Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Rylee could hear her aunt in the kitchen. Yesterday had been a complete disaster. Why did everything have to fall apart so spectacularly in front of her friends? Not only had they witnessed Alexander being a jerk, but they’d also had a front-row seat to Tate’s betrayal.
She still couldn’t believe that Tate could have stooped so low. And why not just tell her if he’d been meeting with that woman to improve his chances at beating the developer?
Something wasn’t adding up and it was giving her a massive headache. She didn’t know what to do at this point. Going over to his place to demand answers now that she didn’t have an audience seemed too… desperate. But just the thought of walking away tore a piece of her heart out.
To make matters worse, she knew Roxy wouldn’t let this go. She’d likely gotten up bright and early so she could corner Rylee and make her talk.
But Rylee had no interest in any of that.
She didn’t want to discuss what Alexander had found.
She didn’t want to return to the subject of finding a marriage match in New York.
She didn’t want to leave Rocky Ridge, but she also had no desire to return to the city where she’d always felt like an outcast.
Rylee groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose as she stopped in front of her bedroom door.
On the other side of that wood, she’d have to face everything.
Roxy would be relentless. Heck, if Rylee took too long, then Roxy would probably come barging into Rylee’s room just to force her to get some closure.
So, with a heavy sigh and an even heavier heart, Rylee reached for the doorknob. She turned the cool metal and pulled the door open. The clattering sound in the kitchen paused only briefly. Then it started up again.
“Rylee, dear, is that you?”
“Yeah, Roxy. Who else would it be?” She cringed at the comment even though she sounded more tired than irritated.
“Just going out to take care of the animals.” She stopped short as she reached the edge of the hallway and found her aunt bustling around the kitchen with an apron.
She’d never seen Roxy so… domestic. They’d always had staff to take care of them, and she’d nearly forgotten that Roxy hadn’t come from money.
Roxy stilled, one fist on her hip. “You better close that mouth of yours. You look like a fish.”
Rylee snapped her mouth shut. “Sorry,” she muttered. Then she took in the spread. Crêpes, fresh fruit, and eggs covered her small counter. “You made breakfast?”
“Of course I did. You’re going to need your energy.”
Frowning, Rylee moved toward the door so she could pull on her boots. “Why, is something happening today?”
Her aunt didn’t look her in the eye. “I just figured you’d be getting back to work.
Don’t tell me you’re done snooping around in that attic of yours.
” Then her focus flickered to Rylee and her voice softened.
“You forget that I’m familiar with this lifestyle.
And from the looks of it, you’ve been elbow-deep in a few projects outside, too. ”
Rylee didn’t bother answering her aunt. It was true, after all. She’d been clearing some of the land, prepping it for fall. Then there were the animals and a few projects she had going in the barn. With half of it rebuilt, she’d wanted to add some shelving and storage to make it more accessible.
Or, rather, she’d wanted to do as much before she’d realized that she was nothing more than a passing fancy to a certain cowboy down the lane.
Her throat tightened and she gave a quick nod before slipping out the door to take care of her animals.
Soon, she’d have to sit at the kitchen table and discuss her next steps. She’d have to admit that she knew she couldn’t stay here anymore. Seeing Tate around town would hurt too much. And her little experiment to find herself seemed to have failed.
Feeding the livestock and cleaning out their stalls had become second nature to her.
It hadn’t taken long to learn what her animals needed.
This was one thing she was going to miss when she left.
There was a small part of her soul that insisted she could take them with her.
What if she found a small town in another state and started over?
No dumb boys from her childhood. No pushy suitors who wanted a marriage match.
The thought took root far easier than it should have, if she were honest. There were plenty of farming communities on this side of the country. Would Roxy support that decision?
There was only one way to find out.
Rylee gathered the last of the eggs and placed them in a basket before heading for the house.
Roxy was cleaning up the dishes from the meal she’d put together—another strange thing to witness.
She glanced up with a bright smile when Rylee entered the house.
“The food is still warm, though I must admit, I thought you’d be back far sooner. ”
Ignoring her aunt’s statement, Rylee placed the basket of eggs on the counter and moved to the sink to wash her hands. “I think I need to move.”
Aunt Roxy froze. She’d been in the middle of putting a mixing bowl away, and her eyes slid in Rylee’s direction. “Move?”
Rylee nodded. “I don’t know. I don’t belong here. That’s been made perfectly clear. And I don’t feel like I fit in with everyone in New York.”
“Rylee.” Roxy sighed. “You don’t mean that.”
“Which part?” Rylee shut off the water and reached for a hand towel. “Because I can assure you I mean every word. It’s been great living here. I think I’ve found my calling. I’ve always been meant to care for animals and work with my hands.”
“Then stay.” Roxy’s words came out in a huff and Rylee’s brows lifted with surprise. “What?”
“You heard me, dear. If you feel this place is more like home, then stick around.”
Rylee shook her head. “I can’t. There’s nothing here for me.”
The look her aunt gave her made her feel about two inches tall. “If you’re suggesting that you don’t belong here because of what you went through with that boy—”
“To be fair, Tate isn’t a boy. Even if he acted like one,” she muttered that last bit under her breath.
“But yes, that’s what I’m saying. I don’t want to be here.
In this town. When he’s living next door and I’m forced to remember what it’s like to have…
” She swallowed down the lump in her throat, hating how her voice trembled. “What it’s like to have his heart.”
In an instant, Roxy was at her side. “And who says you don’t?”
Rylee laughed bitterly. “You saw what happened. He didn’t even try to explain himself.
He just let Alexander walk all over him before he left.
He’s hiding something. Even if there’s more to the story of that picture, he refused to talk about it.
I asked him to, practically begged for it. But all he did was… leave.”
Roxy placed a hand on her forearm and squeezed gently. “What I saw was a man who was scared. Of what, I don’t know. Like you said, there is probably more to that story—”
“It doesn’t change the fact that he chose not to clear the air. First the argument. Then the avoidance. Now this? I can’t deal with the unknown.”
Her aunt laughed quietly, but it almost sounded sad. “No, you’ve never been very good at dealing with the unknown. You always wanted answers. You always demanded to know what was coming next. It was almost as if you were scared of being surprised again after your father passed.”
Those words hit her harder than she wanted to admit. It was true. Her life being upended as a child had made it difficult to go with the flow. She’d never really liked surprises.
Until Tate started showing up with critters that needed someone to look after them. Those surprises she’d taken in stride.
“Perhaps you need to stick around a little longer,” Roxy said. “The summer isn’t over for a few more weeks. Take the rest of that time to figure things out.”
“I don’t need the rest of the summer,” Rylee insisted. “I just need to do some looking around. Maybe I can find a piece of land somewhere else that can accommodate my animals. Somewhere I can do a little farming. With my inheritance, I won’t need a job to make ends meet. I just…”
“Don’t make any rash decisions, dear. That’s when mistakes are made and regrets run free.”
Rylee set her jaw at her aunt’s request.
Her aunt sighed, her eyes pleading. “You ran from New York to find yourself. Don’t run from here, too.
Running never gets anyone anywhere good.
You need to figure out what you want while staying in the thick of discomfort.
If you stay and find this isn’t your home anymore, then absolutely start looking for something else.
But don’t leave just because you think you won’t be able to handle seeing that man again. ”
She was making a lot of sense.
Dang it all, Rylee hated just how logical it all seemed.
“Fine. I’ll stay. But that doesn’t mean I’m staying for good.”
“I know.” Roxy patted her arm. “Like I said. Just until the end of the summer. Then I’ll help you find a new place myself if that’s what it takes.”
“And I’m going to start packing stuff up.”
Her aunt’s exasperated stare would have been humorous if she hadn’t also looked so disappointed and maybe a little angry.
Rylee ducked away from her and the feelings her judgment stirred up.
Technically, Roxy could do a lot to prevent Rylee from leaving.
She was the one still responsible for the inheritance. At least for now.
She sat down at the table and filled a plate with food. Then she picked up a fork and knife. But before she could take a bite, a letter dropped in front of her.
She left it where it lay.
Then she pulled on her boots and went out to the barn, and took her phone with her.
Louie fainted at the sound of the gate and got up again. Dewey came over to have his ears scratched. Huey had his head through the fence after grass he had a whole field of, on the theory that the grass on the road side had a flavor the rest of it didn’t.
Faith picked up right away, which was worse.
“Hey! I was going to call you—”
“I need to ask you for a favor and I need you to not turn it into a conversation.” Rylee scratched Dewey’s head unconsciously. “Tate told me once that if it came to it, Brent’s people could take the animals. Is that true?”
Faith didn’t answer.
“Faith.”
“It’s true,” Faith said carefully. “Rylee—”
“The two brown ones are bonded. They can’t be split up, so whoever takes one takes both. And the pony and the cow won’t settle apart either, I’ve tried it. Nightmare comes with me. The pullets can go anywhere.”
“Rylee.”
“Please don’t.” Her hand had settled on Dewey’s back, and she gently smoothed his fur back down. “If I sleep on this I won’t be able to do it. That’s why it has to be now.”
A long pause on the other end. When Faith answered, all the brightness had gone out of her.
“I’ll ask Brent.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m not saying yes.”
“I know what you’re saying.”
She hung up before either of them could make it worse, and stood there in her father’s paddock with a goat leaning against her leg and counted up what was hers. A cat that came with the house. Six birds she’d bought herself.
Everything else on this place had arrived in a trailer, one animal at a time, delivered by a man who never once asked whether she meant to stay.