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Her words were like a punch to the gut. Was she saying she didn’t have feelings for him? She couldn’t mean that. He thought things between them had been going well, given the circumstances.
“So that’s it, then. You’re going to go off and figure this out on your own?”
Pain flashed in her eyes before she broke eye contact. She swallowed hard and fumbled with the flash drive in her palm. “Maybe it’s for the best, Ian.”
“How can this be for the best? You leaving means you have less security. Who’s going to keep you safe? What about your plans for going back to school? What kind of job will be flexible with your hours?”
Jessica’s fingers wrapped tightly around the jump drive, and she lifted her icy stare to meet his. “Why do you keep bringing that up? I mentioned it once.Once, Ian. I said it would be nice to go back to school, but I never said I would do it for sure. I saidmy terms.” She growled the last two words. “Maybe I’ve changed my mind on that, too. Maybe I’ve realized a life here is just too nice for a girl like me, and there will always be something that stands in my way of happiness. You ever think about that?”
His mouth dropped open. “I don’t understand anything that just came out of your mouth.”
She let out a derisive laugh. “Of course you don’t. Because you’ve been raised with a silver spoon in your mouth. Things don’t always work out for a girl like me. Sometimes I have to settle for the bad job or the bad boyfriend. You need a girl you can take care of who doesn’t have any baggage lying around—a girl who went to college and has dreams she can actually reach. That kind of girl wouldn’t argue with you or bring danger to your doorstep. I don’t even know why I agreed to stay.” She spun on her heel, entered her room, and shut the door firmly behind her.
Ian took two more steps until he was standing right in front of it. “Jessica,” he called. “This conversation isn’t over. You can’t just walk away and think that I’ll roll over and give in. That’s not how relationships work.”
“Well, it seems to be working out that way right now,” she yelled through the door. “You might as well go back to your room and give up because I’m not backing down. I know who I am, and I accept it. It’s you who seems to have a problem with how I want to live my life.”
“That’s because you want to throw yourself to the wolves. Can’t you see how insane that makes you sound?”
“Maybe that’s it. I’m insane and you can’t handle it. I should have never agreed to stay here. I need to go somewhere else.”
Ian’s hands clenched as he scowled at the door. His chest tightened and his breaths came in spurts. Jessica was still safer on his ranch than she would have been anywhere else; she just couldn’t see it. There was silence on the other side of the door. Not even the sound of shuffling reached his ears. He groaned and placed his forehead against the door. “Just come out here and we can talk about this,” he muttered through clenched teeth.
The evening had gone from terrible to earth-shattering. What was worse, he had no idea how he’d managed to let the last shred of control slip from his fingers. Was she planning on leaving? There was no way he’d let that happen. If she left now, she’d be caught before she hit the pass. Shehadto understand that.
He fought to remain calm, but his voice continued to rise. “Jessica, come out and talk—”
“Ian.”
He whirled around to find his mother standing at the top of the stairs. Pity filled her eyes. She gave a subtle shake to her head. “Come downstairs and get a piece of pie. It will make you feel better.”
“I doubt it.”
Her eyes shifted to the closed door. “It’s getting late. She’s not going anywhere tonight. Just give her some space.”
Ian turned to the door once more. He blew out a harsh breath, then spun on his heel and brushed past his mother.
