He’d lied to her. And more importantly, he’d invited her out here to this . . . this mansion, claiming he was going to buy it and he wanted her to live there with him. He hadn’t included her in his decision-making, in his thoughts about the future.

  How typical.

  And not once had he told her how he felt about her. Not. Once.

  She had to get away from him.

  The drive back was in silence. Hazel spent the entire time with her focus squarely on the passenger side window so she wouldn’t have to look at Linc. Fortunately, he stayed quiet as well until they pulled into the garage at the house. She got out of the truck immediately and went into the house.

  “Hazel, please talk to me,” he said as she went into the kitchen to let the excited pups out into the yard. “Or at least let me explain my reasoning for not telling you about the money.”

  She turned to face him. “Do you think I care about your money? That I’ve ever cared about your money? I don’t. As far as money goes, I only need enough to feed me and the dogs and put a roof over our heads. And that’s all I’ve ever needed. And if you didn’t figure that out within the first couple of weeks of knowing me, then you’re the dumbest man on the planet.”

  He held up his hands and stepped closer to her. “I know, I know. I should have told you. But by then things between us were going so well. I didn’t want to say or do anything to screw that up.”

  She gave him a look of disbelief. “I’ve kept notes of everything you’ve spent on me, intending to pay you back out of the money you’ve paid me. The pots and pans and dog food and dog toys and anything else. My goal has always been to be independent, Linc. Were you not paying attention?”

  “Of course I was. I am. But you don’t have to pay for any of those things. I bought them because I wanted to.”

  She shook her head. “And I will move forward in my life on my own. Without anyone’s help.”

  She turned and headed up the stairs, Linc right on her heels. She ignored him, pushing the hurt down until it was so far into the dark depths of her subconscious that it didn’t exist anymore.

  Now she had to make a plan for her future, one that she could control. She went into her room and shut the door, right in Linc’s face.

  * * *

  • • •

  Linc paced in front of Hazel’s door, listening to her talk on the phone to someone, but he couldn’t hear who, or what was being said. He wanted to knock, to get her to talk to him, but she was so upset he figured giving her some time to calm down would be the wise choice.

  But after fifteen minutes, she hadn’t opened the door yet. So he went outside and hung out with the dogs, tossing the ball to Penny, chasing Freddie around the yard, and watching Lilith attempt to herd Mitzi and Gordon to places they absolutely did not want to go. He laughed when Mitzi nipped at Lilith when Lilith pushed her toward the pool.

  “I don’t think Mitzi wants to go swimming right now, Lilith.”

  Dejected, Lilith came over and climbed into his lap. He petted her until she decided to go bother Penny.

  The slider opened. “Come on, pups,” Hazel called.

  Linc got up and followed the dogs inside, surprised to see Hazel leading the dogs outside to her car, even more surprised to see all her bags along with her cooking pans sitting beside the trunk.

  “Going somewhere?” he asked.

  “I’m moving out. The house is done anyway, so it’s time for me to go.”

  “Hazel.” He stepped over to her. She scooted away. “Please, let’s talk.”

  “We’ve talked enough. Or, maybe not enough. Obviously, you didn’t talk enough. I don’t even know you.” She threw a bag in the trunk and closed it with a hard thud, then got all the dogs hooked up in the back seat.

  “Don’t leave. Not like this. We can talk through this. I made all these plans—”

  “Oh, you made plans, huh? Is that how you rich guys do it? I mean, my ex wasn’t rich, but he sure managed my life for me. I don’t intend to do the same thing again, so thanks, but no thanks.”

  “Hey, that’s not fair. And it’s not the same thing. I’m not taking anything away from you. In fact, I was giving you your dream.”

  She moved closer to him, glaring up at him with eyes that were both sad and angry. “The fact that you can’t even see all the things you did wrong tells me you have no idea what my dreams are, Linc.”

  She handed him a check. He looked at her and frowned.

  “That’s the money I owe you.”

  “Hazel, come on.” He tried to hand the check back to her, but she ignored him. “Where are you going?”

  She didn’t answer as she buckled her seat belt.

  “Hazel. Where are you going?”

  She didn’t look at him when she answered. “Anywhere but here.”

  He wanted to stop her, but maybe a cooling-off period would be best. Still . . .

  “Hazel.”

  “What?”

  “Penny is my dog.”

  She gripped the steering wheel for a few seconds, then got out and unhooked Penny, letting her out, along with a small bag of her favorite toys. She handed him the bag and her leash, then looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears.

  “You . . . you take good care of her, okay?”

  “You know I will. Please don’t go.”

  She hesitated for a fraction of a second, then slid into the driver’s seat, buckled up, and pulled out of the driveway, taking his crushed heart with her.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Hazel grabbed a tissue—one of the thousand she’d already cried in over the past two days. She was going to need to buy Sandy several boxes to make up for the ones she’d used up.

  She sat outside on Sandy’s porch. Her pups were running amok outside with Sandy’s fosters, having a fantastic time. For the dogs, it was like being on vacation. For Hazel, it was like being right back where she was two months ago. Broken and homeless.

  And she desperately missed Penny.

  The only good thing about her falling apart was that Sandy cancelled the meet and greet with the people who wanted to adopt Freddie. Hazel supposed Sandy figured she was already enough of a mess without adding to her sadness.

  Sandy came out with lemonade, handing one to her before taking a seat.

  “Thanks,” she sniffled.

  “Still crying, huh?”

  “Yes. Sorry.”

  Sandy shrugged. “I have plenty of tissues. Cry away.”

  Hazel shook her head. “Nope, I’m done now. No more crying.”

  Sandy took several swallows of lemonade. “You sure?”

  “Absolutely.” As soon as she said it, the tears bubbled up again, spilling over. And just the act of tears rolling down her cheeks made the pain feel fresh again, the waterfall coming in waves that she couldn’t seem to stop.

  Sandy handed her more tissues. “I can see why you’d be blubbering. Walking away from all those millions.”

  “Oh, shut up.” She blew her nose. “You know I don’t care about his money.”

  “No, you don’t. You care about him.”

  “No, I don’t. Not anymore. Not after what he did.”

  “That’s true. After all, he was going to buy you twenty acres and renovate a dream house for you and all the dogs you wanted to foster. How awful of him. I can see why you left him.”

  Hazel swiped angrily at her eyes. “Dammit. I didn’t ask him to do any of that. I was saving money to do it all on my own. How dare he assume—”

  “Assume what? That instead of taking baby steps, he had the ability to give it all to you right now?”

  She flipped her attention on Sandy. “Why would he do that?”

  Sandy gave her a sympathetic look. “Oh, honey, because he loves you. That’s why.”

  But he’d never told her he loved her.

  So how was she supposed to believe him, believe in that love? And if he did love her, he would know what she really needed more than anything.

  His faith in her ability to forge her own future.

  He hadn’t given her that. Not by a long shot.

  * * *

  • • •

  Linc smiled and nodded as the Realtor and the staging people milled about the house, talking amongst themselves. He was barely paying attention to what should be an important component of getting this house sold. All he could think about as he wandered the house was how Hazel had filled this place with laughter, with heart, with joy.

  With love.

  Dammit.

  But the Realtor knew what she was doing, and she said the people staging the house were experts and the best in the city, so he’d let her handle it while he figured out how he’d screwed things up with Hazel so badly.

  He’d tried calling and texting her for the past several days. She wouldn’t answer. The worst part was he didn’t know where she’d gone. And even if he did, he knew that chasing after her would only piss her off more.

  He’d bungled this, but he couldn’t figure out how. He’d thought it through thoroughly, every step.

  Penny had been glued to his side ever since Hazel and the other dogs had driven away. She, too, knew something had gone terribly wrong. And it was all his fault that she felt abandoned.

  She missed her pack.

  So did he.

  He’d taken her on daily walks, played with her as much as he was able, but no doubt she had picked up on his sadness. She even slept in the bed with him at night, and she normally liked the cool floor. He ran his hand over the top of her head, needing her as much as she needed him right now.

  “I think we’re finished here,” Jennifer said. “We should be ready to stage within a couple of days.”

  “Great, thanks.”

  Jennifer walked out and shut the door behind her. He started to walk off but the doorbell rang. Figuring Jennifer had left something behind, he went to answer it, shocked to see his mother standing in front of him.

  “Mom. What are you doing here?”

  “I heard that Hazel left. I came to see if you needed help. Or just a hug.”

  “How— Oh, Warren.” He’d talked to Warren right after it had happened, knowing his brother would offer a sympathetic shoulder. He had no idea Warren would tell their mother. Though he shouldn’t be surprised. There were no secrets in the Kennedy family.

  “Yes, Warren, though I’m disappointed you didn’t call me yourself. And who is this sweet baby?”

  “This is Penny. She was one of Hazel’s dogs but I adopted her.”

  “Well, hello, sweet girl.” Mom bent and swept her hands over Penny, who wagged her tail enthusiastically.

  “I— How about some iced tea? And where are your bags?”

  “I already checked into a hotel. And I’d love some tea.”

  He fixed them both glasses of iced tea and took them to the table. Mom sat and took a few sips, leaning back in the chair. “Okay, Lincoln. Spill it. All of it.”

  He told her everything, about how their relationship had progressed, about her love of animals and fostering, about what an amazing cook she was, and how he wanted to give her everything. He told her about his plan to stay in Orlando and buy the twenty acres so she could have everything she ever wanted. And then he told his mother how Hazel had reacted, how upset she was when he told her about the money he had, and how she’d walked out on him.

  “You lied to her.”

  “I didn’t . . . Okay, I withheld information. But, Mom, you know what happened in the past with other women. How they treated me differently. I didn’t want that to happen with Hazel. I had planned to tell her; it just never seemed the right time.”

  “Uh-huh.” Mom sipped her tea and regarded him the way she always had when he’d done something wrong. “And when did you tell her that you loved her?”

  “I—” He paused, thinking back to that day, to all the days before when they’d discussed their relationship.

  Feelings. He’d told her he had feelings. He’d never said love.

  “Oh, shit. Sorry. But oh, shit, I never told her I loved her. In all those conversations, and on that last day, I never said it.”

  “Why not? Is it because you don’t feel it?”

  “No, I do. God, I love her so much. How could I have not said it?”

  His mother reached across and laid her hand on his. “You forgot the most important thing, Lincoln. Actually telling the woman you love that you love her.”

  “I love her. And nothing else matters.” He laid his head in his hands, unable to believe how badly he’d handled it all. Finally, he looked up, blowing out a frustrated breath. “I have to find her. Even if she hates me, I have to at least tell her.”

  She patted his cheek. “Yes, you do. But first, take a breath. Take me to dinner. I’m only here for one day. Show me around this amazing house that you’ve renovated.”

  “I’ll do that.” He reached across the table. “I’m so glad you’re here, Mom.”

  He’d needed his mother to help him find clarity. Now that he had it, it occurred to him that he knew who to ask about where Hazel might be.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  On her way to buy dog food, Hazel realized she needed a plan. She’d already taken up enough of Sandy’s generosity. Now, she and the dogs were going to have to move. It was time to carve out that independence she’d been talking about for so long.

  But, first she needed to talk to Linc. Now that she’d had some time to come down from her abject anger, she realized she was in love with him. And, maybe things weren’t going to work out between them, but she owed him at the very least a thank-you for housing her and giving her a job and a paycheck so she could move forward with her life.

  Tell him you love him. Work things out.

  Absolutely not. It was over. And she was going to be calm and rational and tell him that.

  As soon as she got brave enough to make that phone call, or go see him in person.

  Just the thought of seeing him made her legs shake.

  What would she say? Oh, Linc, thanks for handing me my world of dreams right before I threw them back in your face. Would it help if I told you I loved you?

  That would sound exactly like a woman who just found out her guy had tons of money, and had decided she wanted a big chunk of that cushy, comfortable life.

  This was a no-win situation.

  Tough. Woman up, Hazel, and have the conversation. No matter which way it goes, you’ll have told him how you feel.

  She changed lanes and headed over to Linc’s house.

  * * *

  • • •

  Linc studied his phone, smiling at Jennifer as she went over the multiple offers on the house.

  “One day, Linc,” she said. “We were on the market for one day and got three offers, each one better than the last. One’s lower but it’s cash, so something to consider.”

  “Uh-huh.” He studied the offers, making note of the family with two kids and a dog. The husband and wife had included a sweet note about how the place felt like home the minute they walked in. They also mentioned how much the kids loved the pool. They had financing in order, and he could see how this place would be an ideal family home.

  He slid that offer back to Jennifer. “This one. Accept this one.”

  She looked up at him. “Really? But it’s five thousand—”

  “I don’t care. That family loves this house, and I want them to have it.”

  She shrugged. “Okay. I’ll let their Realtor know. They’ll be thrilled.”

  He smiled and signed the papers, then showed Jennifer out, walking with her to her car as they discussed details.

  When a car pulled up alongside Jennifer’s in the driveway, he couldn’t contain his shock.

  It was Hazel.

  Jennifer looked from the car to him. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  His gaze was fixed on Hazel. “Yeah. Thanks.”

  Jennifer left and Hazel got out of her car, walking over to him.

  “The house is for sale?” she asked.

  “I accepted an offer today, actually.”

  “Wow. That’s fast.”

  “Yeah. How are the dogs?”

  “They’re good. We’ve been at Sandy’s.”

  “I called her. She told me to leave you alone until you were ready to talk. So, I tried to respect that.”

  “Thanks. I don’t know if that helped when all I really needed was to talk to you.”

  Relief washed over him. “I want to talk to you, too. Come inside?”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  He wanted to take her hand, but he didn’t, instead followed her as she went through the front door.

  Penny greeted her with wild wags and whimpers. Hazel crouched down and gave her copious amounts of love. “Penny. I’ve missed you so much.”

  “She’s missed you, too.” So had he.

  She got up and looked around. “Oh, wow. The house looks so different with furniture in here.”

  He glanced around the house, at how the stagers had put furniture and decor in all the rooms. Nice furniture, too. It made the house look like a home.

  “Yeah, the stagers did a good job.”

  “And it’s probably why the house sold so quickly. I hope you got what you wanted out of it.”

  “I got three offers, but I chose the family with two kids and a dog because they wrote a sweet note telling me how the place felt like home to them.”

  Her eyes welled with tears. “That’s . . . so nice.”

  “You know this place is built for a family—for a family with dogs and kids who’ll love the pool and the yard.”

  She looked over at Penny, who lay contentedly at Linc’s feet, then shuddered out an exhale. “Yeah, it’s perfect.”