Page 103 of Hidden Resolution

“But…” she hedged.

Hope was a funny thing. It refused to let one wallow in self-pity or let go when they probably should. Mason sucked in his breath, raised his head, and waited.

“I suppose if you happened to overhear me telling the moving men the address, I wouldn’t exactly betray her trust,” she said slyly.

He jumped up and planted a big smacking kiss on her.

“Hey!” Zack protested, strolling in at the wrong moment.

“Yeah, up yours, dickhead.” With a grin and a flip of the bird, Mason settled in to wait for the movers. “By the way, I’m going to need to take time off.”

Erica smacked him upside the head. “Smarten up and apologize to her for chasing her away.”

He scowled but was thankful she hadn’t done worse.

“If you hurt her again, Mason, I swear by all that’s holy, I will tear you apart. Piece by piece, starting with your balls. Understand?” she promised.

“Christ, you’re scary,” he muttered, holding up his hands when she would’ve smacked him again. “I understand. Swear! And I won’t hurt her ever again.”

“Good. But know I’ll be sharpening my garden shears just in case.”

30

As the moving van pulled up in front of the driveway to the home she’d leased, Shonda swallowed the impulse to tell them to turn around and head back to Stonebrooke. She’d been gone for less than a week, and she missed her small hometown. Although she’d settled on Thornton, a place thirty minutes from the bigger city of Denver, the population was larger than she was used to.

But it was a new life, right?

She must remember the transition was for the best.

Firming her resolve, she opened the garage door for the movers. When a car pulled up behind the truck and Mason unfolded his tall form from the driver’s side, she checked the desire to hit the button to lock him out. She was also reeling in shock.

But then her anger blazed.

What the hell was he doing here? And why now? How had he found her? Two people knew of her location, which meant either Erica or Dane was the rat fink. They’d have words later, when she was unpacked.

Across the distance, he met her furious gaze. He was damn lucky she didn’t have power tools, or even a single hammer,in her garage yet. The temptation to inflict bodily harm for disrupting her new life would be too hard to resist.

Breaking his hypnotic hold, she greeted the approaching driver and did her best to ignore Mason, who was stalking her way.

“Why did you leave Stonebrooke?” Mason demanded after the man went about his business of directing his team.

She stared at him, incredulous. “You traveled halfway across the country to ask me an asinine question?”

“Answer me, Shonda.”

Of all the fucking nerve!

“No. I don’t think I will.” She lifted her chin and pivoted to leave.

He caught her arm, his firm grip inescapable.

“Please,” he said, softer. His expression changed from autocratic to yielding, the steel in his gaze giving way to warmth.

Butterflies woke in her belly, and she wished they’d go right back to sleep. She had plenty of crap on her plate without fighting her body’s responses.

But really, why did he have to make her life difficult? Was his ego so fucking fragile that he needed to hunt her down and assure himself she was pining for him? Was it to completely crush her spirit in some twisted, sick game? She wished him to perdition.

“Mason, this is ridiculous and redundant. I don’t know why you’re here, and I’m past caring. Take a page from my book and move on.”