Your Ranch Or Mine?. Cindy Kirk
But for that to happen she had to find a way to erase the tension so he’d stop glowering and listen to her.
Anna made a great show of sniffing the air. “Coffee smells wonderful. Is there enough for me?”
Mitch hesitated for a second then gestured toward the cupboard. “Extra mugs are in there.”
When he made no move to get one for her, Anna sauntered in that direction, her heart sinking. Perhaps she shouldn’t have come. Maybe some things were better left—
“Cream is in the refrigerator,” he added.
The summer they’d been together he’d often teased her about her fondness for cream with a little bit of coffee. Anna’s steps faltered and she flushed with pleasure. “You remembered.”
His face was a mask, giving nothing away. “What did you want to discuss?”
“Coffee first.” With renewed optimism, Anna chose a mug and filled it with coffee. As she slowly added the cream, she cast surreptitious glances at Mitch. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. His bare chest with just a smattering of dark hair was turning out to be a distraction she didn’t need. Anna brought the cup to her lips and forced a casual tone. “If you want to get dressed, I can wait.”
For a second she thought he might actually do as she’d suggested. Until he glanced at his jeans and hooked a thumb in a belt loop. “I don’t understand the problem. You’ve seen me in a whole lot less.”
Anna flinched. In all these years she’d never spoken of their relationship to anyone. Though they were the only two in the room, she felt like putting a finger to her lips and telling him to shush.
“Nobody knows that.” A thought suddenly struck her. “You haven’t told anyone, have you?”
“I kept my mouth shut,” he said. “That was the deal.”
The hint of bitterness underscoring the words tore at her heartstrings. Insisting they keep their relationship a secret hadn’t been fair. Not to him. Not to her.
“Sit down, Mitch.” Anna softened the request with a smile. “Please.”
She took a seat first, hoping he would follow her lead. To her surprise he did as she’d asked. Though the kitchen was an adequate size, it suddenly seemed to shrink. And the sight of his bare chest just across the table made her heart flutter.
Don’t look, Anna told herself. Focus elsewhere.
She dropped her gaze to the golden-brown coffee cake in the center of the table. “That looks good.”
“Cassie made it for me,” he said.
Anna swallowed hard against the sudden tightness in her throat and forced an equally casual tone. “Are you two seeing each other?”
“She lives down the block,” Mitch pointed out. “I see her every day.”
He’d deliberately misunderstood her question. But in a way he was right to shut her down. Who he was dating was none of her business.
When a minute passed and she still didn’t speak, Mitch cast a pointed glance at a manila folder on the counter. “I have a client coming at eight.”
She’d been warned. Just like at the YP meeting, the clock was ticking. Only this time Anna wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip away. “Over the years I thought about getting your address from Seth, but I never took that step. When I heard you were back in Sweet River, I knew the time had come.”
Puzzlement filled his eyes.
“To apologize.” She folded her hands on the table. “Showing up at the street dance with Andrew James when you and I were seeing each other was inexcusable. I’m sorry I did it and I’m sorry I hurt you. I hope you can forgive me.”
The flash of pain in Mitch’s eyes was gone so quickly Anna wondered if she’d only imagined it.
“You didn’t want to be seen with the son of the town drunk,” he said in a frank tone, his expression giving nothing away. “Understandable.”
He’d made similar comments when they’d been together, but she’d thought he was just joking around. Now she realized the pain had been real. Embarrassment mixed with a healthy dose of regret. She’d never, ever, been ashamed of him. And she wasn’t ashamed now. She just didn’t want anyone to discover they’d had a past because that might bring up other questions.
“That wasn’t how it was at all,” she protested.
“That was a long time ago.” Mitch waved a dismissive hand. “Scarcely matters now.”
“I liked you. But I wanted what was between us to, well, stay between us.” The words came out clunky and awkward and Anna nearly groaned aloud. She’d had thirteen years to plan what to say and this was the best she could come up with? No wonder Mitch looked skeptical.
“Yeah, you liked me so much that instead of going to the centennial celebration with me as you promised, you showed up with the mayor’s son,” he said.
Even now, remembering the look on Mitch’s face when he’d seen her with Andrew filled her with shame. “That was a test.”
Mitch slowly lowered his mug to the table. “Test?”
Her heart froze at the deadly calm in the word.
Mitch had never been the kind of guy a girl could wrap around her finger. And while his aloofness had been part of his appeal, it had also been extremely stressful. Anna had desperately wanted to believe he liked her, but he’d kept his feelings close and she’d needed to know for sure.
“I knew you liked making lo—er, having sex with me,” she said. “But I was never sure you really liked me.”
Looking back, Anna couldn’t believe she’d ever thought going to the celebration with Andrew was a good idea. She’d been so young. So foolish.
The muscle in Mitch’s jaw jumped. “You decided to make me jealous.”
Anna nodded. “If you reacted, I’d know you cared.”
Said aloud, the plan sounded even more childish.
“Why didn’t you simply ask me how I felt about you?”
She’d thought about doing just that. But to ask had seemed rather pathetic and needy. Besides, there was no guarantee he’d have been honest. “People don’t always tell the truth.”
Like her mother, who had insisted she’d be proud of her even if she didn’t become Miss Montana Teen. Yet when she’d taken second place, her mom had been furious. Then there were her high school “friends” who smiled to her face and talked about her behind her back. And who could forget the boys before Mitch, the ones who said whatever they thought would make her sleep with them. Luckily she’d been smart enough to see through their lies.
Mitch had been different and he’d been her first. He hadn’t pushed her to be intimate, hadn’t offered up flowery words of love or made promises he never intended to keep. He’d just been himself. And she’d found him irresistible.
“We had to keep our friendship on the down-low because of my mom.” Anna took a deep breath. “I told her I thought you were cute. She told me you were unacceptable.”
By the time Anna finished speaking the pain had returned to her heart.
Mitch rubbed a hand across his face. “You never had any intention of going with me to the celebration.”
“I wanted to go with you,” Anna said gently. “But I wasn’t willing to risk my mother’s wrath until I was sure of your feelings.”
His gaze searched hers but she had nothing to hide. Well, almost nothing to hide.
“I liked you, Mitch,” she said. “I really did. I feel incredibly bad about what happened. I hope you can find it in your heart