Page 7 of Call It Love (Sterling Mill #5)

Anna

It took all of my restraint not to flinch under Chase’s gaze.

Ingrained habits die hard.

For years, I had trained myself to measure my words and to only ask questions that were tailored to what Mason wanted to hear. If it didn’t serve his purpose, it wasn’t worth speaking.

He never hit me. No bruises as proof of the narcissism that defined my husband. But I’d learned the hard way that some wounds ran deeper than the skin. Mason’s condescension was designed to make me doubt myself. To make me feel small.

Eventually, it had worked.

I knew Chase must be curious about why I was back in Sterling Mill after all this time. It had been months since Mason died. And never in the time that he was alive had I visited without him. And despite what my father believed, that wasn’t my choice.

It’s only Chase , I reminded myself.

But that was a problem in and of itself. Because Chase was the one person who, at least in the past, had known me better than anyone. If he looked too closely, he might see how damaged I was.

I swallowed and forced a smile on my lips.

“I hope you don’t mind. I made some more coffee. Would you like some?”

“I’ve already had some.”

“Oh. Of course. You’ve probably been up for hours. I didn’t mean to sleep so late. I guess I was more tired than I realized. Usually, I’m up at the crack of dawn. I’m used to being busy, and it was always easier if I got up before…”

I snapped my mouth shut, my heart lurching. Damn it! Years of carefully chosen words, and now I decided to find my voice?

Chase’s eyes narrowed, and I held my breath. Please don’t read between the lines.

“Before what?”

“Oh, you know,” I waved my hand, forcing a lightness I didn’t feel. “Before the day got carried away with meetings, luncheons, or volunteer work. You’d be surprised at how busy I stayed as a Representative’s wife.”

He nodded and didn’t push further, but I could tell by the way he pressed his lips together that he didn’t believe my answer.

I needed something to do with my hands, so I crossed to the sink and washed my mug, then picked up another that had been left.

The silence stretched between us, and I soon emptied the sink of dishes.

With nothing else to distract me from Chase’s nearly overwhelming presence, I stared out the large window above the sink.

“I always loved this kitchen,” I murmured. “I missed having a farm sink and a big window to look out of. But I guess it didn’t matter since I didn’t have to do any dishes anymore.”

“Oh?”

I felt the heat creep up my neck. God, Anna. Shut up!

But Chase made me nervous. Or maybe it was that I was comfortable. That was even more dangerous.

“We had a housekeeper, and Mason insisted I was not to interact with the… help. ” My nose wrinkled at the last word.

The memory of some of the arguments we’d had over his treatment of them made my stomach twist. I’d never thought of the staff members as beneath me, but Mason certainly did.

And he made sure I understood the rules.

Chase’s lips twitched. “Feel free to wash any dishes while you’re here,” he teased.

For the first time in what felt like ages, I let myself smile. A real one. “I guess we’ll have to get some dirty, then.”

For a fleeting second, it felt like a decade hadn’t passed between us. But then reality came crashing back.

“I mean, not that I’ll be here long enough to create any. Of course, I’ll wash what I use, but?—”

“Anna…”

“I mean, obviously I can’t stay, I just?—”

“ Anna .”

His voice had an edge to it. I snapped my eyes to his, semi-frozen by his tone.

Of course, he noticed it, and immediately he relaxed his stance. “You’re welcome here. I mean it.” His voice was gentler now, but his eyes held steady. “But I have to ask, why are you here?”

“I told you. I startled a deer and ran off the road.”

“That’s not the entire story, and you know it. Why were you out in that weather? ”

I hesitated. “I was going to my parents.”

His jaw flexed. “Bullshit, Anna. You were headed away from their farm. I swear you’re welcome here. But why do I sense there’s more to the story than what you’re telling me? Are you in trouble?”

My hands began to tremble. I forced them to cross in front of me, pressing them tightly against my ribcage.

“Did something happen? Are your parents okay?”

A lump formed in my throat. I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out.

As if he sensed my distress, Jack let out a soft whine and got up from the floor. He pushed his head underneath my palm, his fur warm and soft beneath my fingers. I spread them wide, scratching his silky coat, and focused on the steady rise and fall of his chest.

Chase watched me carefully, his expression unreadable.

“You’re safe here,” he breathed. “Trust me.”

His words were the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. The pressure behind my eyes became unbearable, and before I could fight them, tears welled up and spilled over.

“Anna,” he whispered, and suddenly he was there, his gentle fingertips catching the tears.

Before I could stop him, Chase gathered me into his arms, never flinching as the dam burst. I soaked his shirt with my tears, probably mixed with snot. But all he did was run soothing hands up and down my back, a safe harbor in the storm.

Finally, the tidal wave of emotion slowed, and I managed to draw some shaky breaths. I pulled back, mortified to see the messy stains on his shirt.

“I’m…I’m sorry.” I pulled away and walked to the sink, where I grabbed a dishtowel. “Here, let me?— ”

But Chase followed me, catching my wrist and turning me gently to face him. He pulled the towel from my fingers and tossed it aside. His hands closed around mine, gentle but firm.

“Anna, stop. It’s all right.”

His voice was steady, sure. His calmness helped me nod in agreement.

He gently steered me toward the living room and eased me onto the couch before slipping into the kitchen. A few minutes later, he returned and placed a warm mug in my hands.

“Chamomile,” he said, a soft smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You once swore it helps to calm nerves.”

I blinked as a forgotten memory stirred.

Uncle James knew just about everything about growing trees, but he didn’t pay much attention to edible plants other than a basic vegetable garden.

So, I brought a box containing small pots of various herbs and other useful plants with me on one of my visits to the farm.

The three of us—James, Chase, and I—sat on the porch while I explained the many uses of each.

Uncle James listened indulgently, but I remember Chase soaking in every word.

“You remember,” I whispered.

“I remember everything,” he answered.

I wasn’t sure if his words scared me…or made me feel safer.

“I had to leave Nashville,” I finally said. “I didn’t know where else to go. So, I came back to where I still think of as home.”

Chase nodded, but didn’t say anything, as if he sensed any interruption might cause me to shut down. But I wanted him to understand. Needed him to.

I exhaled slowly, clasping the warm mug between my palms. “I’ve been locked in a legal battle since Mason’s death.

I had a copy of a will that named me as his sole inheritor.

But his parents produced another will, one that declared them the beneficiaries.

It was made years before mine. Seems like an open and shut case, right?

Mine was more recent and should be the final word. ” I dared a glance at Chase.

His eyes had grown darker, wariness furrowing his brow, but he remained silent.

“To make a long story short, the will that named me beneficiary was ruled invalid.” I let out a bitter laugh.

“According to the lawyers, it was never properly executed. Turns out the two witnesses who signed it? Fake names. I did everything I could to find them. But they don’t exist. Without legitimate witnesses, the whole thing fell apart. ”

Chase had stiffened at my side. When he finally spoke, his words sounded carefully measured. “What do you mean?”

I shook my head, swallowing back the shame.

“Mason was full of tricks. He never meant for me to inherit anything. But little na?ve me trusted him. I should have been smarter, but at that point, he was still playing the doting husband. It never occurred to me he’d do anything so underhanded, at least not then.

” I took a shaky breath as my chest tightened.

“I was left with nothing. No house. Almost no savings. Practically nothing but the clothes on my back and the car that somehow was in my name. And Jack. Thank God no one else wanted him, or they would have taken him, too, just to be cruel.”

Chase’s jaw clenched, a muscle ticking beneath his skin. “That son of a bitch.”

I swallowed hard and forced myself to continue.

“Out of the ‘kindness of their hearts,’” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm, “Mason’s parents ‘gave’ me some money.

Their words, not mine. It was just a PR move, an attempt to make them look like the loving and charitable in-laws instead of the vultures they really are.

” Bile rose in my throat. “I didn’t want to take it.

I didn’t want anything from them. But I need to pay my lawyer and some other bills.

It left me with almost nothing. I hoped to stay with my parents until I figured out my next move.

But they—or rather my father—wasn’t receptive to the idea. ”

Chase’s gaze sharpened. “He turned you away?”

I hesitated before nodding, the sting of the rejection cutting as deep today as last night. “He thinks I betrayed him by leaving. He’s already distrustful, especially of anyone in the government. In his eyes, I became one of them.”

Chase muttered a curse and shook his head. “Unbelievable.” Then his eyes softened with something that looked like regret. Maybe pity. “Tell me you understand none of this is your fault.”

I bit my lip, shrugging. “Maybe not what Mason did, but I’m the one who allowed him to lure me away from here and to stay with him.”

His eyes narrowed slightly as his jaw worked, like he was trying to hold back what he really wanted to say.

“Anna,” he finally said in a firm voice, “I don’t know what he said to you.

But I know the man Mason was. He manipulated you.

He twisted things until you couldn’t tell the difference between your own thoughts and his. ”

I looked away, swallowing hard. “I wish…I wish I had made so many different choices.”

Especially about you.

Something flickered across Chase’s face. Maybe pain. Or regret. For a second, I allowed myself to wonder if he wished the same. But it disappeared so quickly, I thought maybe I imagined it. Enough time had passed. He had surely moved on from any feelings about me, good or—hopefully—bad.

I squared my shoulders, not wanting to feel sorry for myself. My father was right about one thing. I’d made my bed. Now it was time to change the sheets.

“I’ll figure something out. I just need to consider my options. I thought maybe I’d stay at The Dogtrot for a couple of days. Maybe reach out to a friend back in Nashville.”

Even as I said it, I inwardly shuddered at the idea.

I loved Mallory, but no part of me wanted to go back to the place where people would know my face, where they whispered speculations about why I no longer ran in the same circles.

Mason was the guilty one, but I was the one who had to withstand the rumors.

“You can stay here,” Chase said.

I shook my head. While a part of me wanted to, it wasn’t a good idea. “You’ve been very generous, but I think it’s better if I leave. If you help me pull my car out with one of your trucks, I can get out of your hair.”

“Already done. I had it towed into town early this morning to make sure there was no damage.”

Inwardly, I sighed. That would be another expense, but he was right. I just needed to press for one more thing, then I could leave him alone. “Thank you. Could I ask for one more favor?”