Lost was an understatement, but hopefully the Lord knew what was going on.

With a resigned breath, she lifted her head and pulled her phone from her back pocket. One name came to mind, and she pressed the button to call. It was a call for help. A call for wisdom and understanding.

“Hello.”

“Hey, where are you?”

“I was just about to head home. Are you okay?” The friendly voice was a comfort and a reassurance that things might not be as bad as she feared.

“No. Can I come see you?” Remi’s voice was as tender as a child’s. She was seven again and hiding in the bathroom with her knees tucked close to her chest and her hands over her ears. The screaming on the other side of the door made it impossible to hear her own thoughts.

“Sure. I’ll be here. See you in a bit.”

Remi ended the call and turned left. With a destination in mind, she headed into town and parked in front of Camille’s office. If Colt came looking for her, he’d spot his truck in plain sight, but she wanted at least a few minutes to meet with Camille alone.

Pushing open the door, Remi stepped into the vestibule. The old house had been converted into an office, and the former living room was welcoming.

Camille’s assistant, Willa, stood from her desk. A strained grin was the focal point of her expression. “I figured we’d be seeing you today.”

“At least one of us knew.”

Willa jerked her head toward the hallway. “She’s expecting you.”

Remi nodded. She didn’t have the energy for a proper greeting. Her thoughts were tangled up and tied in the current tug-of-war going on in her world.

The young woman waved Remi in. “Can I get you something to drink? Coffee?”