The silence between them was suddenly greater than the sky above. Of all the reasons, she’d never imagined this one…yet somehow it made sense. On top of the abandonment, he would fear he might be like his mother. She didn’t imagine she could feel sadder, but she did. Her whole life, she’d thought she understood Ben McAllister, even the actions she didn’t agree with. But this one had been buried so deep neither one of them had a chance to address it until it was too late.God,we’d been kids. We made mistakes.
He gestured awkwardly. “This place here might have a slower pace and a lot of hard work, but it’s given me purpose. I understand why the land matters, why family is everything. And what’s worth fighting for. That’s what I want to share with Cooper and the rest of my family, Will included. If you stay, I know you’ll be doing so because that purpose runs through you too.”
The wind caught her hair then, and she shivered.
His gaze was searching but somehow guarded. “But if you don’t think you can stick—if Sanctuary Springs isn’t going tobe enough for you even with the idea of Will’s center—I don’t want there to be any hard feelings between us.”
“Neither do I.” She swallowed thickly. “That’s what this month's trial is all about.”
He untied Flame and swung onto the horse. “I suppose it is. I’ll give you some time with Sarah now.”
Without another word, he took off on Flame. She turned to the single pine and knelt where they’d buried all of Sarah’s hopes and wishes.
She hung her head.
Oh, Sarah, what am I supposed to make of all that? Ben made one mistake that cost us so much. Only how can I keep blaming him for not coming with me when he was actually afraid of himself and hadn’t known it?
Her only answer was a gentle breeze, a sign she felt was Sarah’s way of telling her to be easy with herself.
She and Ben knew more than they had before today, but would it heal all the hurt they’d caused to let them coexist in peace so she could work here if she decided to stay?
She had an entire month to find out.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Will was breaking ground today.
Ben slammed his truck door and surveyed the string lines and stakes fencing off the foundation backing up against Wild Mountain’s edge. The worksite didn’t exactly meld with the swaying pines and rough-hewn boulders. But somehow the nature-rich architectural design would when they finished the aggressive construction timetable. He’d offered up ranch hands to make sure they’d put their mark on the site Grandma Elena had originally planned.
When he’d told Will to move fast, his brother had more than listened—even going so far as to buy the lumber before they’d poured the concrete for the foundation. Then again, he’d been planning this project with their dad for longer than Ben knew about it, both for the physical structure as much as the person he wanted to help him: Hannah Montgomery.
After clearing the air the other day, he was only sure of one thing. She was different from him now, in a place where everyone was the same. As he looked around at the men helping his brother, all the faces were familiar, but so was their core. He knew what to expectfrom them.
He didn’t know what to expect from Hannah anymore, and God, that hurt something fierce.
“I didn’t expect you to come up here away from ranch business and help,” Will called out, his limp a little more pronounced than usual.
There was that word again.Expect.Dammit but it chapped his hide that his brother didn’t know he’d lend his back. “I’m happy to put some time in.”
Will wiped at the sweat on his forehead before pointing to the western edge of the foundation lines. “So are Dad and Gramps. They came up after breakfast, and I’ve had to get on them twice for overdoing it. Gramps tried to pick up a tree trunk Dad dug out. Almost dropped it on his foot.”
Ben flashed a smile as he watched them walk together, both a bit stooped from all their years of hard work. “He’s still got grit. How’s Dad doing?”
“Pretty good, especially since he’s quietly dishing out advice.” Will gave a wry laugh. “Like how to keep the outdoor deck to the springs from freezing in the winter to creating a shelter from the wind. Oh, and he’s looking into door handle warmers so they don’t freeze.”
“You’ve got an embarrassment of riches in the way of help.” Ben slapped his brother on the back as he regarded the mini waterfalls behind the foundation markings, a feature he’d always found majestic. “Good. If anyone has an idea about how to control the sulfur smell, take note. Not as bad as cows on a hot day…”
“Part of the experience, brother,” Will only said, planting his bad leg on a stack of roped-up tree limbs and rubbing his thigh. “The sodium, silica, bicarbonate, chloride, and sulfate are the natural healing minerals that make this place so special. One perk—we’ll be able to soak our tired muscles after a long day.”
That hadn’t been the only use of the hot springs, and theyboth knew it. The McAllister men had been bringing their women up here probably going all the way back to Grandma Elena.
His mind conjured up a memory of him and Hannah all tangled up. Steam was rising around them as he’d held her against him. Her skin had been flushed with pleasure and heat and silky to the touch. He hadn’t minded the sulfur smell then. No, not with her in his arms. Now the memory only made his heart race and his body burn.
Probably best he banish thoughts like those…but dammit…he still wanted her, maybe more than ever. She was all woman now, from the way her hips swayed when she walked to the rounder curves of her breasts.
It had been a long time since he’d touched her—touched any woman…apart from Amber that one time…and he could still recall every moment as if it were yesterday. There had been heat and laughter and enough pleasure to make all his thoughts go quiet. All he’d felt was love and tenderness and happiness when they’d come together. Now he thought that easygoing man had died when she’d left.
“Given how fast we’re planning on putting this baby up, we’re all going to need a good soak,” Ben finally managed.
