Page 20 of Bryson

"I'm scared as hell," Bryson muttered. Pulling out his canteen, he took a long thirsty swig, eyes narrowed against the glare from the sun. "I don't know if I can pull it off."

"You're not your old man." Jack intuited instantly the cause of the young man's worry. "You're a far better person."

Before Bryson could respond to that, there was a shrill whistle, indicating that there was trouble somewhere on the east side.

********************

She tensed automatically when she heard the door open. She had left the suitcase in the foyer and knew he saw it when he came in.

"I'm in the kitchen," she called out. She had gone for a run to clear the cobwebs from her head and was now in the kitchen drinking a cup of tea. She was not prepared for the argument that was coming but was braced for it.

He came in and stood there, one shoulder braced on the doorway.

"There's a suitcase in the hallway."

"I know. I put it there. How was your day?"

"We're not doing that." He had stood there staring at the evidence that she would be leaving and felt the pain twisting his heart. After what they had shared since she returned, he had not expected her to still want to leave.

"Why?"

She busied herself stirring more honey into the cup and avoided his eyes. "I have work to do. I have a meeting with a client first thing Monday morning and a contract to fine-tune. This is a major client, and I cannot afford to screw things up."

"You're really leaving."

She finally lifted her head to stare at him and felt her heart turning over. He had come straight from the ranch and was still covered in dust. His hair was tousled and he looked so tired, she wanted to go to him and soothe away the exhaustion. She knew how hard he worked.

"I am, yes. We can communicate-"

"I don't want to frigging communicate! I want to be there for my kid. You want to work? Fine. Open a practice here. Work for me. I have an entire fleet of lawyers; you can be one of them and the rate is highly competitive."

"I don't want handouts," she told him stiffly. Getting up, she dumped the rest of the lukewarm tea into the sink and rinsed the cup out, before putting it away.

"What the hell do you want then?"

"I want to go home."

"I'm in love with you."

The declaration turned her heart over and had her gripping the edge of the sink.

"It's too complicated here."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He stood where he was, not trusting himself to move.

"It means I cannot live at the ranch."

"Then live someplace else. We have a great number of accommodations to choose from."

"It's not that simple." Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him, feeling something clutch at her heart at the painful look on his face. "I will give you regular updates-"

"That's not good enough. I have to be part of my child's life, and you will not take that away from me."

Her eyes glittered. "Don't threaten me. As a lawyer, I know my rights and this is my body. We can co-parent-"

"I don't know what the hell kind of game you're playing, but I'm not in the mood." He moved then and she had to steel herself not to back away at the ominous look on his face.

"Are you really leaving? I want to hear you say it."