“Hi,” I greeted cheerily, straining to keep my voice from cracking. He started to move forward, as if he were going to come inside, but I held my position and barred his entry. “I’m sorry, Cowboy. I’m going to have to cancel on you tonight. Something sort of came up.”

I thought I’d done a great job keeping my tone controlled and light, but apparently it wasn’t enough. He raised one eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’ve just been rushing around like a mad woman trying to get some stuff done. I had a busy day at the library and have things to take care of.”

“What’s this? You brushing me off?”

I shook my head. “No, I just…” Eager to escape the way he was looking at me, I tried to hurry the conversation along. “Look, I’m feeling a little strange about what happened between us and I need some time to process it all. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

“No, it’s not fucking okay.” He scowled. “If this is your way of sending me packing, then I want to know why.”

“I don’t want to talk right now. I just want to—hey!”

Without my permission, he shoved open the door and stepped over the threshold. His eyes took in the disheveled room until they finally zeroed in on the luggage I’d placed on the floor next to the kitchen counter. His green eyes flashed to me, but his expression was unreadable. “Going somewhere?”

“I…” My heart thumped against my rib cage. “Yes, I’m leaving town.”

“You weren’t even going to tell me?”

I cringed at the harshness of his tone. “No.”

His mouth settled into a disapproving, grim line. “Why?”

“This is all happening too fast. You and me. I told you before we were too different. Our relationship is based solely on sex and I don’t want—”

“Stop it, Anna. If you’re going to stand here and give me a line of bullshit, then don’t bother. This has nothing to do with us and you know it. So either tell me the truth or don’t waste my fucking time.”

“I…I don’t want this, okay?” My voice warbled unconvincingly. God, I was such a bad liar. “I only want to be left alone to live my life as I see fit. I don’t need the complication of a relationship.” At least that part was true, but I knew it would take more than that to make him leave. “You’re never going to be anything more than a playboy and I refuse to be another Kelly Deter.”

“Kelly Deter? Who the hell is… Wait, the girl from camp?”

At least my eye roll was genuine. “I’m surprised you even remember her name at all.”

“Well, why wouldn’t I? She’s the bitch who told everyone that she and I slept together the night of the bonfire. All I’d done was ask her out. I hadn’t laid a finger on her. The next day, when I found out she spread the rumor among the other counselors, I called the whole thing off.”

“But you weren’t at the bonfire,” I said, shaking my head furiously. “I didn’t see you there.”

“I was on my way when I heard a commotion and ran to see what happened. I thought one of the kids had gotten hurt, but it was you. You were lying on the ground with all the kids standing around you as one of the other female counselors yelled for help. I picked you up and carried you to the nurse’s station, then waited outside until I heard you were going to be okay. They’d told me you had a panic attack and fainted.”

“Y-you carried me…” My heart squeezed and my eyes filled with blinding tears. I turned away from him. “I never knew. By the next morning, word had gotten around about what had happened and a few of the other counselors had started calling me ‘Sparky.’ I didn’t want to be reminded of how I’d panicked and fainted in front of everyone when they’d lit the bonfire, so I packed my things and left.”

“I know. I went to see you the following night to make sure you were okay, but Bobbie Jo told me you were already gone.” He paused, then his tone laced with anger. “Guess that’s what you do, though. You leave without saying good-bye.”

I swallowed hard.

“Take care of yourself,” he said solemnly. His boots clomped on the floor, the sound growing softer with distance as he made his way to the door.

Tears leaked down my face. I knew if I spoke again my shaky voice would tell him everything he needed to know. But despite everything I’d said, I wanted him. Now more than ever. He’d given me his trust. Maybe it was about time I did the same.

“I’m not,” I whispered.

He must’ve stopped at the door because suddenly I couldn’t hear his footfalls anymore. “Not what?”

It was a pivotal moment, dependent entirely on what words came out of my mouth next. Because if things went wrong… But I couldn’t bear to let him think he hadn’t been good enough for me. Even a guy with Cowboy’s reputation deserved better than that. “I-I’m not okay.”

“Anna…?” His voice registered concern.

I walked over to the counter and picked up the letter, not sure if I was doing the right thing. But now that I’d set the ball in motion, I couldn’t seem to stop it. I turned and moved slowly toward him, clenching the letter tightly in my grip. Once he knew everything, there would be no going back.

His eyes flickered with confusion as I handed him the letter. “Who’s it from? The Barlows?”

“Read it.”

He did as I asked and then glanced up at me. “Is this who you’re running from?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re afraid he might come after you?”

“I know he’ll come after me. He always has. Even in my dreams he won’t rest until he finds me.”

Cowboy’s eyes darkened with fury. “You know I won’t let him hurt you, don’t you?”

“That’s the thing. You won’t be able to stop him. No one can.”

“Who is he?” he demanded. “Your ex-boyfriend or something?”

“No. H-he’s my father.”

Cowboy’s eyes widened. “Why would your own father try to kill you?”

“Because my testimony is what kept him in prison for the past twenty-two years. He murdered my mother.”

“I thought your mom died in a fire. You said she was cooking dinner and went to answer the door. She told you to stay in the kitchen, but you didn’t…”

I closed my eyes briefly. “That’s true,” I said, feeling the full weight of the guilt I’d held onto for years. “But what I didn’t tell you was what happened after she opened the door and found my father on the other side.” I rubbed my palms over my face and sniffled.

“Tell me.”

“I could hear them arguing, yelling at each other at the top of their lungs, from the kitchen. He told her he wasn’t going to let her keep his daughter away from him and that he was taking me home. Then, he must’ve pushed his way inside because my mom started screaming even louder for him to get out. The moment he hollered my name and demanded for me to come to him, I hid inside the pantry.”

“You were scared of him?”

I nodded. “My parents divorced when I was six. I don’t remember much of it, though. But Mom had warned me he wasn’t a good man. He only wanted to take me away from her in order to punish her for leaving him. He hunted us down everywhere we went. That’s why we moved around so much when I was younger. To keep him from finding us.”

“Is that why you don’t share the same last name?”

“Weber is my mother’s maiden name. She didn’t want me to have any connection to that man.”

“Did he find you…in the pantry, I mean?”

I shook my head. “They came into the kitchen. Mom was crying, begging for him not to take her little girl away, but he ignored her and continued calling out my name. It was like he didn’t even care about my mother. He just wanted to hurt her.” Pain and anger surged inside of me at the injustice of it all. “Had I just left with him, she would still be alive.”

Cowboy’s eyes softened. “Sweetheart, you don’t know that.”

“No, you’re right. I don’t know for certain. But I believe it’s true.” A lone tear ran down my cheek. “There was a scuffle. Glass shattered and my father cursed, then my mother released the most agonizing sound I’d ever heard. Moments later, everything went silent.”