Page 60 of Smoky Mountain K-9

“Yes. He’s good with the older riders. I wouldn’t put a child on him. But our military guys love him.” She cast a glance at him. “But you didn’t come here to talk about my horse.”

No, he didn’t. Taking a deep breath, he dove in head first. “I’m sorry. You were right, and I should have listened to you.”

Her movements slowed, then picked up again, and she stayed silent.

“I let my fears override my brain, and the very thing I was trying to avoid came true.”

She stopped and turned to look at him. “If something hadn’t happened, would you have come back?”

“I always intended to. Stepping back from your life was only temporary.”

Mara waved the comb at him. “See, that’s the problem. You thought you could dictate how our relationship would work. That’s why I’m upset still. I’m not interested in being lorded over, Carter. This is either an equal partnership or we aren’t a thing. You can’t make unilateral decisions that affect both of us.”

He’d come to that realization himself when she gave him one and two-word answers when he called the other day. But he’d convinced himself staying away was best for her. In reality, he’d just been scared by the feelings she made him feel.

Carter walked forward and took her hands, comb and all. “I know I was wrong, and I’m sorry. I truly do want what’s best for you, but I promise never to make that kind of decision on my own again. We’ll always discuss it first. I want us to be a team. You mean a lot to me, Mara. I don’t want to lose you. Not to some crazed idiot out for revenge, and certainly not to my own stupidity.”

A soft smile crossed her face. “I’ll make sure to call you out on your stupidity. So long as you listen to me, we should be fine.”

“Oh, really?” A low chuckle emanated from his chest. He tugged her into his body and wrapped his arms around her. Sobering, he stared down at her. “I truly am sorry, Mara. Can we start over?”

Bright blue eyes studied him for a long moment before she nodded. “Yeah. I think that would be great.”

A wide smile split his face, and he leaned down. “Good.” He closed the distance between them and kissed her. Fireworks exploded behind his eyes. He’d missed this. Missed her. He had no intention of ever letting her go again.

Thirty-Three

The ring of Mara’s phone startled her out of the sea of numbers swimming before her eyes. This was the part of her job she hated. Quarterlies. Eyes still on the screen, she lifted the receiver and tucked it into her shoulder. “Mara Roth.”

“Mara, I’m so glad I caught you. The police called and said there was a problem with the check I wrote you?”

Sitting up straight, Mara blinked as her brain switched gears. “Ms. Miller?”

“Yes. Sorry, I forgot to say that, didn’t I? I’m just so upset about this check. They wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. Just that there was a problem, and they needed to speak with me. Can you give me any more information?”

Oh, boy. When she turned that check over to Carter, she hadn’t anticipated Constance Miller calling about it again.

“Well, I’m not too sure what’s going on.” That was the God’s honest truth. “My accountant requested more information before we cashed it. He must have contacted the police for some reason.” That was not the God’s honest truth. “You’ll have to do as the police asked, I’m afraid.” She bit back a snort. They hadn’t asked her to do squat. They couldn’t reach her if they couldn’t find her. Mara didn’t know what game Constance was playing at, but Mara could play too. And by her own set of rules.

“Are you sure? I was hoping to clear this up with a quick meeting. Would you be able to meet me for lunch today?”

Alarm bells went off in Mara’s brain. After everything that had happened and the suspicions surrounding this woman and her money, Mara wasn’t meeting her anywhere. Not alone, anyway. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I’m swamped today. The rest of this week, really. I’m not sure what else I could tell you face-to-face, anyway. I don’t really know any more than you do.”

Constance sighed. “All right. I guess I’ll give that detective a call. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Have a good day.”

“You too.” She hung up.

Mara stared at the receiver as she put it back in the cradle. That was weird. The woman was definitely fishing for information. Hesitating only a moment, she lifted the phone again and called Carter. His cell rang several times before he answered, winded.

“Hey, hon. What’s up? Everything okay?”

“I’m not sure. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Maverick and I went for a run. The vet cleared him for active duty, so I’m out making sure he’s ready.”

“Oh. Is he?”