Love Inspired January 2014(256)

                “I didn’t know.” Rachel’s apologetic gaze was focused on Emma, not on him. Ouch. Probably some form of girl code he didn’t get, either. “Sorry for...well, you know.” She turned without meeting Max’s eyes. “I’ll just grab that machine now.” Apparently the vet was still clinging to hope that Max hadn’t overheard what she’d said. She hurried down the barn aisle and into the sunshine.

                “You heard.” Emma pointed out the obvious the second Rachel was out of earshot.

                “I heard.” He still couldn’t lie—especially not to her eyes.

                “So you and Rachel...Dr. Peters...” Emma gestured between him and the empty barn aisle behind him, her hand flopping listlessly like a fish on a bank. “You and she...”

                He’d never seen such desperation for someone to fill in a blank. If it’d been anyone else, he’d have teased them a bit. Drawn it out. But she’d been through enough pain, he could tell. Talk about knowing the feeling. “We dated casually.” He made sure to keep his voice down, despite the female campers being across the barn.

                Instant relief drained the anxiety from her expression. “So it wasn’t serious.”

                “Were you jealous?” He really didn’t mean to say that out loud, but on second thought, maybe he did. Emma couldn’t hold all the cards and leave him with nary a peek.

                Her eyes flashed, and she crossed her arms over her chest, the defensive motion one he recognized all too well from her. “You’re one to talk. You haven’t dated anyone seriously since me.”

                “You’re right.”

                The fight fled from her stance, and she took a tentative step toward him. “Why?”

                “Why do you think, Emma?” She was so close. So familiar. He reached out and grazed her arm with his knuckles, her shirtsleeve soft under his touch. Man, that hurt deep. He hadn’t realized until that fateful hug how badly he still craved her presence in his life. Craved her arms around him and her head on his shoulder. No one had ever fit like Emma had. But how could he tell her that without losing the tiny splinter of dignity he had left?

                She shrugged, but the hope in her eyes left his head spinning. She wanted him to tell her. But could he really hold his heart out for her to trample over a second time?

                He yanked off his hat, ran his fingers through his hair and sighed before replacing it. “You’re the one who left. Not me.” That was about as straightforward as he could get. Without putting himself on a silver platter and saying “here.” “Remember?”

                The hope in her gaze morphed into something colder. “Oh, I remember, all right. I remember you—”

                “Miss Shaver!” Katie’s panicked cry sent a burst of adrenaline into Max’s veins. He’d forgotten they weren’t alone in the barn. Had the girls overheard Rachel’s confession?

                “Help!”

                Either way, it didn’t matter at the moment. He half caught Katie as she barreled toward them, straw stuck in her hair. His heart raced. “What’s wrong?”

                “Are you okay?” Emma grabbed for her hands, and Katie squeezed until her knuckles turned white.

                “It’s Tonya. She’s on the floor next to Remington’s stall.” She panted for breath, eyes wide with fear. “I think she’s unconscious.”