She was sure it didn’t.
* * *
Somehow, some way, Zach managed to get through what he absolutely had to that afternoon without exploding, and then he ditched the rest of his appointments. His car ate up the miles to the airport. His only thought was of running, fast and far, but where—he didn’t know.
The cabin wasn’t an option right now. The memories were too fresh, would be too painful. Only now did he regret taking Sadie there, because even a complete makeover would never erase her presence in what had once been his sanctuary.
Anger had him pressing on the gas that much harder. He was anxious for speed even though it wouldn’t really help anything. That’s when his phone dinged to signal an incoming text.
Sadie. He knew it before he even looked. His instinct was to hurl the phone out the window, but that would be giving in too easily, so he forced himself to pull over and read the text instead.
I’ve gone home. The room at the B&B is paid thru end of week. Left some of ur things on table and some important papers for you. I’m so sorry. S
Zach let his eyes slide closed. He didn’t want to see the screen, didn’t want to read about how sorry she was. If she’d been sorry, she never would have lied to him. Hell, she never would have come here. Why would she do something so incredibly dishonest?
No, he didn’t want to know. Motive didn’t matter, because he refused to feel sorry for someone who would go to so much trouble to integrate herself into his life, his bed, just to find out if he was a bad person.
And who was his dad to judge? That man had never done anything good in his entire life. He’d abandoned Zach’s mother when he was little, simply vanished, never paying a lick of child support or sending so much as a single birthday present or Christmas gift. They’d been okay. They’d made it without the old SOB. But that seemed to make the terms of his will even more ironic.
There had to be more to the story than what Sadie had told him.
Some important papers for you.
Dammit. He spun the car into a U-turn and headed back into town. No matter what he told himself, he really did want to know what was going on.
He flashed a strained smile at Gladys when she glanced out at him from the dining area as he made his way through, but didn’t speak. Neither did she. Did she realize Sadie was gone? Or had Sadie simply left without saying anything so Zach would have a chance to come by and collect his stuff without Gladys’s interference? He didn’t know what to think anymore.
He let himself into the room, noticing Sadie’s absence at once. The low table no longer held her laptop, just a pile of odds and ends. Her robe wasn’t thrown over the high back of the winged chair near the dresser. Her extra fluffy blanket no longer graced her side of the queen-size bed.
But her vanilla-caramel scent still lingered in the air. Tantalizing, but also a reminder of how deceptive that sweetness truly was.
Zach dropped onto the couch in front of his stuff. A T-shirt he’d left here. A toiletry bag with an extra toothbrush and deodorant and things for his overnight stays. His black leather belt. He wished now that there hadn’t been so many nights, that she hadn’t made it so easy.
Next to the pile was a manila envelope. Zach stared for a long time before he made himself reach out and open it. The quality of the fax wasn’t the best, but it was still readable. The time stamp along the top showed she’d had this sent not long after their talk this afternoon.
The letterhead was from a lawyer’s office in Dallas. The text below explained that this lawyer was in the process of executing Zach’s father’s last will and testament. Based on his father’s unusual requests, adequate time had been given to search every avenue necessary. If Zach had any questions, he was welcome to call them for explanations.
Should he wish to refuse his inheritance, there were instructions on how to do that and what that would mean for him in terms of future claims. The exact sum wasn’t mentioned, but Zach was guessing it was significant for a lawyer to have been hired to set up something this elaborate.
The lawyer seemed like a man who knew what he was doing. Zach planned to reserve judgment until he had experience with the guy himself.