Page 6 of The Forever Cowboy (Noble Ranch #1)

The questions had been swirling through her head, and when Maverick had picked her up to carry her back inside, she hadn’t known how to stop him other than to kiss him.

It had been a horrible thing to do. But in her confusion—and maybe even in her unconscious effort to sabotage the wedding—she’d wondered if what she felt for Sterling could happen with Maverick.

She’d reasoned that Sterling wasn’t so special and that she’d allowed herself to fall for the first man who’d shown interest in her.

The kiss with Maverick had been perfunctory and bland, like kissing a lumpy gourd. The experience had been nothing at all like Sterling’s kisses. Even so, when Sterling had come rushing out of the house after witnessing the kiss with Maverick, she’d pushed him away.

She couldn’t remember everything she’d told him, but the moment had been painful and tense.

She’d run away from him to the barn, where her mother and sister had found her sobbing in a horse stall.

Mother had arranged for the carriage she’d rented to come around to the barn and pick them up and take them back to Breckenridge.

Sterling had tried to talk to her, had come to their house, had begged her not to push him away.

In spite of his pleas, she’d refused to talk to him or see him before she left town for Williamsburg with Mother and Hyacinth.

Even though Sterling had written to her a few times, she hadn’t been able to make herself respond.

There was no doubt about it. Sterling’s accusation that she hadn’t cared about anyone but herself was true. She’d been selfish and had only considered her fears and insecurities.

His dark gaze held no love, no kindness, no pleading now. No, it contained contempt.

“You’re right.” The confession fell out easily. “I only thought about myself. I was horribly selfish.”

Hyacinth shook her head, but thankfully didn’t say more.

He didn’t respond, pressing his lips together with obvious displeasure.

Violet knew the breakup had caused him pain, and she’d wanted to apologize many times over the past months.

But she hadn’t known how to start. This wasn’t exactly the best moment for the long-overdue apology, yet she had to say something.

“I regret the way I handled everything. I should have done so many things differently.”

His gaze was riveted to hers, waiting for more.

“I’m sorry for not being more honest with you earlier in our relationship.”

His jaw twitched.

Was he expecting her to apologize for leaving him? For giving him up? For not going through with marrying him?

Was she sorry for that? Maybe a part of her was. At the very least, she wanted him to understand that she was sorry for how she’d gone about it all.

“I wish I hadn’t been so afraid,” she said hesitantly. “I should have talked with you privately about my feelings, so that you knew it wasn’t you and that the breakup was because of me.”

“I get it.” The bitterness was back in his voice. “You’re apologizing after all this time, tonight…so that I’ll help you.”

“No.” Dismay coursed through her. “That didn’t cross my mind. I was apologizing because you brought up my shortfall of being selfish, and I was agreeing with you.”

“Since you understand my perspective so well, then maybe you’ll understand why I don’t want you here.” His expression was lined with a stubbornness she had forgotten about. Sterling Noble was an obstinate man when he wanted to be.

“Since you clearly want to get rid of me so badly, then fine, I’ll go.” Hyacinth had been right. It had been a mistake to come here.

Sterling didn’t step aside and wave toward the door as she expected. Instead, he seemed to be waiting for her to make the first move.

She needed to buy them more time to come up with a viable plan. “Would you let us stay in the kitchen near the stove until dawn?”

His attention shifted to the clock on the wall, next to the cabinet containing all of the cooking supplies. The timepiece read three o’clock. That meant dawn was still a few hours away. Would that be enough time to figure out another plan?

Sterling still didn’t budge.

“Just a few more hours, and then you won’t ever have to see me again.”

Finally he nodded curtly. “I’m going to bed. I don’t want to find you here when I get up.” With that, he turned and stalked out of the kitchen. His footsteps thudded through the hallway and then up the stairs. A moment later, his bedroom door closed.

Only then did Violet allow herself to take a full breath.

“That went well,” Hyacinth said sarcastically.

Violet began to pace, too flustered to sit.

She’d thought Sterling would have had more decency, that he would have been kinder and more forgiving. He was not the man she’d thought he was.

Or she’d hurt him more than she’d realized and he was still hurting.

Hyacinth held her hands out toward the stove again. “Guess we’re back where we started, with no place to go.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll think of something.” Violet paced to the tin sink built into the wall, to the worktable, then to the hutch.

Sterling had always been open and genuine with his feelings—maybe too much too soon for her. But he’d been real. The vision of Sterling on his knees in front of her that night at the miner’s cabin in Devil’s Glen came back to her again.

The miner’s cabin…

She halted in front of the hutch even as her pulse jolted forward.

The rustic log cabin, once used by miners in the early days of Colorado’s gold rush, belonged to the Nobles and was set on a piece of land they’d purchased in the foothills to the west of the ranch.

The Nobles’ ranch hands sometimes stayed there during the summer, since it was near one of their higher pastures.

In the winter, they didn’t use it as much—mainly as a resting place where they could warm up and dry out when they were out skiing.

Sterling had taken her skiing out in Devil’s Glen on a couple of occasions in addition to the proposal night.

From what he’d explained, they kept the cabin in good repair and well stocked with canned food, dried jerky, and coffee beans.

They also had a supply of cut wood both inside and out to use as fuel in the stove.

Was the old cabin a place where she and Hyacinth could hide for a week or two, just until her father was forced to figure out another way to pay off his debts?

With the recent snowfall, they would likely need skis in order to reach the cabin, and neither she nor Hyacinth had skis. In fact, Hyacinth didn’t know how to ski, and Violet only knew as much as Sterling had taught her last winter. But it was enough that she could get herself and Hyacinth there.

Violet crossed to the kitchen window that overlooked the garden, clothesline, and shed. The skis were stored in the shed, which was never locked.

She hesitated. They technically wouldn’t be stealing the skis if they only intended to use them and then give them back. They also wouldn’t be trespassing in the miner’s cabin, since the Nobles often let people passing through the area use the place.

Besides, Sterling hadn’t given them much choice. He’d said they had to be out of his house by dawn. The cabin was the best option.

She just hoped Sterling wouldn’t realize the skis were missing and discover where they’d gone. Because if he did, she had no doubt he hated her enough that he’d kick her out of the cabin too.