I was looking at him, and his eyes met mine for a split second in the most detached expression I could have imagined. It was a glorious May evening. The building was charming, and there was excitement in the air regarding the series. I was anxious to see him again and hyperaware of his presence. And yet all I could get from Henry was an unaffected, one-size-fits-all greeting that left me feeling hurt and confused.
I didn't show my disappointment, though. I just went right on talking to the people around me. The musicians who would be playing in the series were there with us, and we all stood around, watching them and talking while people ate. Sam was an actor and a friend they knew from LA. He and Judd had connected with a couple of the camera operators, and they were the ones spearheading the trip to Butte.
I was now eager to go with them.
I agreed to go with them when everyone could hear me. My sister was going, and I wanted it to be obvious to Henry that I was going, too. I wanted him to know I could have fun regardless of how he acted toward me. He could pretend we had never met, and it didn't break my heart at all.
We left dinner, saying we'd meet up again at 8:30 to leave for Butte. Henry was busy when we left. He was with Alex, who was introducing him to some of the older characters—the guy who would play Ty's dad and a few of the other actors.
Henry and I had not discussed our feelings or the fact that we might not be able to spend as much time together as we hoped. It shouldn't have surprised me when we encountered each other at dinner, and he acted like he didn't know me. I knew he had to focus.
Plus, I wasn't sure what I was expecting. We had one night together. One night was nothing. It wasn't even a one-night stand by the world's standards. All that had happened was conversation and kissing. Henry Sutter didn't owe me anything.
Telling myself that didn't make it easier.
My sister and I went back to the trailer, and there was a box waiting for me there. It was addressed to me, care of the Baptist church in Butte. I knew Henry had been the one to drop it off here, but I could also tell he hadn't opened it.
My sister was with me when I found it. She was curious, and she watched as I opened it. She was let down that it was just that same old Bible I already had, but I was excited to have it back. It was Donna's Bible, along with a note from her daughter-in-law that said she had had it for the last two months, and she and her husband hadn't opened it once. She felt bad about taking it from me when she was sure I would use it more than them.
I was happy to have it back, and I wanted to look through it, and because of that, I didn't go to Butte with my sister and the others that night. We had been traveling that day, and Henry had made me feel hurt, so I was looking for any excuse to ditch them and stay at the ranch, anyway.
I decided I'd take a walk to the stream. I knew that most of the cast and crew were going out tonight, and I was looking forward to having the ranch to myself for a while. I thought maybe I'd even go by the barn. Maybe Henry would decide to stay as well, and we could try not to ignore each other if I ran into him again.
Chapter 13
Henry
His chest was tight with anticipation from the moment he stepped into the new building and saw Amelia with her sister and the rest of the cast and crew. He had been anticipating her arrival for days, weeks, even. Henry didn't even realize how much his feelings had developed until he walked into the room and saw her. He had just dropped a box off at her trailer, and he wanted to tell her it was there. He had an ice breaker—something to talk about. But he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. There were so many people around, and his feelings would have been obvious.
He heard her talking about going out in Butte with some of the cast and crew, and he knew he would see her there. He would be able to work up the nerve once they were all hanging out casually at the same place. He had been in touch with Judd, and he knew that the ETA for the group was 9pm at a predetermined location in Butte. Henry showed up at five-till because he wanted to be early but didn't want to seem too eager. He was eager, though. He was antsy to see Amelia again. He had messed up earlier, and he couldn’t wait to make it better.
The group was in the bar area of a restaurant he had been to several times. He went to the back, knowing that Judd hadalready arrived, and he could go right up to their group. He saw Judd, and he was going that way, but Amelia was positioned on his way to Judd, and there was nothing he could do to stop himself from going up to her and reaching out to touch her.
It was a small area, and it was loud and crowded in there, so he was able to come up behind her without being obvious. He put his hand on her back, and he was about to say something about how he messed up earlier, but she turned, and it wasn't Amelia at all.
He had touched her back, and now she was looking at him. He made an uncontrollable look of surprise when she turned. Ty knew Henry, and she smiled when she recognized him. The two sisters were supposed to be playing each other's doppelgangers in the series, and they really did look a lot alike.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean… I was trying to get out of the way," he explained, glancing behind him as if looking for someone, as if he had been shoved into her. He didn't know what he was trying to say. "Is your sister here?" he asked. He stopped talking once he realized she might put it together with the back-touching, but she didn't seem to flinch.
She just smiled and shook her head. "Oh, Amelia didn't come."
Henry tried to keep his face neutral, even though the disappointment was immense. "I thought she said she was coming," he said, still trying to seem casual.
"Yeah, she got some box delivered, and then she just decided to stay back. I begged her," she said, shaking her head. "I tried to tell her we're about to have plenty of time trapped in that trailer."
Sam made a remark about the trailers and how he needed to fix his up. Someone else mentioned Ty and Amelia's trailer being lush, and Ty responded to that. Everyone was standing around and chiming in. Henry was at a loss. He wanted to turn and walkout that instant. He wanted to go right back to the farm where Amelia was. Judd saw him and called him over, and Henry went that way. He tried to seem unaffected, but it was difficult. He was affected.
Henry stayed for about five minutes of cordial conversation… just enough for it not to be obvious why he was leaving. He walked out without telling anyone. He just made it seem like he was using the restroom, and he left. He didn't even tell Judd. He would text him later.
Henry looked for Amelia's number when he headed toward his truck. He had her number saved under her name, but until this moment, he had never used it. They had always messaged on the chess app. Henry called her number as he went toward the back parking lot where he was parked.
He waited while it rang.
Twice.
Three times.
His heart was pounding.
