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“Maybe you should stake your claim. You have a lot of single brothers, and Sarah seems like a nice woman.”
“Are you saying that one of our brothers is going to make a move on her, when I’m the one who invited her into the family circle?” Irritation burned in my chest.
“You’ve been telling everyone you’re just friends. What kind of message are you sending?”
“Are you telling me to go over there?”
“Do you feel like you should go over there?”
“I don’t like these riddles.”
“I’m not going to tell you what to do, but if you want someone, you have to go get it. Sitting here, nursing your cider, isn’t going to get you what you want unless you want to be alone.”
“A few weeks ago, that’s exactly what I would have said I wanted.”
“And now?”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to watch her date Sebastian or any of my other brothers.”
“Maybe don’t present it to Sarah that way.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a Neanderthal.”
“Are you sure? It’s been a while since you dated.”
“You’re the one who invited Ireland to your cabin and then told her to leave.”
He groaned. “Not my finest moment. But I fixed it. We’re happy.”
I settled back in my chair. “You think Sarah could be good for me?”
“Only you can decide that. How do you feel when you’re with her?”
“Like I don’t have to worry about Dad or the farm.”
“Why are you still worried about Dad?”
Too late, I realized my slip. “You know, I was out there living my life, not worried about the shit going down here.”
“He had a heart attack. No one knew he was even at risk for it. How could you have done anything different?”
“I could have been here for you, for Mom and Dad.”
“There’s nothing you could have done. We had no warning.”
“I can’t shake the feeling that I should have done something more, checked in more often, moved back home.”
“I’m telling you, there was nothing you could have done. If you feel somehow responsible, you’re not.”
“I want to believe that.” If I’d been home, would I have noticed that Dad wasn’t in good health? If Mom hadn’t, would I? I’d never know the answer.
Emmett slapped my shoulder. “Believe it. You have nothing to feel guilty about. If you’re here out of some misplaced sense of responsibility—”
I shook my head. “I always wanted to move home. I just did it a little sooner.”
“And if it’s stopping you from living your life, from doing what you want to do, then it needs to stop. I thought I wanted to be alone, that I was content living in the cabin and working on the farm, but I wasn’t. I didn’t realize any of that until Ireland came into my life.”
“So, you’re saying I should pursue Sarah?”
