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diamond solitaire encircling the broken shards of her heart, all without so much as a backward glance. How could she have forgotten the pain, the agony, as the years passed without even a call to break the silence? She shoved him away and reached into her pocket.
    â€œI could tell from all the phone calls, letters, and messages you sent over the past five years.” She saw his eyes cloud with frustration. She stared down at the ring glinting between her thumb and forefinger.
    â€œWhen you left, I thought I was going to die. I loved you Clay. I loved you more than I ever thought it was possible for me to love anyone. And you showed me that none of that mattered. You threw it all away. You still haven’t told me why.” She held the ring out to him. “I want you to leave again. Disappear. But this time, don’t come back.”
    She slapped the ring into his hand and turned on her heel, walking away before he could say anything.
    S HE WAS HAPPY he didn’t follow her. She was . But if that were true, then why did she keep checking over her shoulder? Why was it hard to breathe? Why did her heart ache as painfully as it did the last time he turned his back on her?
    Things had always been explosive between them, too often like a wildfire, out of control. They fought passionately, but they loved just as a fiercely—at least that was what she’d thought. She pushed the memory of Clay’s lips on hers away with near physical force. How could she have been stupid enough to let him kiss her like that? What the hell was he doing back here, and why was he bent on ripping her heart out again?
    She slammed the door of her trailer and locked it. She needed some privacy and didn’t want either of her brothers coming to check up on her. Traitors. She’d ignored several of their phone calls at the bar before finally checking in so they wouldn’t worry about her hasty retreat, and Derek had given her up. What possessed him to send Clay after her? Well, that mistake would earn him a night sleeping in the seat of the pickup, the jerk.
    She looked around the trailer for something, anything that might distract her. She reached for a glass and filled it with iced tea from the pitcher inside the refrigerator. She wasn’t thirsty, the three glasses of club soda with lime at the bar had quenched any thirst, but she couldn’t sit still.
    She shook her head as she remembered Clay, charging into the bar, prepared to fight with the bikers because he thought she’d been too drunk to take care of herself. She didn’t need his bravado. She’d been stone-cold sober. Like she’d ever have driven drunk after what happened to her parents. Now she had to find time tomorrow to go get her truck. The fact that he thought he could come riding back into her life, five years after leaving, and tell her what to do infuriated her. She inhaled deeply, trying to control her anger. Clay Graham could find some other damsel in distress to rescue because she had no use for him in his tarnished armor. She’d been taking care of herself and her brothers since she was in a training bra; she didn’t need his help now.
    She set the glass onto the counter and went into the bedroom, pulling out a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt, tossing them onto the bed before climbing into the shower. Maybe the hot water would wash away the frustration curling in her chest. It was bad enough that she was going to be forced to face Clay again tomorrow. She didn’t want to deal with his presence at the ranch for the next week. She lathered her hair and sighed in defeat. At least back at the ranch, she could busy herself with the animals and avoid him.
    Just one more day and you can head home.
    Jennifer deeply inhaled the scent of coconuts and vanilla. It made her think of suntan lotion and sunny beaches. Maybe she just needed a vacation. Some place to sip piña coladas and relax while the ocean tickled her