Owen rattled off theReader’s Digestrundown of the events. “I knew Carly planned on moving, but I thought the main problem was her job. I figured if she wasn’t running the agency, she’d see staying in Service differently.”
His father leaned on the pitchfork handle. “One thing thirty-five years of marriage has taught me is the wise man doesn’t assume he knows what a woman wants or that she’s told him everything that’s on her mind even when he asks. Could something else be bothering her?”
He could’ve made that mistake. Owen wiped the sweat off his brow with his shirt sleeve as his father’s question sank in. He turned to his dad. “Were you this much of an idiot with Mom before you got married?”
“Sure was. Still am in fact, more days than I care to admit.”
“Carly feels like she’s missed out living in Service. With Ryder graduating, she’s bound and determined to leave town. She’s willing to leave her friends, her family—”
“And you?”
Owen nodded, another wave of anguish bolting through him, leaving him weaker now than before. “She’s leaving everything behind on thechancethere’s something better somewhere else. I told her I’d been a lot of places outside Service, only to discover this town has a helluva lot going for it.”
“That’s the kind of thing a body’s gotta realize for herself.”
“What do I do when she won’t discuss this with me?”
“Sometimes we think we’re talking with someone when what we’re really doing is talking at ’em.”
Considering he’d started their conversation with a lecture, could be talking at Carly had been his second mistake.
“Seems to me, son, you got to decide if you love Carly enough to give her what she wants no matter what it costs you.”
How could he have missed that simple answer? Did he want Carly or the job as Horses for Heroes’s executive director and a life in Service?
He wanted Carly. The only question was, would she give him a second chance?
“Thanks, Dad, for helping me sort this out. Now I’ve got a phone call to make, and a stubborn woman to convince I deserve another chance.”
*
After Owen walkedout of her room and her life, heart-wrenching-leave-your-chest-aching tears consumed Carly.
She’d gotten everything she wanted. Freedom from her family responsibilities, no romantic entanglements, her move was scheduled, and she had an interview for the perfect job. She was in charge of her life and beholden to no one. Her tears should be ones of joy, but they weren’t. Instead, she felt empty.
Maybe because you’re running from the best part of your life? From the man who makes you happy and a better person.
She considered her plans again. Sure, she’d have a new job, but no friends, no family, no supportive community that took care of each other. No Owen.
Fear blasted through Carly making her shake. Was she running from what really mattered in life? From the man who balanced out her weaknesses and made her a better person? From the man she loved who made her happier than she’d ever been?
Her father’s words rang in her ears,Before you give up your bone, make damn sure what you think you’ll get is worth it.Another wave of uncertainty washed over her fueling more tears. If she made the wrong decision she could return to Service. But Owen would never trust her, never give her another chance. Not after tossing him aside again. And she couldn’t blame him. Not after she’d torched the bridge between them not once, but twice.
She was the dumb dog about to lose everything trying to grab something better.
Clutching her phone, she called Owen, but the call went straight to voice mail. Her mouth dry, her hands shaking, she waited for the beep. “Owen, this is Carly. Can we talk? I think I’ve made a huge mistake.”
Chapter Seventeen
While talking toHorses for Heroes board president, another call came in, but Owen ignored it. “Are you sure there’s nothing we can do to change your mind?”
“I’m sorry, but there isn’t,” Owen said, and thanked Helen and the board for their consideration. After ending the call, he discovered a message. From Carly. Two actually. His phone slipped from his grasp. After wiping his palms on his navy slacks, he managed to retrieve her messages.
“Can we talk? I think I’ve made a huge mistake. Or rather another big mistake. I can’t change the first one, but I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance to fix this last one. But I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to see me ever again. Not considering all I’ve said and done.” The beep signaling she’d run out of time sounded. Then her second message started. “I forgot to say, this is Carly.” He smiled and shook his head. How could she think he wouldn’t recognize her voice when he heard it every night in his dreams since he’d turned sixteen? “If I weren’t in the hospital I’d come to see you since I’m the one that messed up, but…Oh, well, never mind. I should’ve stopped with asking you to talk and that I’d made a mistake, but too late to keep from sounding like a rambling idiot. That’s all I have to say.”
By the time he finished listening to her messages, he was doubled over with laughter. He’d always loved how whenever she got nervous her conversations wandered onto the oddest side trips. This one sure had been a doozie. He couldn’t help but wonder if recently receiving heavy-duty pain meds fueled her call.
But what if her saying she’d made a big mistake was the truth?
