“I’m made of your stuff,” she shot back. “And apparently, you’re not that much of a recluse if you’ve heard the gossip about me and Chase.” Sloane straightened her shoulders, holding her own with him.
“Yer shacking up with the man. How could I not know?”
She sighed, not wanting to let him get off track. “I think we have some things to discuss, like my mother, for one, and where you’re going to live, for another.”
He waved a hand, dismissing her. “I don’t remember saying I wanted or needed you in my life. I can handle things without your help, thank you very much.”
She bit down on her lower lip. “What if I want to know you?”
“Then you’re flat out of luck. Now give me my dog.” He grabbed his animal out of her arms and turned away.
She told herself it was fine. He hadn’t been a part of her life until now and she didn’t need him in her future.
She’d ensure his safety from her father’s men and be gone. But her emotions didn’t match her thoughts and the pain she felt was raw. Her chest hurt and her throat grew full.
She swiveled toward the front door, but instead of an escape from the hurt, she found more.
Chase stood at the open door, along with Rick and Kendall, and a couple she’d only seen in pictures but recognized as Roman and a very pregnant Charlotte. All witnesses to her humiliation.
Oh, she didn’t need this now. Unable to deal with the embarrassment, she walked past them without meeting anyone’s gaze and headed for the street. Her rental car beckoned like the haven she didn’t have, and ignoring the voices calling her back, Sloane unlocked the car, slid inside, and drove away.
Where was she headed? She had no idea.
After Sloane’s departure, the quiet in the small guesthouse was palpable. No one dared speak, but Chase wasn’t afraid of breaking the silence. He’d never forget the pain and humiliation in Sloane’s eyes and he knew who was to blame.
“Samson.” Chase barked at the older man.
Sloane’s father ignored him, muttering under his breath as he stroked his dog’s head, giving the animal the affection his daughter craved.
“I’m talking to you.” Chase strode to the man’s side and grabbed his arm, forcing him to look up and acknowledge him.
In his eyes, Chase saw the same hurt he’d witnessed in Sloane and that observation gave him hope that his gut feeling was correct. That the man had a reason for rejecting the daughter he’d initially sought out.
“What do you want?” Samson asked.
Behind him, Chase heard Rick whispering to Pearl and Kendall, no doubt giving orders about who’d be staying where until the threat to Samson was eliminated. Now that they knew where the man was, Chase and Rick agreed no one should be living with a walking target. Kendall would take Hannah to Raina’s, along with Charlotte. Rick and Roman would stay here in the hopes of preventing further disaster. It had been quiet since the explosion in Samson’s house, but they’d missed the older man once. Chase had no doubt another attempt on Samson’s life would be coming.
“I know why you rejected Sloane,” Chase began. “You wanted her away from you and any potential danger. Nice sentiment, but wrong way of handling things.” He released his grip before he took out his anger on Sloane’s father.
“So now you’re a mind reader as well as a reporter.” Samson snorted.
Drawing on his patience, Chase inhaled deeply before tackling the stubborn old man once more. “How about we play this one straight? No games, no smart-ass answers, and no pretending to be some dumb backwoods hermit. We both know you’re smarter than you act.”
“I don’t want her around me because I don’t want her getting hurt. I don’t want Pearl and Eldin at risk either, but I had nowhere else to go.” Samson spread his hands wide, looking more like a dejected man than a sullen, angry hermit. “So I’m here, but I’m not going to bring anyone else into my life. At least not until it’s safe.” He confirmed Chase’s hunch.
“Why not stay in Hampshire? Earl or Ernie would have taken you in and you’d be far enough from Yorkshire Falls to make your trail even harder to follow.” Chase paced the floor, still uncertain of how to handle this man, with his unexpected moods and curious way of thinking.
“Because then I couldn’t keep an eye on my daughter.” His voice cracked at the admission.
Chase paused in his walk across the floor, stunned and unsure how to react. As much as he’d figured Samson was looking out for Sloane, he’d never given any thought to the older man’s feelings. He’d never acted as if he had any before.
“She looks so much like her mother, it hurts to see her,” the man went on, still stroking his dog. “I had to let Jacqueline go, but I’d never have done it if I knew she was pregnant.
I lost Sloane’s mother. Then I lost seeing Sloane growing up. I’m not going to risk her life now.” He swiped a hand across his eyes, refusing to look at Chase. “Even if I just drove her away for good, at least I’d know she wuz alive.”
Chase nodded, understanding. “You did the right thing, not letting her stay here. But after this is over, you damn well better make things right,” he muttered. “She doesn’t deserve to think you’re rejecting her.”
“Not any more than she deserves the way you’re treating her, Mr. High-and-Mighty Chase Chandler.” Samson put the dog on the floor and circled around the sofa until he invaded Chase’s personal space, taking him by surprise. “She’s my baby girl and you hurt her just as much as I did. That much is obvious, even to someone as antisocial as me.”
Chase winced, knowing Samson was right. “We both knew the score going into the relationship.” But his words sounded lame to his own ears. Because knowing the score only meant something on their first night together.
Once Sloane came to Yorkshire Falls, things changed. The explosion that rocked Samson’s house also rocked Chase’s world and things hadn’t been the same since.
“You’re a grown man. If you ask me, you should start acting like one,” Samson said.
“Take responsibility for your actions. Decide what you want, once and for all. I made my choices all those years ago and I have to live with the regrets now. If you want to let her go, then wave good-bye and don’t look back. Don’t hang around playing her savior when it suits you and pushing her away when it don’t,” he said, reverting back to normal Samson-speak.