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Sheldon slid his finger under the flap and opened the envelope. Inside was a single sheet of paper. He pulled it out and read it, then passed it to Audrey who read it, too.
Sheldon moved to the window and looked out on the marina.
I’m back. I live at the Kendall. Why are you looking for me?
One line, three sentences. That was all he said. The words gave him no indication of anything about Jason.
“He doesn’t say much,” Audrey said.
“That’s the way it was with us. If we weren’t arguing, we weren’t saying anything at all.”
“Are you going to answer his question?” Audrey asked.
“I don’t know. I wrote the note to the Kendall, but to be truthful I thought it was a waste of time. I didn’t expect an answer. When the reply came, I thought Jason would say something other than he was living at the farm.”
“I know you need to think on this and you need to make a decision,” Audrey said. “I have to check on Christian.”
Sheldon knew she had a sitter and a promised return time. “I’ll walk you home.” Sheldon escorted her to her house in silence. His mind was on Jason and the glory days of his past. It hurt to think of them now. Not because of his circumstances, but because he wished he’d been the man he was today back then.
Outside Audrey’s door, she said, “Have you thought of returning? Looking your brother in the face and telling him how you feel?”
Sheldon stared at her. “I’ve thought of it,” he said. Then he said good-night and turned to walk back.
He knew the decision he needed to make. He had to confront Jason and work out whatever was necessary, if Jason would even allow it. If he didn’t, Sheldon would accept that.
But it was a task that had to be done.
* * *
THE DAY BEFORE the first wedding ever to be held at the Kendall was filled with activity. Kelly didn’t have time to think of her feelings much. She was too busy directing the preparations—the placement of tables and chairs, making sure everything was in order. Kelly had been lucky enough to find a hotel selling its old tables, chairs and parquet dance flooring. She could handle parties up to three hundred, which is what the ballroom would hold. The wedding consultant arrived and with the small army of temps Kelly had on hand, they transformed the ballroom into a reception hall. All the tables and chairs were covered in white. The chairs had huge bows on their backs. The color scheme for the napkins was blush and hot pink. Tomorrow the florist would deliver the centerpieces and bouquets for the wedding party.
The bride wanted to use the main staircase for the procession and photos. The baker would arrive with the cake and the caterers would take over the kitchen right after breakfast. When everything was done and Kelly was finally alone, she put her feet up to rest her ankle, which had swollen again.
Now that her mind had a chance to slow down, her thoughts returned to Jace and Ari. Despite the pain in her leg, she grabbed her cane and went to the horse barn. The horses always made her feel closer to them. She went to the mare Jace had ridden and rubbed his nose.
“I miss him, too,” she told the horse. She hadn’t heard from Jace in days. She missed watching the two of them every morning. She missed hearing Ari scampering through the house. She missed their presence of being on the property. The place was too quiet. Inside and outside, she felt lonely.
Moving to the other mare, she rubbed his nose, too. Kelly had ridden them that morning before all the activity started, but she had the feeling the horses knew that Ari and Jace were no longer on the property.
Her leg was really hurting and her limp was prominent. If she was going to be of any use tomorrow, she needed to get off her foot. Leaving the barn, she hobbled back to the house. She didn’t feel like eating, so she bypassed the kitchen. It was set up for the caterers anyway and she didn’t want to disturb anything. Limping around the porch, she headed for the front of the house. When she turned the corner, she saw Jace.
She froze, a gasp escaped before she could stop it.
Jace heard her and turned toward the sound. The cane Kelly was using slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor. She didn’t make a move to catch or retrieve it. Her eyes were glued to the man standing twenty feet away.
She was happy to see him. Every part of her reacted to him. She felt her body tremble. He’d returned. He’d come back. Then she realized he was on his own. Ari was not with him. Kelly looked to the truck, but the child was not there. Jace had not come back. He wasn’t here for the horses, either. There was no trailer in sight.
The only other reason would be to serve her legal papers. At least he didn’t have them come by mail or delivered by a clerk from some law office.
“Are you here about the contract?” she asked.
He shook his head.
“Where’s Ari?”
“He’s visiting a day-care school,” Jace supplied.
“So you’re planning to stay in the area?” Of course he would stay, she thought. He was challenging her for the house. She was the one who’d eventually move.
“We haven’t really decided.”
Then why was he here? Kelly wondered. “You must want your last paycheck.” Forgetting that her ankle was swollen, she took a step. Pain shot to her knee and she crumpled to the porch floor.
“Kelly!” Jace called and rushed to her. His arms were around her and he was pulling her up before he knew it. He examined her ankle. “What have you done? We need to get some ice on this. And in a hurry.”
Jace lifted Kelly and carried her into the house. He took her upstairs and to the first bathroom he found. Rolling her pant legs up, he set her on the bathtub rim and turned the cold water on. “Keep your feet in here. I’ll get some ice.”
He left her and came back moments later with ice wrapped in a dish towel. He set the towel on the sink counter and turned the water off. Taking a dry towel, he turned her around and dried her feet. Kelly winced at his touch, more from his hands than pain.
“What’s going on in the kitchen?” he asked.
“We have a wedding tomorrow,” she told him.
“You didn’t set up all those tables I saw in the ballroom, did you?”
She shook her head. “I had staff do that, but I helped with the linens and tying of the bows.”
“And that caused the swelling?”
She nodded.
“Does it feel better?” Jace asked.
“I’m fine,” Kelly insisted.
“I know.” He took the ice pack and put it on her ankle, then wrapped that in a dry towel and secured it with a couple of rubber bands. “Here, take these.”
He had two small white pills in his hand.
“What are they?”
“The pain pills the doctor gave you.”
“They make me sleepy,” Kelly said, but she took them along with the glass of water he’d set on the counter.
“You could use some sleep.” Jace picked her up again and took her to her bedroom.
He sat on the bed and took her hand. Kelly closed hers around his. She liked the feel of it in hers. He had a strength that she seemed to draw whenever he was near. Kelly didn’t know how long he sat there. She was getting woozy from the medication.
“I have to get Ari,” he said, standing up and taking a step back.
His retreat hurt her more than any injury to her ankle. Yet she didn’t blame him. And it certainly wasn’t his fault that she’d not used her cane when she should have.
“Sure,” she said. “Don’t worry about me. Ari needs you. Tell him I said hello.” Her voice sounded far away.
“You’ll keep the ice on it like I said?”
“Yes,” she replied. Jace turned to leave. As he reached the door, Kelly said, “Tell Ari I miss him.”
“I’ll be back,” he said.
Though she hadn’t orchestrated it, she was glad to see Jace again. She should have known better than to overdo things and have her leg swell up, especially since she had a wedding planned for the following day. Thankfully tomorrow she’d have little more to do than unlock the door. The wedding consultant was efficient. She’d gone over with Kelly all the places the bride and groom would need to complete their ceremony, reception and photo shoot.
Kelly didn’t hear the door close. She was already asleep.
* * *
WHEN KELLY OPENED her eyes again, she had the feeling a lot of time had gone by. She turned over. The ice on her leg had disappeared. The swelling had gone down and her leg no longer throbbed with pain. Her cousin sat in a chair reading.
“Mira? What are you doing here?”
Dropping the magazine she’d been engrossed in, she looked up. “A little bird told me you’d pushed yourself too hard.”
“You saw Jace? He was really here?”
“You don’t remember?” Mira asked.
She was still a little disoriented from the medication. She looked at her hand. Jace had held it. That was the last thing she remembered.
She sat up. “I remember now. He put ice on my ankle.”
“And he called me.”
“I’m sorry. I’m all right.”
“Obviously now you are,” Mira reprimanded. “I know you want everything perfect here, but if you’re not careful that injury could sideline you for a longer time than it needs to.”
“Sideline?” Kelly said with raised eyebrows.
