17
By midmorning, Jake had dropped a fifty-pound bag of grain on his foot and soaked himself with the water hose. Obviously, his mind was elsewhere. He wasn’t sure which was worse, the realization of how insecure Megan still was about her scars or the hurtful things she’d said. And now he wasn’t sure what to do about it. He’d said they needed some time apart, but probably what they needed more was to talk,reallytalk, once they’d both calmed down and cooled off.
He spent the morning in the barn before heading out to training sessions with two of his offsite clients. By the time he made it back to the farmhouse, it was almost dinnertime. As soon as he walked through the front door, he could tell it was too quiet inside. Barnaby greeted him at the door, but there were no rustling noises from the foster dogs in their crates. Megan didn’t usually take them to work at the castle with her, but today, they were gone.
Shewas gone. And as much as he’d hoped she would be here waiting for him, ready to apologize and talk things through, he wasn’t exactly surprised she wasn’t. She’d probably gone up to the castle for the night to give them both some space.
Maybe that was what they needed. But first, he wanted to see her, to see what exactly had happened that morning. And so, he turned around and left the farmhouse, striding toward the castle. He pushed through its heavy wooden doors, poking his head into various rooms until he found Ruby in the study with her laptop. She looked up, an apologetic expression on her face.
“Is she here?” he asked.
Her lips twisted. “She booked a flight to stay with her parents for a little while.”
He rocked back on his heels. She’d gone all the way to Florida?What the hell, Megan?“Did she tell you why?”
Ruby looked down at her hands. “Yes.”
“So, she’s gone.”
“She’ll be back.” Ruby looked up with sad eyes. “I just think…I think she’s more upset about her scars than any of us realized.”
Megan would come back to the castle. But would she come back to him? And would they be able to work things out if she did?
* * *
Megan had expecteda lot more sympathy when she arrived at her parents’ Orlando doorstep that Wednesday afternoon. Sure, there had been plenty of hugs and tears when she first saw them, but now she was getting the not-so-subtle impression her mom thought she’d made a huge mistake running out on Jake the way she had.
“I’m sorry it’s not for happier reasons, but you know we’re always thrilled to have you home for a visit,” her mom said, pulling her in for a hug.
“It feels good to be here.” Megan followed her into the kitchen to help her fix supper. She’d gotten so caught up in everything with Jake that she hadn’t talked to her mom as much as usual this month. And she regretted that now. She’d always been so close with her parents. It wasn’t like her to blow them off for a guy. A lot of things she’d done lately weren’t like her.
“You want to talk about it?” her mom asked as she placed a cutting board and vegetables in front of Megan so she could start making the salad.
“No…yes…I don’t know.” She blew out a breath and stabbed the knife into a red bell pepper.
“Careful,” her mom said with a chuckle. “Can I tell you what I think?”
“Could I stop you even if I wanted to?” Megan felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
“No, and you wouldn’t have come running home like this if you didn’t want my advice, so here it comes.” Her mom mixed ingredients for a marinade in a large Ziploc bag as she spoke. “The first thing we need to talk about is your scars.”
“What about them?” She resisted the urge to touch her face, because then she’d have to wash her hands again before she finished chopping vegetables.
“It broke my heart when we brought you home after your accident last year.” Her mom’s tone softened. “I’d never seen you look so sad or…broken. And I’m not talking about your face—or your arm—for that matter. I mean your spirit.”
“Mom…” Her voice cracked.
“No, you’re going to hear me out.” Her mom squeezed a lemon into the bag and gave it a shake. “You’ve always been outgoing and flirtatious. Men are drawn to you, and it’s not just because of your looks. But yes, you’re gorgeous, Megan. You know we fielded modeling offers for you in high school. But that’s not why the boys flocked to you, or it’s not the only reason, anyway. It’s you. It’s your bubbly personality and your infectious laugh. You’re smart, and you’re caring, and you’re fun to be around.”
“Mom…”
“I’m not finished yet.” Her mom pointed a carrot in her direction before plopping it on the cutting board. “My point is that something inside you changed after your accident, like a light went out. I saw it. Your father saw it. Your friends saw it.”
“How do you know that?” she asked, fighting past the tightness in her throat.
“Because Elle called me, last winter. She was worried about you. We all were. It wasn’t like you to stop dating, or to start spending more time behind your camera than in front of it.”
“I was trying to launch my photography career,” she protested.
