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Kelly shuddered as a gust of wind forced the rain to shower her. It was cold and reflected her feelings. While the building had once been warm and inviting, she felt it was cold and lonely now. It needed Jace.
He’d walked away as if he could go on without being here, but Kelly knew he loved the Kendall more now than when he first arrived. And he was sacrificing it for her.
She didn’t need or want his sacrifice. She liked the glory of working on the house, restoring it to its former beauty, but she didn’t want to stay here with the memories of a family and not have that family.
There was New York, she thought. She could go back there. She’d have a huge salary, a staff of her own, big-money accounts. And Perry. She frowned. He was a big disadvantage, but she could handle him. Returning to New York wouldn’t be so bad. She’d have less renovations to worry about. She’d be able to afford a loft and could decorate it the way she wanted.
She’d miss seeing the land and especially this horizon. She’d miss this smell after the rain. She’d miss the horses. She’d also miss Jace and Ari. But being hours away from them would make it easier for her to get over thinking about Jace and what he’d done to her. She should hate him, but she couldn’t. How could she hate a man she’d fallen in love with?
* * *
IT WAS THE evening of the day after he left Maryland, when Sheldon stepped down from the bus and looked around. He was back in Meadesville. The air smelled like salt and gulls. The sky was turning a deep blue in preparation for nightfall. He took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scents he’d become used to in the past year. It was good to be back. That world at the Kendall was no longer his. He was grateful that Audrey had talked him into going. Now he knew what he was leaving behind and he had no regrets about the house and the land. It was in good hands and he was proud to have his name on it. Proud that his brother and his nephew would be there, at least in town, and close to the their old home. He wished it was Jason’s property, but he realized that Kelly loved the place just as much as a Kendall by birth.
Here in North Carolina Sheldon felt he had a real purpose. He’d never have learned that if he was still running the Kendall and failing at it. He was going to take a course to be an electrician, for which he’d receive financial aid. The man Audrey had introduced him to told him about the course. When he completed the classes, Sheldon would sign on as an apprentice with Audrey’s friend. At the Kendall, Sheldon would turn on a light and walk into a room without a second thought. Once he completed his course, he’d know exactly how to fix the electricity instead. Hopefully, his apprenticeship would lead to a full-time job.
Meanwhile, the bungalow was all the space he needed for now. And he liked having Audrey and Christian as friends. He didn’t know where his relationship with Audrey was going, but as time passed, they would find out. Where were Audrey and Christian? He’d called to say he was coming back today.
Sheldon headed toward the small building that served as the bus station. Christian came running through the door before Sheldon got to it.
“Sheldon! You’re back.” Christian launched himself at Sheldon. They hugged. Sheldon knew how Jace felt about his son. He felt a similar way about Christian. Seeing the boy made his heart swell.
Audrey came up behind her grandson. Sheldon was happy to have someone to come home to. Someone who cared about him.
“Hello,” she said.
Sheldon leaned down and kissed her cheek. He thought of Jason and Kelly, wondering how long it would take his brother to figure out that he was in love with her.
“Thanks for coming,” Sheldon said.
The three piled into her car. During the drive, she passed the marina and his bungalow and drove to her house. “You had a long trip,” she said. “I thought you might be hungry.”
“I’m starving,” he told her.
“Me, too,” Christian said from the backseat. “Grandma made something with a fancy name, but it’s really just chicken and rice.”
“Arroz con pollo,” Audrey supplied.
“I’d love that,” Sheldon said.
He should be tired. It was a twenty-four-hour bus ride with stops everywhere and a layover in Washington, DC. But seeing Audrey and Christian rejuvenated him. They had dinner while Christian grilled him on every aspect of his trip. The three sat at the table long after the meal was over.
Moving to the porch, they looked out at the ocean until Christian went to bed. Audrey went in with him but soon returned. She sat down, handing Sheldon a glass of ice water. She had a cup of tea.
“So, how was it really?” she began.
“Better than I expected. Jason and I had a long talk. We’re not friends, but we’re no longer enemies.”
She smiled into her cup. It was her way of not saying I told you so. “What about the woman who owns the farm? Kelly, right?”
“Right. I like her. She’s doing everything she can to make the place work. You should see some of the things she’d done. I’d never have thought of those changes. And all of them are within the original architecture of the house.”
Audrey smiled.
“What?”
“Your voice is excited, proud even, when you talk about the house. Are you sure leaving it behind is what you want?”
“I’m sure.”
“What about your brother?”
Sheldon sighed. Jason had told him about the lawyer he’d hired to look into the sale and the possibility of reversing it due to a technicality in the wording of the contract, but Sheldon thought it wouldn’t make sense to do so. Jason had a job and could support his son. He hadn’t really ever lived at the Kendall. Giving it up should be easier for him, but Sheldon didn’t think so.
“I’m not sure about Jason. He’s in love with Kelly, but I don’t think either of them knows it.” He took a drink of water. “There is one thing, though.”
“What’s that?”
“Kelly is putting all her love into making the Kendall a grand mansion and horse farm. I have no doubt that it’ll succeed.”
“So are you going back there again? To see your brother or his son?”
“I hope so. But only for a visit. My home is here now.”
* * *
KELLY WASN’T SLEEPING WELL. She was tired as soon as she got out of bed in the morning. Jace and Sheldon were weighing heavy on her mind. Eventually, she dressed and got a cup of coffee. She had a wedding scheduled for tomorrow and the Kendall would be overrun with service people and vendors delivering everything from the cake to flowers to dinner place cards. Kelly had worked with the wedding consultant. She wasn’t nearly as efficient as the first one. Consequently, Kelly had a lot more details to see to and she needed to be at her best.
Finishing her cup of coffee, she poured a second one and went to her office. The phone was ringing. She didn’t really want to answer it this early, but she had no choice.
“Kendall Farm, this is Kelly Ashton.”
“Kelly... Perry here.”
Perry. She’d forgotten about him and that she was supposed to be thinking over his offer.
Clearing her throat, she said, “Perry, wasn’t I supposed to call you?”
“I had a talk with Grissom yesterday. They’re eager to get to work with you. I thought I’d see when we could expect you. Your office has been painted and decorated, but if there’s anything you don’t like, you have carte blanche to change it.”
He was truly sweetening the pot. Why shouldn’t she tell him she’d be right there? Unconsciously, Kelly opened her calendar.
“Perry, I have several contracts that will have to be fulfilled.”
“I understand,” he said. “If necessary, we can split your time until they are completed.”
He really must need her badly, if he was willing to make this many concessions.
“Perry,” she said. “How about...” She scrolled down a few weeks. Her calendar was covered with events for the Kendall. None of them mattered. Kelly knew it would be short notice to cancel them, but it could be done.
“Are you still there?” Perry asked.
“I’m checking my dates,” she said. “How about next month. Say the...”
“Say no.”
Kelly froze. The voice came from the doorway. She knew Jace’s voice. She could pick it out anywhere.
“Say no,” he said again. “Don’t leave.”
Kelly held the phone away from her ear. Jace came into the room.
“Stay,” he said. “The Kendall is part of you. You’ll do a good job in New York, but you’ll never love it the way you love this place.”
“I can’t stay here alone.”
“This is your home,” Jace said. “It’s where you belong. Where we all belong. You took this place and gave it life. It’s what I wanted it to be. I wanted it full of love when I was a boy. And that’s what I want for Ari. For us. You’ve done that for us all. Don’t give up. Say no.”
“I thought you didn’t want to stay here. You and Ari were going to find—”
“I thought about it and realized anywhere is good if you’re with me, but nowhere will be perfect without you.”
Kelly’s heart pounded in her chest. “I love you, Kelly Ashton. I want you to be my wife.” He took another step closer to her and went down on one knee. “Will you marry me? Will you take me and my son and will you allow the three of us to make this a real home?”
