Page 65 of Where She Belongs

Being here with her, like this, was doing wonders for his mental health.

Rylee leaned in on him as they walked. The chatter of the people in town was a low murmur that added to the peace that draped around him. But it was never going to last.

When they approached a booth selling watercolor paintings of western landscape, the conversation to his right dragged him from his happy place.

“That developer isn’t letting up so easy.”

“The company that wants to turn that land into a resort?”

There were two men deep in discussion, neither sounding pleased.

“Yeah. From what I’ve heard, the CEO has set up shop at the lodge.”

“You’re kidding.”

The man shook his head. “Heard it from one of the housekeeping staff. The guy is as bad as you think. Entitled. Disrespectful. She heard him yelling at some poor girl who didn’t bring him enough toilet paper.”

His companion shook his head in disgust. “There should be a way to get the guy to leave, right?”

Rylee tugged on Tate’s arm, her face lined with worry. He shot one more glance at the men. “Did you hear them?”

She nodded.

“Have you heard anything about that?”

This time she slowed enough to face him. She chewed on her lower lip for a moment. “Wendy said that she’d heard a few things. The developer is staying at the lodge with his assistant. And they’ve been seen around town a little bit. Seems like his assistant is pretty nice, though.”

He huffed. “It doesn’t matter if any of them are nice. They’re trying to encroach on our town.” Tate made his way toward the men again but Rylee’s hand closed on his arm. He cut her a sharp look. “What?”

“What are you going to do?”

“I just wanted to know more about that hearing they were talking about. I haven’t seen anything about it. No signs. It’s almost like the mayor wants to keep it secret so the developer doesn’t get voted out.”

Rylee sighed and that sound alone was enough to make him stop in his tracks.

“You can’t honestly be telling me that you’re okay with any of this.” Tate would have felt bad about how he said it, but right then he couldn’t bring himself to worry about anything other than the plans the developer had for Rocky Ridge.

“Of course not!” Rylee released him, her arms folded. Irritation took the place of the happy smile she’d worn only moments ago. “But there comes a time when you have to accept that you can’t solve every problem.”

He stiffened. “What? That’s not what I’m trying to do. This is important to me⁠—”

“I know it is. But you’re still allowing everything else around you to become a priority.”

“And what am I supposed to prioritize? Because the future of our town seems pretty important to me,” he snapped.

“You! I want you to worry about you. About your happiness. About what brings you joy. I want you to wake up in the morning thrilled with the prospect of… living.” Rylee’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright. The way she stared at him made him feel almost naked. It was like she was seeing him differently than everyone else. He’d always been the stronghold for everyone in his life. He was the fixer. The problem solver. Whenever someone needed him, he was there.

Tate knew that role forward and backward. He was comfortable with it. Which was why he couldn’t agree with her. “What that company has planned for this town will affect my happiness and joy. It will change my life and not for the better.” His voice was low, almost threatening. “You probably don’t understand because you’re not a local.”

Rylee flinched. It was small and if he hadn’t been so close to her, he might not have noticed. He’d struck a nerve but before he could apologize and backtrack, her expression tightened into something unreadable. “I guess you’re right. I don’t understand what you’re dealing with because this isn’t my home.” With that, she turned on her heel and stormed away.

He groaned, his eyes shutting tight as he focused on calming his angry heart. “Rylee, that’s not what I meant.” He started walking toward her, but she was moving too quickly through the crowds. Tate watched her go, hating that he’d been the one to hurt her.

This wasn’t how today was supposed to end. They were doing so well.

His steps slowed when he realized she wasn’t going to let him catch up with her. She was understandably upset and right now, she didn’t want to talk.

That was probably for the best. He was still dealing with his own fury over what they’d heard at that booth.