Broken Road by Mari Beck

Author:Mari Beck
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2015-04-27T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

The Ride Home

The ride home back to the farmhouse was quiet and uneventful. Neither he nor Renae said anything until they were back working on the posts.

“I’m sorry.” She said.

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about.”He tried to reassure her.

“I’m the one who insisted we go into town.”

“Doreen insisted, you just wanted to help out.”

“Something like that, I guess. I had no idea that she. . .that he. . .”

“Misty and Brandon?” How much did she know, he wondered?

“I overheard Doreen talking one time when I was working.” She said and he frowned.

“She means well.” Riley said, his jaw clenching.

“I think she does too.” Renae agreed. Riley sighed and went back to work. He didn’t want to talk about it anymore. He could feel the familiar stab of pain and the tightening in his chest.

“What about you?” He heard himself ask and he could tell she was confused. Maybe even offended by his question.

“What do you mean?” She said in a clearly defensive tone. He decided to let it go.

“Nothing.”

“Come on, Riley. You asked the question. What do you mean?” Why wouldn’t she let it go too?

“Nothing, I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just. . .” Dammit. Shut up, he warned himself, before he said something really stupid.

“It’s just what?”

“It’s just I can’t figure it out. You offer me a place to stay. I’m a complete stranger. You hire me to help you fix this house. You know things about me. . .”

“Are you saying you don’t trust me?”

“I’m saying I don’t really know you.” There he said it. It’s what he’d been thinking for the longest time at least the times when he felt that his own life was out there naked for her to see. He realized that while they talked about him he knew hardly anything about her. Her eyes went wide with surprise or maybe it was hurt, he couldn’t tell which. But as quickly as the emotion flashed in her eyes it disappeared and she looked away so he couldn’t see anymore.

“Maybe it’s better that way.” She whispered almost too softly that he didn’t hear.

“What?”

“I said maybe it’s better that way.” She repeated this time in an almost defiant tone. It took him by surprise and he shook his head.

“I wasn’t trying to start a fight.” He said.

“We’d have to know each other better to start a fight. Isn’t that what you mean?”

“Maybe. I don’t know what I mean. Look don’t get offended. It’s just that what happened back in town. . .”

“I get it. I even get that you’re kind of taking it out on me.” Their eyes met. Riley felt bad. She was right. He wasn’t mad at her he was mad at himself.

“I’m sorry.” He said.

“Apology accepted.”

“Good. But it’s true you know.”

“What?”

“I don’t know that much about you.”

“I thought we just agreed that it was better that way.”

“No. I agreed that I was being an asshole about what happened in town.” He grinned and the tension between them seemed to dissipate for a moment.

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