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“Because I didn’t want you to. You were engaged to another man. I thought you actually had the perfect life. But if I had known he was a dick, that he wasn’t making you happy, I would have started taking you with me,” he answered angrily. “I would have done everything in my power to get you away from him.”
Ally felt tears well up in her eyes, the knowledge that Travis had been there all that time wanting her nearly breaking her. She knew how she felt about him now, and if he’d felt even a small portion of what she felt for him, it had to have been difficult. “I wasn’t happy. Rick and I hadn’t even tried to have sex in two years. He made excuses, but I knew—”
“Don’t, Ally. Don’t think about him,” Travis barked.
“I don’t hear his voice anymore, Travis. And I’m actually grateful he made me leave him. It doesn’t hurt anymore,” she told him honestly.
“Whose voice do you hear?” he asked in a voice cracking with emotion.
“Mine.” Ally looked at his profile, his jaw clenched tightly. He obviously still couldn’t stand to think about her ex. “And sometimes I hear yours. Especially the naughty things.” She watched as he relaxed in his seat, his face softening.
“I wanted to kill the bastard for what he’d done. He’s lucky he just lost his job and his woman—if you can even call her that. Christ! She was barely eighteen,” Travis grumbled.
“How do you know that?” Ally inquired, slightly stunned that Travis knew about the other woman in Rick’s life.
“Because I filtered the right information to the head of his practice to get him fired, and then I bribed the woman to leave him. She was young, and dazzled by the fact that an educated man was interested in her. He’d fed her some line of bullshit about you, and she believed it because she was young and clueless. She never really knew the truth about you. She was mortified, Ally. I didn’t want her to destroy her life with an asshole. She was too damn young. I paid her tuition to go to college, provided she stayed away from him. She took the deal, and she told me she’d never see him again anyway.”
Ally stared at Travis for a moment, completely blown away. It was hard for her to feel sorry for Rick since she’d worked her ass off for years for him. And he’d get another job. Just not one as prestigious as the one he’d landed after college. But the fact that Travis had saved a young woman from Rick’s manipulative behavior touched her. “I knew she was young, but not that young. Thank you. He would have destroyed her.” Rick had nearly destroyed her, and she was older and wiser. She could imagine what damage he could do to a woman that young and naïve.
“You’re not pissed off?”
“No. Rick will get another job, but he might have to work a little harder. I can’t be sad about that. Maybe he’ll be too busy to go after barely legal women. But what you did for that girl is amazing. You’re amazing,” she breathed softly, knowing this wasn’t the first young woman he’d rescued. He’d also helped two young Indian women escape a bad fate when he’d been helping Asha.
Travis shrugged, looking almost embarrassed. “I thought it was the right thing to do.”
“It was,” Ally agreed, her chest tightening when she looked at Travis. He had so much integrity, so much hidden compassion inside him. And he never sought anything in return, never wanted recognition for the good things he did. In fact, he avoided the attention. Travis Harrison did what he thought was right, because of his sense of honor. “You’re one hell of a man, Travis Harrison.”
“I’m an asshole, Ally. And everyone knows it. But if you think that, I’m glad you’re delusional,” he said with a smirk. “Whatever it takes to keep you,” he added in a more serious tone.
Ally rolled her eyes. “And you think I’m delusional?” But her whole body flushed with pleasure. “Oh look! We’re coming up on the Eisenhower Tunnel,” she exclaimed, seeing the sign that they were getting close.
Travis shook his head, and smiled. “I didn’t realize you’d get excited over a big hole in a mountain.”
Ally gave him an admonishing look. “You’re cynical because you’ve traveled all over the world. The tunnel is incredible. It will take us right underneath the Continental Divide. And it tops out at over eleven thousand feet high. It’s one of the highest and longest vehicular tunnels in the world, Travis.”
“You did your research.”
“Of course I did. And it wasn’t research. It was fun. I’ve never been to Colorado. It’s beautiful here.”
“You might not think so when the snow starts to fly,” Travis answered wryly.
“I’ve never seen snow,” Ally answered wistfully.
“You will. You’ll be going everywhere with me from now on.” His statement sounded almost like a warning.
Ally thrilled at Travis’s possessive tone of voice as they entered the Eisenhower Tunnel. “This is incredible. We’re actually going right through a mountain,” she mused, thinking about how surreal it seemed to be in another part of the country, an area so different from Florida. “What’s it like in Rocky Springs? How big is the ranch?”
She’d only met Tate Colter a few times in passing, occasions where he stopped into the office to see Travis. He was blond, big, and gorgeous. But the only thing she’d really remembered was his incredible gray eyes and how polite he’d always been to her.
“Ranches,” Travis corrected her. “The town is small, but the Colters own over a thousand acres right outside of the town. They all have a ranch there. And then there’s a guest ranch, a spa, and ski resort. They have hot springs that run through the area.”
“Exactly how many Colters are there?” Ally had never known Tate even had siblings.
“Tate’s father is dead. But his mom still lives in the old homestead ranch near the resort with his sister. And he has three other brothers.”
“All wealthy, I’m guessing,” Ally mused.
“The Colters have been wealthy for generations. Their ancestors settled the town during the gold rush, and they were all innovative and started up some very prosperous ventures. So yeah, they’re all obscenely rich.” He hesitated for a moment before adding, “But they’re great people, too.”