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“You own it?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said, using his word.
“We used to stay with you. Can’t we do it again?”
“That’s a very hard question, too. You see, your dad worked for me when you lived there. But he has another job now. It’s closer to your day care. And next September you’ll be going to school.”
“We can’t do all that and still live at the Kendall?” His voice was straining and Kelly knew he would start to cry soon. She wanted to cry, too. She wanted them back, both of them. But things were complicated. How could she ever trust Jace again?
Kelly stared at her old house again. In the front yard was a pink bicycle. The owners must have a daughter. Kelly wasn’t sure she’d have a family of her own and it seemed less likely now. She loved Jace, but she couldn’t see it working out between them.
“Come on, Ari. Let’s go back.”
The two mounted the mare and Kelly led it into a slow walk. After a while they were back at the fence and heading for the Kendall.
“Dad!” Ari called as Jace came into view. Kelly stopped the horse and helped Ari get down safely. He took off in a dead run for Jace. She watched the scene as father and son greeted each other. Then she turned the mare toward the stable. Inside she began the procedure of rubbing the horse down. She didn’t really need it. They hadn’t ridden the horse hard. It didn’t even break a sweat. But Kelly wanted to give Jace time to collect Ari and leave the Kendall.
She took more time than necessary. When she came out of the stable Jace and Ari were no longer where she’d left them. She didn’t see them anywhere. Kelly was both relieved and disappointed. It was nearly dinnertime, but she wasn’t hungry. She thought she’d go for a drive. She hadn’t been out of the Kendall in weeks except to run errands for the estate.
As she entered through the back door to get her car keys and purse, Jace came in and met her. “Oh, hi,” she said. “I thought you and Ari were gone.”
“Ari’s watching something on television. I wanted to talk to you.”
This was it, Kelly thought. “Why don’t we go—”
“For a walk,” he finished for her.
“What about Ari?” she protested. She didn’t want to be alone with Jace. It was far too dangerous. Her feelings were too strong and he was supposed to be her enemy. It was getting dark. And while Ari was a poor substitute for a chaperone, he was all she had.
Jace took her hand and led her out the front door. “We’re only going to circle around the house. Ari knows where we are and we’ll also be within shouting distance if he needs us.”
“Did Sheldon get away all right?” Kelly asked, going down the steps.
“He did. He liked his visit, but said he was looking forward to going back to North Carolina.”
“He seemed different from how you described him.”
Jace pulled her arm through his. Kelly resisted a little, but didn’t fight him.
“He’s different from what I remember, too. Seems he’s changed and for the better. Kind of surreal, acutally.”
“How do you mean?” she asked.
“His manner was calm, accepting, way less confrontational than it used to be. When I first saw him again, I was prepared for him to berate me for some offense. Instead, he apologized.”
“So you two mended fences.”
“Not totally. Have to admit I kept waiting for the real Sheldon to show up. I figured he had an ulterior motive and I was trying to figure out what it was.”
“But,” she prompted.
“If he had one, he must have changed his mind about it. All the way until the bus left the station, he apologized for all the things he’d done to me when we lived here.”
“That must have made you feel good.”
“It did. He invited us to visit him in North Carolina. Ari is excited about going to the ocean.”
“You should go,” Kelly said. “I’m sure Ari would love the water. And you could get to know your brother better.” She glanced at him. “Assuming you want to know him better.”
Kelly was an only child. She had a score of cousins, but no siblings. She hadn’t grown up with anyone in the house but her parents. She knew they loved her, even her father after her mother’s death and he began to drink, he still loved her. She’d never had anyone tearing her down, ripping away at her self-esteem as Jace had.
“People do change, Jace. When he talked to me, he seemed genuine. At dinner he didn’t try to hide anything.”
“I know and that impressed me even more.” Jace stopped walking and turned to her. The sun had set and it was dark. “He asked about you.”
“Me? What did he want to know?”
“How things were between us. I wasn’t sure what to say.”
Kelly stiffened.
“He thinks you’ve done a terrific job with the house and grounds. He was proud of the place and glad it was being taken care of with so much love.”
Kelly smiled. “Thank you. I’m glad about that.”
“I know it’s a labor of love for you. I think Sheldon saw that, too.”
That should have made Kelly feel good, but it had the opposite effect. She felt guilty.
“Jace, I haven’t had a chance to apologize for how we ended things. I’m—”
“You were right from the start, Kelly. I should never have gone behind your back. It was deceitful and I should be the one apologizing. I’m sorry.”
“That means a lot to me, Jace. Thanks. I’m glad things are working out for you. The engineering job must take a lot off your mind.”
“It does. Ari likes going to the day-care center. You should have seen him when he discovered all those toys and the other kids. In a few months he’ll be in kindergarten.” Jace paused. His eyes traveled over her face. “He misses you,” Jace said, his voice ragged as if it hurt to say the words.
“I...” Kelly stopped. She couldn’t say anything. Jace was gazing at her with so much tenderness in his eyes that it robbed Kelly of her ability to speak. She couldn’t drag her gaze away, either.
“Thank you,” Jace said.
“For what?” she asked.
“For the past few days. For opening the Kendall to Sheldon. For sending Emmett to find me. For being you.”
Kelly frowned, embarrassed at the flood of compliments. “I need to thank you, too, for something else.”
“For what?”
“The horses. For the contract you negotiated. For helping out with the Kendall despite how you feel—”
He stopped her, lifted her chin until she was looking into his eyes. Kelly was unable to move, unable to pull away from him. Jace leaned in and kissed her. Her heart pounded, pumping through her body with a force so hard it scared her. His mouth descended on hers, soft and warm. As he folded her into his arms, she knew she was safe and that she wanted to stay there forever.
Jace raised his head and Kelly wrangled out of his arms. She was breathless. The stars were out and a full moon shone overhead. She knew it had been dangerous to walk in the moonlight. Now he’d kissed her and Kelly was more rattled than ever.
Her eyes were full of unshed tears. “I think you should go now,” she said.
“Kelly, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
He hadn’t meant to kiss her. He hadn’t meant to confuse her. He hadn’t meant to have her fall in love with him. It was too late. All those things had happened. If she was going to survive his presence and the Kendall, she had to remain in control. And he’d just proven that with him, she had none. Jace removed his hands and stepped back. Kelly remained where she was, but the urge to run was so strong she had to dig her fingers into her palms to stay in place. Jace gave her a long look. She couldn’t interpret it in the dim light. They both stood like wavering branches that only needed a small wind to push them together. She knew if that wind came she would be lost.
Kelly stepped farther away. The movement seemed to cut the invisible connection holding them together. Jace went up the seven steps and opened the door. Kelly heard him call Ari’s name as he went inside. She wouldn’t wait for them to come out. She wouldn’t wait for them to say goodbye. She didn’t know when she would see Ari again. He had a routine to follow. And so did she. The sooner they fell into step, the better for all, Kelly thought.
But Jace had kissed her again. He knew how she felt. It had been in the kiss.
* * *
WOULD LIFE EVER return to normal? Kelly asked herself that question, uncertain what her next move would be. Rain had come again. The huge swings in summer temperatures made for thunderstorms and evening downpours. Often they didn’t last long.
The rain slowed. Kelly went out on the front porch. The temperature dropped and the rain seemed to have washed everything clean. The air felt fresh. Kelly loved that smell. She walked the length of the porch and looked out over the grounds. She listened for the horses, making sure their sounds were normal.
Sheldon had been unlike what Kelly was expecting. He was humble, apologetic and appeared to want Jace’s forgiveness.
Forgiveness...
Kelly paced slowly, methodically. She’d worked so long and hard on the Kendall, she’d lost sight of the fact that it was only a house. Jace had said that. And now she felt it, too. It was huge, but without the life that Jace and Ari brought to it.
