Broken(56)

“Did you think I was bluffing when I said I wasn’t going to leave you alone this time around? If that’s the case, then I have news for you, sweetheart, I’m not going to let you get away from me this time.”

She expelled her breath in a frustrated huff. “Too much time has passed. We’re not the same people we used to be. I’ve made a new life for myself and you have to help run the ranch. Once the wedding is over, I plan on going back to New York.”

“And I’m going with you.”

A gasp tumbled from her mouth. “Are you crazy? This place is your life! You’d walk away from it just like that?”

“No, you’re my life, Jocelyn. One thing these past seven years have taught me is this place means nothing without you. Yes, I’d miss it and it would take some getting used to not being here anymore, but I’d have a tougher time living without you.”

“But what would you do with your share of the ranch?”

“I’d sell out to my brothers.”

“Cade, you’re being ridiculous. You wouldn’t enjoy living in the city. You’re used to getting up at the crack of dawn and working until sunset. You’d be bored to tears within a week.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. What matters is how we feel for each other.” He knew she was trying to push him away, but Cade wouldn’t let her put him off. Yes, it would be hard leaving the ranch behind, the only life he knew, but he’d given it a lot of thought and he wanted to be there for Jocelyn. Obviously, her career was important to her so if she wasn’t willing to live at Devlin Ranch, he was prepared to go wherever she went.

Guilt assailed him at the thought of how she must have suffered through her ordeal alone, and it hurt him that she’d chosen not to share something so important with him. He wasn’t so selfish as to not understand her reasoning behind it, but Cade was determined to never let any more harm come to her. If that meant he’d have to leave Texas, then it was a price he was willing to pay to be with her.

She lowered her lashes over her sherry eyes. “I don’t know what to say, Cade.”

“You don’t have to say a word, just accept I’m in this for the long haul. I love you, Jos.” He grasped her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “And I think you know. I know you love me, too. After I put you to bed the other day, you whispered my name in a way that touched my soul. You were dreaming about me. I couldn’t have imagined the way you snuggled against my body and whimpered when I shifted positions because subconsciously, you thought I was going away. Your mouth may say one thing, but your heart is telling an entirely different tale, isn’t it?”

“Don’t you see how impossible it would be for us to be together? There’s just too much water under the bridge. How could you ever be happy with half a woman?”

His grip on her chin tightened, and he pressed his lips tightly together in a thin line to bite back the angry retort threatening to spill out. A wave of anger washed over him. Anger at those animals who’d obviously destroyed her self-worth as a woman. Anger at Jocelyn for trying to push him out of her life. And anger at himself for not being there for her. “Don’t ever let me hear you say those words again. Just because you may not be able to produce doesn’t define your femininity. It’s what’s in here.” He placed his hand against her heart. “There’s only one thing you can say to me that would make me go away.”

She raised one finely arched brow. “And what’s that?”

“That you don’t love me.”