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But he dreahtan the same His mother chased hi in the breeze Suddenly she stopped, gazing at the strange car parked before her The ot out and held out his hand She took it Climbed into the car And drove off

Dalton chased her down the road, calling her na, her faainst theamid the fire Dalton waited for her to ht halfway to wakefulness, forced to watch the last, devastating scene

Suddenly, his mother faded away

Raven was in the car

Her beautiful, inky hair surrounded her face in ed hilass, her palms pressed to thein one last plea

I’ut twisted with nausea He ran to the bathroom, voo back to sleep

The nightht

This time, when the car exploded and she tried to run, the wo him in a fiery death

This ti her father, a cold, distant look on his face while he watched hi in the air, but he never turned or acknowledged her presence

Raven woke up drenched in sweat, her cheeks wet

She didn’t go back to sleep

Chapter twenty-six

Dalton turned off the band saw and exarain had a deep color that would go ith Morgan’s choice of cabinetry Heinto the familiar rhyth his senses

His workshop seemed the only place he felt at peace lately Between the repeated night his sleep and the constant e of soe breakdoeeks had passed He’d kept away from the bar, distanced himself from his family, and tried to bear down and deal with the fallout

Problem was, he didn’t seem able to move on He was stuck, still unable to pry her frout,held a glier It was as if a piece of hi--a piece he’d never known existed before Raven

He peeled off his glasses and gloves Swigging so on his iPhone when a text caht, then held as he waited to see who it was fro dinner--wanna join me?

His shoulders slumped Charlie After he’d finished the Sullivans’ deck, they’d spoken a few tiotten any further since he’d broken up with Raven He stared at the phone for a while Maybe it was tis that had no place in his life and move on with another woaued him They had a more friendly vibe, but it wouldn’t take much to cross over

He quickly texted back Sure Seven? Where?

The phone shook Great My Place?

He stilled Pain clawed at his gut, but he fought it back, pissed off and frustrated Morgan and Sydney still went there for drinks and poker night Cal and Tristan never mentioned it, but he was sure they frequented the bar also He couldn’t avoid Raven forever If he showed up with another woht be the catalyst needed to prove he could h he’d driven that point hoed face hit him like a sucker punch The raw pain in her eyes as she realized he alking away, treating her like soretted the cruelty of his actions, yet at the same time, Dalton had been convinced it was the best way to break it off Brutal, yes But final

He tapped out his answer Ok

A s only at the lastlot, he almost decided to turn around Sheer stubbornness pushed his that seemed a bit shaky

He opened the saloon doors and stepped inside The crowd had been steadily growing since the refurbishht, so it was packed The article in Good Food & Fine Spirits would hit next aze went i back the luht of Charlie in one of the booths She waved him over

He slid in opposite her and forced a sured I wouldn’t bug you till the deck was finished It looks a, by the way My aunt and uncle are really happy"

Pleasure cut through hi his as enjoyed and appreciated always reain at the bar, he adeous lines and polished bronze Reht him lunch and they’d talked while he worked He couldn’t look at the poker tables, because all he thought about was their first kiss by the shed, under the stars

"Dalton? You okay?"