Sharon nodded, her eyes sad and glassy. “I’m sorry about that. We’ve been through a lot with Wayne, and Shelley, his mother. I won’t go down that road again.”

  “I can understand that,” I said.

  “Some years ago, I reached out to your parents,” Sharon continued. “We began talking, although infrequently, and then your mother began sending pictures. Usually around Christmas. I took what I could get. The truth was, I felt like the idiot. Clearly, your lives were better off without us. Without Windsor hanging around your ankle like a ball and chain, holding you back.”

  “It doesn’t hold me back,” I said.

  “I see that,” Sharon admitted, her gaze flicking to Casey and then quickly back to me. “Either way, I see this place exactly as you do: one big missed opportunity. I wanted more than that for you.”

  “You sound like Mom,” I admitted with a wry smile.

  “I told them a few years back I wanted contact but only when and if you kids were ready.”

  “And I never was,” I added, feeling the weight of that decision more than I ever had before. And I realized I’d been a hypocrite. Sharon had let her pride ruin her relationship with her family and here I was doing the same damn thing. And all of it built on prejudices and assumptions and stereotypes.

  Nice, Jordan.

  “Sharon,” I began and then changed my mind, my tone softening as I started again. “Grandma.” Sharon’s mouth lifted. It was the closest to a genuine smile I’d ever seen. “I’m sorry. Looks like we’re both guilty of the same sin. I’d like to … start over if we can.”

  She took a deep breath and her shoulders sagged as she exhaled. “I’d like that very much too.”

  She held her arms out and I stepped into them, hugging her right back. I was startled to find her scent reminded me of Dad’s—freshly pressed linens and starch. Moisture stung my eyes and by the time I pulled away, we were both swiping at the corner of our lids.

  We shared a smile.

  “Unless my eyes deceive me, you two are getting along,” Casey said, slipping a hand in mine as he came up beside me.

  I wondered how long he’d been eavesdropping to have such impeccable timing, but I didn’t mind. It was nice having Casey watching out for me. I squeezed Casey’s hand and leaned in against his shoulder.

  John’s eyes sparkled as he looked between me and Sharon. He planted a kiss on her cheek and she swatted at him but failed to hide her amusement. Huh. Maybe she didn’t settle as much as she thought.

  “Jordan and I have cleared the air, I believe,” Sharon said and I could only shake my head at the uppity way she described it. As usual.

  “We made up,” I added.

  John hooted. “About damn time. Jordan, we can’t wait to get to know you better.” He turned to Sharon. “Now can I buy a dirt bike from this talented young man?”

  “Have at it.” Sharon gestured and John immediately doubled back to the garage. Casey followed and Sharon and I wandered slowly along behind them.

  “I heard the house you’re building is coming along nicely,” Sharon said.

  “Yeah, I’m wrapping up next week actually.” I kicked my toe against the loose dirt, my good mood suddenly plummeting as I remembered how little time I had left here.

  If Sharon thought the same, she didn’t comment on it. “We’d love if you came for dinner before you left,” she said. “You and Casey.”

  “That sounds great, but…” I bit my lip, uncertain whether to bring it up and risk the progress we’d made. “Will Wayne be there?”

  “No.” Sharon shook her head. “And I apologize again for his aggressive behavior toward you. Wayne is…”

  “An ass,” I offered.

  Sharon laughed, which shocked me hard enough to stop me cold. “Yes, that is the most accurate isn’t it?” Sharon’s amusement died quickly. “I make excuses, I know, because of his circumstances.”

  “Because of Shelley?”

  Sharon sighed. “Shelley left when Wayne was fifteen. She said she had a job in LA and never came home.”

  “You’ve never heard from her in all this time?” I asked.

  “No. Wayne was okay at first but their home life was always a little shady, I think. Anyway, after a couple of years he’d fallen into the wrong crowd at school and I think … well, there I go making excuses. Anyway, I think he saw more than we know in those childhood years—men in and out, none of them kind to him or Shelley—and it changed him. Made him into something else.”

  “He’s not nice to anyone. Especially Jenny,” I said.

  Sharon sighed again. “I try to encourage her to leave but she’s had it rough too. Low self-esteem. It’s a long story, and it’s not yours to worry about.” She stepped closer and laid a hand very tentatively on my shoulder. “Wayne won’t bother you anymore. John will see to it. Will you come for dinner?”

  I smiled. “I’ll come.”

  “Bring Casey,” she added.

  I glanced over and found him watching me, half-nodding at whatever John was saying to him. Our eyes met and something warm passed between us. It didn’t feel at all like an impending goodbye and a pang of regret washed over me at what I was losing when I left. “I’ll bring him to dinner,” I promised.

  Besides, what was one more dinner when I’d already let him so far inside my heart?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Casey

  I stood on the front porch, waving one last time into the darkness as the DeWalters’ truck disappeared down the road. When the red tail lights faded, I turned to Jordan and did what I’d wanted to do for over an hour.

  “That was—”

  Her words were cut short, silenced by my kiss.

  It was meant to be almost chaste, a measure of comfort against the stress and emotion of what she’d just gone through with Sharon and John.

  I had every intention of stopping again—but the moment our lips met, I knew it wouldn’t be nearly as gentle as I’d intended. Her scent, the feel of her in my arms—and the reminder that this might be one of the last times we were together this way—let loose a sudden desperation.

  I needed her.

  To savor it. To store it up for the future. A very lonely future at this rate.

  I kissed her harder and she gave a soft noise of pleasure, egging me on.

  The pressure increased, my lips hard and wanting on hers, and it took all of a split second for her to give in and melt underneath my hands. The tension in her shoulders and arms drained away and within no time, she felt like soft clay beneath me. Molding, shaping her body against mine.

  I pulled and she pressed back, the cool night air sliding up and inside the cracks between us, charging me with an electric current that buzzed underneath my skin.

  More. I needed more of her.

  My hands roamed, finding their way inside her shirt and up and over her velvet skin. I moved fabric aside greedily until her breast spilled free into my palm. My thumb brushed over her nipple and every inch of me lengthened and tightened as she moaned into my mouth.

  I tugged her closer and she answered by wrapping her arms tight around my neck. I reached my arms around her waist, cupping her ass, and lifted. She wrapped her legs around me, locking them at the ankles. I barely broke away long enough to gauge the distance before I shoved her against the wall by the front door. My tongue tangled with hers. I fumbled with the knob.

  Jordan yanked her mouth from mine and threw her head back, arching her neck and pressing her hips against mine. I barely held back the growl building in my throat. All thoughts of stopping or going gently fled.

  I trailed hungry kisses over her throat, dipping low to lick along the line of her V-neck that had slipped to reveal plenty of skin.

  “Casey,” Jordan whispered.

  Her name built in my mind until I thought my body would burst with how much it wanted her. To claim her. Not just tonight but always.

  Instead of her name, what came out was the same bullshit I’d almost ruined things with earlier. “Stay.”

  I barely registered it—until I felt Jordan stiffen against me. Her kisses stopped. She loosened her grip on my neck—on my everything. “Casey,” she said, but instead of hearing my name, I only heard the regret.

  Motherfucker.

  Why hadn’t I waited to say that ’til later?

  Or better yet—realized she’d never answered it in the first place for a reason. And not just because we’d been interrupted by her grandparents.

  “Let’s talk about it later,” I mumbled, kissing her ear in an attempt to pick up where we’d left off.

  “I can’t.” Jordan unlocked her ankles and I eased away until her feet slid to the floor.

  “Fine, let’s not talk about it at all,” I said, the hardest parts of me still stinging from the sudden and abrupt separation.

  “No, I mean I can’t stay,” Jordan said quietly.

  “I had a feeling you’d say that,” I said and despite every effort to keep the bitterness out of my tone, Jordan winced. And I knew she’d heard it. I shoved a hand through my hair. “When do you leave?”

  She hesitated, and I thought I’d braced myself. But when she said, “Next week,” I knew I hadn’t prepared myself nearly enough.

  I spun and marched to the railing, staring out over a yard covered in a shroud of darkness. Above, stars twinkled, the moon shone. The earth continued to spin. But for me, everything came to an abrupt and screeching halt.

  Next fucking week.

  “Guess it works out that Frank knows about my bike business,” I said without turning, “considering I’ve just lost our bet.”

  “Casey, please don’t be like that,” she whispered.

  I ignored that. “So this is it then?”

  Jordan hesitated. “I guess so,” she said finally.

  I contemplated all of the irrational reactions I wanted to have. Cursing. Plugging my ears and singing. Leaving in a cloud of motorcycle dust. But I didn’t.

  I just stood there and took it like a man.

  A man getting his heart broken.

  Finally, Jordan backed away and shook her head. Without a word, she disappeared inside. Still, I stood there, frowning at the silhouette of the mountains in the distance.

  I wondered if Frank would be proud of me now. Was this living? Falling in love—finally—only to end up getting your heart pummeled before being forced to watch her walk out of your life forever?

  If so, I wondered if opting for eternal bachelorhood wasn’t a better alternative after all. Frank thought I’d only been going through the motions before … I hated to imagine what it was going to be like when Jordan was gone.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jordan

  Mud squished underneath the soles of my boots. Two days of rain had brought progress on Summer’s house to a standstill, even threatening to delay my departure date. Now, the contractors scurried around like ants trying to make up for lost time. Drills hummed, but with the walls already closed in, all I could do was stand back and listen to the muffled sounds of interior construction.

  Summer stood beside me, both of us watching the activity from afar as various contractors came and went with supplies.

  “I bet you’re thrilled to have this all behind you so you can open your firm,” Summer said. I’d filled her in on the gist of things with Sharon and John and she’d been more sympathetic than I’d expected, telling me in turn about her parents’ divorce and the rift it had caused. Apparently, she was still on tentative ground with her mom but things were improving slowly.

  Her understanding made me wish I’d confided in her sooner.

  “Yeah, thrilled,” I said wondering why the word provoked no matching emotion. I’d felt empty inside ever since the night Casey and I had broken up. He’d barely spoken a word to me in two days. Hell, he’d barely been home. He was avoiding me, respecting my space and the fact that I’d ended things. I understood—hadn’t this been what I’d said I wanted?—but knowing it didn’t make the pain any easier.

  “Will it take long to get everything up and running?”

  “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I’ve been so focused on fulfilling Dad’s last request that I didn’t think much about what comes next.”

  “But you’re done, right? And with the house on track and the framing all done … I mean, obviously I love having you here, and not just for work but as a friend. But you can go home now.”

  “Thanks, Summer, that means a lot.” I smiled. “This project has meant so much more than I expected. So have you.” I stared out at the view of rolling hills and fields dotted with crops below us.

  “Frank told me about your decision to scrap the car.” She bumped my shoulder sympathetically. “I know it meant something to you.”

  “It did.” I managed to keep the pain out of my words. Another small piece of Dad I’d been forced to let go of out here. “But John’s selling me a car at a good price.”

  “Sounds like everything worked out for the best,” she said and I grimaced. “You okay?” she asked.

  The pain in my chest constricted my throat, making it hard to talk. “Not everything worked out for the best.”

  Summer bit her lip and I knew she caught my meaning. “Want to talk about it?”

  “You mean can you tell me your fairy tale love story for a seventh time?” I shook my head and she gave me a rueful smile. “No. I think I’m good. Not everyone’s story ends like yours.”

  Summer’s expression turned earnest. “You’re missing the point.”

  “And what’s that?”

  She tilted her head as if the answer was obvious. “Not all of them end.”

  I sighed. “Mine does.”

  “But who says it has to be today?” She shrugged before I could argue. “I’m just saying. Lots of houses in Grayson need fixing up. You wouldn’t be pressed for work.”

  I scrunched my brows together, uncertain, but for the first time, not completely turned off by the idea. “You really think there’s enough opportunity here? Enough to build a career on?”

  “I know there’s a market for it,” she said and I eyed her skeptically.

  “Seriously. My mom’s country club friends love investment property. They all started watching HGTV and now they think they can flip houses.” She rolled her eyes and I smiled. “Seriously, Grayson might be small but the surrounding counties and Roanoke together make up a plenty big area. In my opinion, an ambitious girl like you might even do better out here than in the big city.” She brushed her hand over my arm and added, “Something to think about.”

  She grabbed the forms she’d been looking for earlier and sauntered off, leaving me staring after her—an idea forming. Or maybe it had been there all along. Maybe the only thing that had really been in my way had been that I’d truly believed in my own failure. At everything.

  “Huh,” I muttered to myself, stealing Frank’s favorite line.

  I yanked my phone out and sent a text to Frank.

  A second later, he replied simply: yep.

  I smiled.

  Summer was right. It was time I started the next chapter of my life, starting with giving Casey notice that I’d be moving out. My pulse thudded as I remembered the hurt and utter betrayal that had played across his face the other night. I’d hurt him deeply and the regret washed over me so hard my knees wobbled. What had I done? Casey deserved so much better. And I was going to give it to him.

  I made up my mind, smiling as I packed up my things.

  We’d done everything backwards so far, but not anymore. A girl couldn’t start off already living with the love of her life. I just hoped that once I explained, Casey would see it as a new start too.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Casey

  The dull roar coupled with the phantom rattle of Goose’s motor made it impossible to hear anything else. She was sick. Again.

  Fucking A, Dean. Buy a new damned tractor.

  It figured after finally getting over my initial panic of being fired, I’d come over to pick up my check and ended up doing the only thing about my job I thoroughly despised: fixing this damned tractor.

  At least it was Friday.

  And I had a date with a rusted hunk of metal that I planned to spend the entire weekend with my hands inside. It was my second favorite date scenario. And for the foreseeable future, it was all I had to look forward to.

  Underneath me, Goose wrenched and shuddered.

  I pressed my foot on the gas but nothing happened except the rattling sound got louder. I eased off again, contenting myself with the slow pace. I’d taken her on a long loop since the middle field was being harvested and all sorts of hands and equipment had blocked the way.

  I used my forearm and the hem of my work glove to wipe my brow. This August heat was no joke. Up ahead, the humidity blurred the form of an approaching body. Sweat dripped into my eyes, clouding it further, until all I could make out was a mane of loose blonde hair glinting in the light. Frayed shorts. Thin button-down blouse.

  I blinked, not quite willing to hope.

  Maybe it was a mirage.

  I had heatstroke.

  Why else would I see Jordan running toward me in the middle of this field on the hottest day so far this year?

  When I blinked again, she was suddenly right in front of me—and she was still coming. I yanked the wheel, swerving around her, but at the last second, she darted sideways and came alongside me.

  “Jordan?” I said, dumbfounded.

  She grinned and grabbed the handle, swinging herself up onto the footboard beside me.

  “What the hell?” I demanded, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her in close to keep her from falling off the side of the damn thing.

  But I wasn’t mad. Not even a little.

  She looked glorious in the sunshine, her hair tangled and wild, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. Her blue eyes were like icy pools in the desert. I fell in immediately and didn’t care if I ever came up for air.

  “I’m glad I caught you,” she said, swiping absently at her brow.