Her eyes went wide. “Are you kidding? Damien, you’re like…the prince of Sierra Falls. You were the star quarterback. You’re the one who’s going to inherit half the town. ”
“You still broke up with me. ”
“It wasn’t because of you, though. You’re amazing. It’s just that I connected with Billy. ”
He gave a bitter laugh. “The old ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ talk. But the thing is, Sorrow, it was me. ” He shook his head. “You don’t get it. Billy Preston is the kind of man I could never be. Simple, loved. ”
“You’re loved!”
“Sure thing, Sorrow. ” Damien’s expression shuttered. “Forget all that. It’s not what I came here for, whatever you might think. Look, I?
?m glad you found Billy. If you get off on the guy, I’m thrilled for you. If you’re happy, I’m happy. ”
“Then what do you want?” she asked quietly.
“All I want, all I ever wanted, was to look out for you. ”
“Look out for me?” Ice rushed into her veins. “From what?” She looked out the window—they were surrounded by towering pines, and not another soul for miles. “You have me a little freaked out here. ”
He practically tore off his seat belt and pinned her with a look. “I keep being misunderstood, and I need to make it right. ”
Forty-one
Damien got out and angrily flung open her door. He offered his hand, his arm extended rigidly. “Come with me. I swear I’ll keep you safe. ” Something broke in his expression when she didn’t take his hand right away. “I wanted this to be fun, and you’re wigging out on me. ” His arm dropped, and he sighed, a tired, sad sound. “Hell, Sorrow, until that sheriff started showing his face around, I was the only one who gave a shit about whether or not you kept your head above water. ”
She stared up at him and saw emotions she’d never seen on Damien’s face before—earnestness, anxiety, and even pain. It was in such contrast to the easy confidence she was used to. This was the Damien she’d suspected had been there all along.
She made her decision. Reaching up, Sorrow took his hand. “Fifteen minutes. ”
They hiked in silence. The trail was overgrown, and though they probably only went about a half mile, it was slow going.
She stopped to catch her breath. “So this is Simmons land?”
He leaned against a tree, pulling a water bottle from his pack, offering it to her first. “You don’t know where we are, do you?”
She chugged, surprisingly thirsty, then looked around. Pine trees as far as the eye could see. “How could I?”
He pointed to the right. “See that over there?”
“See what?”
“That’s your land. ”
“My land?”
“Bear’s land, at least. There’s a strip of it, extending south of the lodge. It’s not enough to do much of anything with but sit on. Which is what the Baileys have been doing since, well, probably since the days of your Sorrow Crabtree. ” He took back his water and drank before returning it to his pack.
She laughed—there was no other response to such unexpected news. “Then why aren’t we rich? Because it sure seems like a lot of land to me. ”
“You heard the phrase land rich and cash poor?” At her nod, he said, “Welcome to my world. ”
He walked on, and she followed. “What do you mean, your world?”
“Timber isn’t exactly the thing to make your fortune in the twenty-first century. My family is nothing but land rich and cash poor. ”
He ducked through a thick patch of greenery, holding aside branches so she could follow. It looked like he was headed straight up.
She stared, aghast. “Are you sure this is safe?”