CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
All she wanted was to fall into the oblivion of sleep. Spending the entire day interacting with a house full of people had been exhausting, which she’d expected, but realising just how much her new friends meant to her had thrown Beth for a gigantic loop. And, of course, the bombshells Noah had dropped only added to her overwhelm.
He wanted her to stay. Had promised to turn her aunt’s house into the home of her dreams. Had claimed that she belonged here. For god’s sake, he’d even mentioned theLword! What was she supposed to do with that?
Now, standing on the doorstep to the farm’s original homestead, the small colonial cottage, Beth tried to push Noah from her mind. She didn’t have the strength right now to think about him or the things he’d said.
Ellie fumbled with the key but eventually got the door unlocked, then hit the lights as they crossed the threshold.
Beth blinked rapidly and, once her eyes adjusted to the brightness, took in her surroundings—and holy cow! She’d been distracted on the short walk here, mulling over the day’s events, but now it hit her—this was the first property Noah had renovated. And it was magnificent.
Given the size and age of the building, she’d expected to enter a cramped and cluttered space, but the interior was cavernous, the raked ceiling opening up the living area while exposed beams allowed it to retain its country charm.
‘Impressive, huh?’ Ellie caught her gawking. ‘I’ve got to give it to Noah, when it comes to building and design, he knows his stuff.’
Beth snapped her mouth shut and made a non-committal sound.
Ellie tilted her head and eyed Beth curiously, then grabbed her wrist and dragged her over to an extravagantly plush couch. Beth let her, but only because it looked like a great place to lie down.
‘So what did he have to say for himself earlier? I’ve been dying to know.’
‘Ellie,’ Beth moaned, rubbing the heels of her hands into her eye sockets. ‘I really don’t want to talk about it.’
‘But you’re my only hope! He wouldn’t tell me, either.’
Gah! Stupid, perfect man.
Ellie leaned forward, her eyes glittering with excited anticipation. ‘He asked you to stay, didn’t he?’
Beth sighed and stared up at the ceiling. ‘How did you know?’
‘It wasn’t half obvious. I saw the present he got you.’
Groaning aloud this time, Beth grabbed a cushion and buried her face in it, mortified. Had all the Brennans known that Noah would try to talk her into staying? Is that why they’d all gotten up and left the room?
Ellie snatched the cushion away, but Beth grabbed another. Ellie took that one, too, and then Beth was out of options.
Ellie pulled Beth into her side. ‘Tell me what you’re so afraid of?’
Giving into her fate, Beth hunkered down and snuggled closer, then shut her eyes and answered honestly. ‘Everything.’
Ellie said nothing but began stroking Beth’s forehead. The sensation was so soothing, so calming, that Beth soon relaxed. Just as she was on the brink of sleep, she heard Ellie speak.
‘We all get scared sometimes, Bethie, but when things are really bad, that’s when you need to lean on the people who care about you.’
Deep down, Beth knew Ellie had a point, but all she could think about as she drifted off were the times she’d asked Rosie about her father. With the simplest of questions, she’d watched her mother disappear, become an empty shell of a human. The pain Rosie had felt as a result of losing the man she loved had literally rendered her incapable of sharing his memory, and Beth refused to put herself through that sort of torture.
In the back of her mind, though, was another niggling realisation—Rosie had never leaned on anyone when things got hard. She’d fought her own battles, internalised her demons, and that hadn’t worked out too well for her. So perhaps Ellie was right and the key to not turning out like her mother was to lean on the people who cared about her.
People like the Brennans.
And with that thought, she finally let sleep claim her.
* * *
The lowing of cattle, though distant, filtered into Beth’s subconscious. She cracked her eyes open and blinked against the shaft of sunlight streaming through the window.
