Maggie covered her ears. “You said that I could be the one to leave—you promised!” she yelled, her throat trying to close off with emotion even as she shoved the words out.
“Then go!” he yelled back. “I’m not keeping you here.”
She stared into his deep gray eyes, willing him to fight for her as hard as he’d fought for this house. She’d believed that he would work that hard for them, taken comfort in the thought, and used it to build trust in her heart.
She shook her head once.
“I need to ride.” He put his work boots on the runners and revved the engine, hauling out of the clearing and away from her as fast as his bike would take him.
She hugged herself, staring at the dust trail he left behind.
Mom and Dad continued to argue. Their accusations shredded the sense of peace she’d always felt at the homestead.
“Stop!” she yelled at them, covering her ears with her arms. Their voices cut off, and all that was left was the echo of what could have been.
Chapter 26
Monday morning came around, and Cash rolled off James’s couch to get ready for work. The dumb thing had three springs missing and less padding than his behind.
James stumbled out of his room, looking for a cup of coffee. The machine had auto-started ten minutes ago. He banged around, pulling toaster waffles out of the freezer and slamming a bottle of store-bought jam on the counter.
“You still upset?” Cash jumped right at the elephant in the room. When he’d asked James if he could crash here, James had agreed but told him that the only reason he was letting him stay was to pay him back for all the times Cash had let him take up space in his apartment. He also mentioned that letting Maggie go was the dumbest thing he’d ever seen.
Cash couldn’t argue with that. But there wasn’t much he could do about it. When he’d gotten back to the homestead from driving off his frustration, she’d been gone.
James paused, letting his shoulders drop. “I don’t get it. And part of me is ticked because you had something good and you messed it up. Not that I’m one to judge on that account.”
Cash grabbed the frozen box and stuck two waffles in the toaster. They were a far cry from the muffins and griddle cakes Maggie made. Just looking at them made the pain in his chest swell.
“I don’t get it, man.” James rummaged in the sink full of dirty dishes until he found two forks. He washed them and then went in search of something dry them off.
Cash stepped up to the sink, opened the dishwasher, and began to fill it. He’d spent hours the night before talking himself out of going after Maggie. He had a long list of reasons as to why he didn’t deserve her. The first was that he’d given her first rights at leaving and she hadn’t used them. “She’s better off without me.”
“That’s bull,” James muttered. He found a roll of paper towels and dried the forks just as the toaster popped. He pulled the waffles out and put them on a plate.
Cash put two more in and went back to the sink, motioning for James to eat first. “She’s too good for me.”
“That one I agree with.” James pointed his fork at Cash. “But it’s still a bull-bleep reason to take off.”
Cash finished loading the dishwasher, added the soap, and started it. There were still dishes in the sink, but they’d have to wait for the next load. “Fine. The truth is, a woman like her deserves the homestead. She’d fit right in with the fancy appliances and the custom moldings and lighting.” He glanced down at his ripped jeans and tee shirt with paint stains on it. “Our paths cross, but they’ll never line up. The sooner I realize that, the better off we’ll both be.”
James stared down at his plate. “I hear what you’re saying. But the look on her face …”
Cash’s throat closed off, and he had a hard time bringing in air. “Let’s go. The guys will beat us to the job site if we don’t stop chatting like a bunch of schoolgirls.” He cleared his throat several times as he grabbed the waffles and shoved one into his mouth on his way to the door.
Chapter 27
“These look good.”
Maggie lifted her stare from the paninis and blinked at her mom. She came out of the memory cloud that seemed to descend on her whenever she held still for longer than a minute. This time, she was lying on a blanket and staring up at a clear night sky full of stars, Cash’s fingers twisting her hair and then combing it free.
“I hope you like it.” Maggie smiled in an effort to put on a good face.
Mom must have caught the sorrow in her heart reflecting in her eyes, because she put an arm around her and pulled her close. “You’ll get over him—you did it before. You’ll do it again.”
Maggie stiffened. “The difference back then was that I wanted to. This time, I have no desire.”
“Maybe if you took off the ring …” Mom hedged.
