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Jonah’s head shot up, his eyes wide. “Shut up,” he said seriously.
“I’m very serious, Jonah.”
“Oh my God,” he said, sitting up and back on his heels. His hand went to his chest and he turned to sit, as if he couldn’t believe what I’d told him. His head hung low as he studied the tops of his boots. He removed his wool cap, then put it right back on, as if he was unsure of what to do with his hands.
“You okay? I asked.
He smiled, but one corner turned up more than the other, like he was embarrassed. “I think so.”
I cleared my throat. “So, what are you going to do?” I asked, hammering another shingle in.
The noise brought him back to the present and he joined me once again.
“I don’t know. I guess I’m going to have to talk to Bridget.”
“That’s a good idea,” I said but hesitated.
“What?”
“You’re okay with her being pregnant?”
His face softened. “I’m definitely okay with it.”
“How can that be?” I asked, astounded but grateful nonetheless.
“You don’t choose who you fall for, Spencer. Either you do or you don’t,” he said, stunning me.
Bridge had said something strikingly similar to me the day we left.
“Ain’t that the truth,” I chimed in.
“See. I knew you liked my cousin.”
“How do you figure that?”
“Your previous statement, for one. Two, the fact that she comes in the room and not a single one of us can break your attention from her. And three,” he said, “Ethan can’t stand you and Ethan likes everyone.”
The mere mention of Ethan made my skin crawl.
“You know,” he continued, “we all love and respect Ethan like he was part of our family.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, starting to get pissed off.
“Wait a minute! We all love him, Spencer, but we also want what’s best for Cricket.”
I regarded him, puzzled. “Speak plainly.”
“I just mean,” he said, finishing up the last shingle, “that sometimes Cricket doesn’t make the best decisions when it comes to herself. She has these ideas of what’s best for her family and friends, and she’s constantly sacrificing herself for them.”
“For example, sticking around the ranch when she so obviously wants to explore the world a little?” I asked.
“That.”
“And staying with Ethan because she thinks it’s what her family wants?”
“Maybe,” he answered.
“And, maybe denying that she’s falling in love with me, even though I know in my gut, in my heart of hearts, that she’s supposed to belong to me?”
