Either things weren’t exactly as she’d thought or he was the best actor on the planet. Still not willing to trust him, she kept her distance as she said, “Electra showed up yesterday afternoon. She had your key and said she was here to get your stuff. You weren’t coming back to Wishing Tree. Instead, you and she were going somewhere tropical for the holidays. Three weeks of sun, sand and sex.”

He flinched. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “It’s not true. Not any of it. There is nothing between Electra and me. That was over more than a decade ago. That was all her. She took my key from my backpack while I was in the studio, recording the song. She must be desperate to do what she did, and I wish she hadn’t. I wish you’d called and talked to me.”

He took a step toward her, and she took a step back.

“Stay away,” she told him. The words all sounded so nice and plausible, but there was no reason to believe him. The hurt was just too big for her to want to trust him. “Just stay away.”

Pain sharpened his expression. “Dena, no.”

“Yes. I can’t do this. I don’t even know what this is. You’re some famous rock singer. You don’t belong here. You were just playing. I won’t be entertainment when you’re bored. This was a mistake.”

“But I love you. Didn’t you know? It was in the song.”

Her whole body stilled, and she tried to make sense of what he’d said. He loved her? He what?

She opened her mouth but was unable to speak. She also wasn’t breathing, but that seemed less important than trying to understand what he was—

He crossed to her, standing close but not touching her. “I meant every word in the song. You’ve changed me, Dena. You’ve opened my heart in ways I never expected. You’re good and kind and funny and smart and so beautiful. I love you. I thought you knew.”

“It was just a song,” she blurted. “You never said anything, and then you were gone and singing on TV, and we didn’t get to talk, and that woman showed up.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “It was so awful. I thought it had just been a game to you. I thought you were laughing at me.”

He pulled her close and held her so tightly, she knew in that second he would never let her go.