“There you are!”
She turned to see Leroy striding toward her with a furrowed brow. She forced what she hoped was a believable smile onto her face and cheerfully greeted him. Feeling uneasy, she knelt to pet Babe, rubbing behind her ears. Anything to avoid looking into Leroy’s eyes. She suspected he knew about her recent change of plans.
“I’ve been calling your phone and searching all over for you.” He sounded aggravated.
“I’m sorry. My phone was dead. I was out walking. And I came here because I thought I’d spend the night with Jan tonight. More comfortable than the guest cottage sofa.” She slowly stood, daring to look at his face. It seemed hard as stone.
“Luna told me you were leaving. Is that true?”
Brynna glanced around. “We’re not leaving tonight. Mike and Jan aren’t even here and—”
“Does that mean you’re leaving tomorrow?” he demanded. “Leaving for good?”
“Yes, I think it’s for the best.” She folded her arms across her front, trying to bolster her resolve, or maybe to protect her heart.
“For the best?” He frowned. “Whose best?”
“Everyone’s.”
He shook his head. “I don’t get you, Brynna. Is this some kind of emotional cat-and-mouse game with you? You’re like a human ping-pong ball. First you say you’re leaving, then you’re staying, now you’re leaving again. What is going on with you? Are you some kind of psychotic nut like Judith keeps suggesting?”
She tried to ignore the sting of those words. “I know it must seem confusing. I’ll admit I’m confused too.”
“Is it because I couldn’t spend time with you at that silly birthday party?”
“No, I understood that. Those were your friends and family and—”
“Is it because of the way Judith—”
“No, that has nothing to do with my decision. It’s just that—”
“So you were going to leave anyway? Just flit away? Were you even going to tell me? What about Sophie? She still believes you’re staying on. Just like you told her, she assumes you’ll be here throughout the summer. Until her baby comes.”
“I wish I could.” She felt a lump in her throat.
“I don’t get it. Why do you keep jerking us around like this?”
“It’s complicated, Leroy.” Tears gathered in her eyes as she gauged her words. She didn’t want to speak badly of his daughters. Didn’t want to blame Luna and Gina and just make things worse. Before she could think of a reasonable explanation, she heard the deep rumble of the motorcycle. She glanced down the road to see Mike and Jan coming this way on the Harley. She had to get the words out fast, even if they didn’t make sense.
“As much as I would love to stay here, I honestly think I need to go home. It’s for the best. And don’t worry, I’ll explain it all to Sophie tomorrow. I’ll make sure she understands. And then we’ll break camp and get out of here.”
Leroy peered into her eyes as if trying to see what was hidden deeper inside. It took all her strength to keep from crying and grabbing onto him and just holding on tightly—like she wanted to. But the motorcycle, sluggishly turning in behind the barn, seemed to empower her to make this break swiftly.
“I’m really sorry, Leroy, but I think it’s for the best—” Her voice cracked with emotion. “The best. For everyone. I’m sorry.”
He slowly shook his head and, without even acknowledging Mike and Jan, stormed off. She had no doubt she’d hurt him. Probably deeply. Maybe unforgivably. But wasn’t it better to nip this thing now? Better than to divide and tear up his family later?
Choking back tears, she explained to Jan and Mike that she wanted to leave as soon as possible tomorrow. To her relief, theydidn’t even question her this time. Maybe they’d decided that she was just plain flaky ... or perhaps they finally understood that leaving truly was her best option. But why did best have to hurt so much?
Leroy was fed up.Women!Who needed them? Oh, he couldn’t get along without his three daughters—even if they drove him nuts sometimes—but the rest of the females in this world? He wanted nothing to do with them. Ever again! As he stormed into his house, he had one agenda on his mind. It was time for Judith and her girls to go home. Gina’s working guests had worn out their welcome.
The house was quiet and, not surprisingly, the women were all loitering out on the deck, acting like this was some sort of vineyard resort and they were simply enjoying an extended vacation. Leroy took in a deep breath before going outside. As angry as he felt toward the feminine persuasion, he didn’t really want to be rude. Just firm.
“Excuse me, ladies,” he said loudly. “I don’t mean to interrupt you, but I have an announcement.”
“Oh, Dad,” Luna called out. “We were hoping you’d join us. Judith fixed us a—”
“I’m not here to eat,” he interrupted.
