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Anger surged through me, making me hot all over. “You don’t know anything about her situation.”
Talon raised a brow. “And you do?”
I ground my teeth together. “You want to talk about Holly?”
“Fuck no. Why is everyone asking about her?”
“It’s awkward as hell when you two are in the same room.”
Talon shook his head. “You’re changing the subject. We were talking about you.”
“I don’t want to talk about me.” I didn’t have much of a personal life. I hung out with my brothers or a few high school friends who still lived in the area. “I’m focused on my job and building Seb’s cabin.”
Talon nodded. “I want to see him settled on the farm.”
“Me, too.” Ever since Dad died, we’d become closer than ever. We’d come together, setting aside our differences, to take care of Mom.
We resumed cleaning off the tables. Ireland and Sarah were taking down decorations while Knox and Addy played with the puppies.
“You going to see Marley again?” Talon asked.
“I’m going over to her place tomorrow to make sure it’s safe.”
He raised a brow.
“It’s what anyone would do,” I said as I busied myself clearing off the next table.
“Yeah, but you’re the one doing it.”
I sighed. “I don’t know what you’re insinuating.”
“I think you do.”
“I already told you there’s no history there.” Noticing the garbage was full, I cinched it and took it outside. I needed some fresh air.
After I disposed of the garbage in the dumpster behind the main house, I went home. I wasn’t ready to deal with Talon’s questions or anyone else’s.
Was it that obvious that there was something between me and Marley? If so, I needed to be extremely careful. The last thing I needed was for word to get to Aiden while he was deployed. He had better things to worry about than me messing with his sister.
Once I was inside my cabin, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was a respite from the farm, my family, and the crowds that gathered during the holidays.
Before Dad died, I had plans to open my contracting business. I’d gotten off track, but maybe it was time to get back to what I wanted.
In my bedroom, I could see a light from Matthews Inn. It was nice to see the light on again and comforting to know that Marley wasn’t far away. She was just a quick walk through the woods.
When we were teens, the draw was too hard to fight. It was easier when she went to college. I hated not having her nearby, but at the same time, it made keeping my promise to Aiden easier. I wasn’t tempted to get on a plane to pursue something with her.
We were too different. She was a West Coast girl now, and I was still a man who lived on his family’s farm. I had nothing to offer her.
Marley was living a good life, and I wouldn’t dredge up old memories. It wouldn’t do us any good.
It would have been nice to see if our connection was the same. But it wasn’t worth the repercussions.
Aiden was supposed to come home by next Christmas. He hadn’t decided whether he was going to re-up his contract or not, and I didn’t want to have to lie to him when he came home.
As I got into bed, I wondered if I’d be able to resist her being so close. The urge to knock on her door and see if the passion was still there was strong.
I needed to get myself together before I saw her again.
