“Like through smell or something?” sheasked.
“Not exactly,” he said. “They just know it, on an intuitive level. Then they do whatever it takes to convince us that we’ve foundourmate.”
“Have you ever found a mate?” sheasked.
He considered blurting out that he had found his mate and that she was lying next to him. But he didn’t want to scare her again. He also couldn’t lietoher.
“I have,”hesaid.
“Where’d she go?” sheasked.
He gave her a pointed look. Her eyeswidened.
“Oh, that can’t be right,”shesaid.
“Why not?” heasked.
“I’m not anything special. This fate stuff doesn’t work for me. I thought I was fated to win the trial and look how thatturnedout.”
“Are you sure about that?” heasked.
“What?”
“Are you sure you weren’t supposed to lose the trial so you’d run away to Montana and find me?” heasked.
“If that was true, then fate’s a bitch because in the process, she let a murderer loose.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I just don’tbuyit.”
His bear jumped around in his chest in a panic. He couldn’t let her walk awayagain.
“Just give me some time to prove it to you,” he said. “We’ve only been together afewdays.”
“I have to get back to Dallas. I’ll be lucky if my parents haven’t already disowned me by now,”shesaid.
“Will you just give me a few more days?” He traced the side of her cheek with histhumb.
Her gaze softened. She pressed against him andsighed.
“I guess I was planning on staying until the end of the week anyway,”shesaid.
His bear jumped for joy. She still hadn’t agreed that they were fated to be together, but at least he’d bought a few more days. No matter what, he’d have to find a way to convince her that she belonged in his arms forever.Buthow?
Chapter10
Abby hungthe last pair of jeans back up in the closet in her room at the B & B. She’d spent the night in Cody’s arms and had reluctantly left their warmth when he got up at sunrise to tend to the horses. Apparently he was on muck dutyallweek.
Her cell phone chimed with her mother’s ring tone. She froze. She wasn’t ready for another conversation with her, but she’d already missed three calls from her thatmorning.
She picked up the phone. “Hi,Mom.”
“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling all morning. Have you heard the news?” her mom asked in afrantictone.
“No,whatnews?”
“Edward Lee Drakeisdead.”
“What?” sheyelled.
“Last night, an off duty police officer shot him. The cop caught Drake trying to abduct another boy from a laundromat. The boy screamed his head off—God bless him—and he fought like a champ. All the commotion caught the officer’s attention. He raced out of the coffee shop he’d been sitting in and saved the kid. In the process, he shot Drake threetimes.”
