“Honey,” her mother interrupted, “I had no idea you were feeling that way.”
Jane felt the first tear spill down her cheek, and she brushed it away with the heel of her hand.
Her mother continued after a beat of silence. “I want you to know… I am proud of you—of your accomplishments.” Her voice grew emotional. “I’m so sorry that I fixated on those things. I…” She took in a deep breath and exhaled. “I can see where you’re coming from. And I hope you know how sorry I am. I don’t know much about your work. It’s not an excuse, but I never really know what to talk about with you. You’ve always been more independent than your sisters.”
That explanation made more sense than Jane cared to admit. She nodded mutely, even though her mother couldn’t see her reaction.
“I just wanted you to find someone who could support you in the way you needed. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“Really?” Jane asked, swiping at another tear. “It’s not that you think I should be giving you grandchildren and settling down?”
Her mother laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t say no to some adorable little munchkins I can brag about to my friends. But no. I’ve only ever wanted to make sure that you’re taken care of. And Noah…” Her voice trailed off. “Well, I had thought he made you happy. I saw it the last time you were here.”
Jane grimaced. “Yeah, well… by that point, we’d sorta figured out that we cared about each other more than we realized.”
“See? Then no harm done.”
Jane frowned, and the tears started to fall again. “That’s not exactly true. Have you been keeping up on the news?”
“No, why? What’s going on? Is he okay?”
Jane sucked in a shuddering breath. “He lied to me about who he was.” Okay, he didn’t lie, but he’d kept a significant detail of his life a secret from her when they were supposed to be open with one another. And maybe she gave him reason to be cautious but in this emotional moment, she couldn’t acknowledge that.
“What happened?”
“Noah is the head of The Wounded Heroes Project. He’s not my direct boss, but he’s the guy who runs the whole thing.”
There was a beat of silence before Jane’s mother spoke up again. “Okay? And what’s the problem?”
The frustration deep inside of Jane was ripped to the surface. “He didn’t tell me. He kept it a secret, and he went about his merry life laughing at me.”
“Oh, dear, you can’t really believe that, can you?”
“Of course I can. He pulled some strings to get me a promotion, and he volunteered at the offices…” The more she listed thethings he did while keeping said secret, the more Jane could see just how ridiculous she sounded. And her mother’s silence only confirmed it. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate what he wastryingto do,” Jane insisted. “It’s just that I know I can take care of myself.”
“I know,” her mother murmured, and even through the phone line, it sounded as though she was telling the truth. “You’ve always been a strong-willed girl who insisted on doing things herself. You’ve always had that drive to push you to do great things.”
A tingle of warmth spread through Jane’s chest. “You really think so?”
Her mother laughed. “Of course I do. I might not have been good at showing how proud I am of you, but I am. Everything you have, you’ve earned, and don’t for one second let yourself believe that you couldn’t have gotten there without help. Just try to remember that sometimes help is nice.” That last part was said quieter, and yet it was the thing that resonated within Jane more than anything else.
“Thanks, Mom.” Jane breathed out a sigh. She was right. It wasn’t like Jane had asked for Noah’s help. His reasons were his own. And for heaven’s sake, Jane had worked hard to get to where she was.
Another sigh escaped her as she got to her feet. Maybe it was time to go with her gut and hear Noah out. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she got the feeling he’d be able to convince her to forgive him. At least caving wouldn’t be as bad as how she’d felt while she missed him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
It might not have been rightfor Noah to feel distanced from his brothers after their last lecture. They seemed to be more upset about the way things had gone between himself and Jane. If he were honest with himself, that fact threw him for a loop far more than the whole keeping his billions a secret from his family part had.
He raked a hand through his damp hair and replaced his hat on his head. Bo was staring out at the cattle they needed to move. He’d been quiet, too. Noah didn’t know how Bo had felt about the whole secret billionaire thing. He hadn’t said anything about it.
Heck, he hadn’t even said anything about Jane not coming around in the last week.
Noah had hoped that he’d have the chance to bump into her, but when she hadn’t shown up for three days straight, he knew he was in a lot more trouble than he had originally thought.
She was right. He’d inserted himself into her life too much. He’d let his obsession with her take control, and now he was paying the price.
One of the things he loved about that woman was how confident she was with everything she did. She could take control of any situation and see a way to accomplish it. There had been no reason for him to jump in and try to rescue her like she was a damsel in distress.
