Not that she would admit she’d been holding out for Rafe’s attention, but it was true. She’d initially gone out with Seth in the hopes of pushing Rafe to make a move. She should’ve known it wouldn’t work. The man had no problem being her friend, but he clearly wasn’t interested in anything more. So, she’d let Seth woo her into believing he was her happily ever after.
If she hadn’t jumped at the opportunity of moving out of her mother’s house, she figured there was a slight chance her life would’ve been different at this point. She blamed her impulsive nature. And the fact that, before moving in with Seth, she’d always lived with her mother, and being that she was twenty-four years old, Bailey knew it was time to fly the coop. If only she could go back in time, ignore that rash desire, and accept that living with her mother was the right thing to do for a little longer.
Yeah.
If only.
“Can’t you move back in with your mom?” Rafe prompted.
Bailey shook her head. “She rented out my old room.”
He frowned. “Seriously?”
“She needed the money, and having a roommate makes it easier on her.”
He seemed to consider that for a minute. “Why don’t you move into the farmhouse?”
“I can’t afford to pay that kind of rent.”
“I’m sure Rex’ll give you a discount.”
“I’m not lookin’ for handouts, Rafe.”
He shook his head. “There’s plenty of room. If Rex gives you the job, it’d make sense.”
“Yeah, if he gives me the job. But like I said, no experience.” She sighed and smiled, forcing sweetness in her tone. “Plus, if I lived there, I’d just be buggin’ you all the time.”
“I won’t go in that house, Bailey. Not now, not ever.”
Yeah. She knew that. Rafe refused to step foot into the house because of the hell he’d lived through. She couldn’t blame him. From the stories she’d heard, he and Rex had suffered at the hands of their abusive father and the tramp his father had been shacking up with after the death of their mother. No one seemed to know exactly what had transpired, but the folks in town who’d known them back then were convinced his father’s death was justified.
“It doesn’t look the same at all,” she told him. “Rex changed everything.”
Not that she knew what the house had looked like when Rafe had been a kid, but shortly after the B and B opened, Bailey had gone by with her mother just to check it out. Jack had given them the dime tour, bragging about all the changes Rex had made. According to Jack, Rex had put tremendous amounts of sweat equity into it, repairing whatever he could and replacing the rest.
“Doesn’t matter,” Rafe muttered. “I can’t. I just…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, and he didn’t have to. She wanted to say she understood, but the truth was Bailey had no idea. She’d never endured a hell so awful you were forced to kill the man who’d sired you. Although she grew up without a father, she had a mother who loved her to the moon and back.
Bailey hoped that one day Rafe would come around, maybe share with her so he could get it off his chest. However, she wasn’t going to push him. What had happened to him and Rex when they were kids was tragic. Bailey was a few years younger than Rafe, so she didn’t remember any of it, but she’d lived in Coyote Ridge her entire life, and people talked. Plus, her uncle had been a friend of their mother’s, so he had some firsthand knowledge. The stories still circulated, mostly gossip at this point. Some she wished were gossip but rang with far too much truth, no matter how heinous they were.
They sat in silence for another minute. Bailey was considering getting out when Rafe finally spoke.
“You’d tell me if he hurt you, right?”
“Of course,” she lied.
Seth had never laid a hand on her, although there were a few times she thought he might. Still, if he had, Bailey wouldn’t tell Rafe. She knew he would go after Seth, and the last thing she wanted was for Rafe to get in trouble. Then again, she wouldn’t be living with Seth if he had physically hurt her. As for emotional abuse … yeah, that was beginning to be an issue.
“Like I said, horrible liar, Weber.”
Bailey chuckled. “Whatever. Thanks for the ride. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“No maybe about it. I wanna know how the interview goes.”
Bailey reached for the door handle. “Thanks again.”
Before she could get it open, Rafe’s hand was on her arm. She turned slowly, met his hooded gaze. Her breath lodged in her throat, the heat of his skin seeping into hers.
