Page 98 of Over the Line

Still stalling, she climbed behind the wheel.

But her Dominant was nowhere to be seen.

When she arrived at the gate, Jeb was there to wave her off. At least Master Michael—Michael—hadn’t forsaken her entirely.

As she drove through the exit and lifted her hand in farewell, he touched the brim of his hat. Chewie wandered over to join him and grazed on some weeds.

Using the back of her hand, she dashed away the tears that spilled down her cheeks.

Crushed in a way she never had been before, Sydney accelerated away, staring in the rearview mirror until she could no longer see Jeb or the cloven-hoofed terror who’d suddenly looked up.

Sobbing, she struggled to concentrate on the road ahead of her.

Once she reached Winter Park, she pulled off the road at a popular restaurant where couples ambled in, hand in hand.

A vision of Master Michael, arms folded as he indicated the exit, seared itself into her memory, and her emotions fractured again.

She couldn’t breathe.

How would she go on without him?

Chapter Ten

“Call her.”

“Who?” Michael looked up from his office computer screen to see Jeb standing in the doorway.

“Don’t be a fucking idiot. You know who I’m talking about.”

At his foreman’s harsh statement, Michael winced. He did know because Jeb mentioned it at least once a day. “I’m busy.”

“No, you’re not.” From a lifetime of familiarity, Jeb entered and dropped into a chair on the other side of the desk Michael’s father and grandfather had sat behind.

“I don’t recall issuing an invitation.”

“I knocked,” Jeb offered by way of an explanation.

“Told you I’m busy.” Michael scowled. “Working on accounting.”

“Pretending to work,” Jeb countered, taking off his hat and tossing it onto the desk. “Just like you have been every day since Sydney left.”

Recognizing the resolve buried in the lines between Jeb’s eyebrows, Michael exhaled and leaned back in his seat.

They’d been through too damn much together for Michael to get away with anything. When his dad had died, Jeb had been constantly in sight, from dawn to well-past dusk. They’d spent hours on the range, even more in the office as Jeb had gone over the books and given detailed explanations of the ranch operations.

Though his father had done his best to prepare Michael to take over, both of them had believed they’d have many more years together, so urgency had been lacking.

Without Jeb’s steadying hand and personality, Michael would have been more lost than he was.

And then came the debacle with Jane, and he’d barely scraped together enough funds to ensure she went away, leaving the ranch intact.

The ending of that relationship had been filled with emotional drama, and for a time, as he’d struggled to get through it, Jeb had handled all the regular details that ensured a prosperous future.

The man had more than earned the right to say whatever he wanted. Even if Michael didn’t want to hear it. Especially if he didn’t want to hear it.

“Want a glass of whiskey?” Jeb asked, standing.

“No.” Last night, he’d consumed far too much. And the night before, as well.