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“Kashif,” Julia said quietly. “Kristy told me that you found out. You can’t blame her.”
“I only want to focus on the time that I do have with Arella,” Kashif said with a sigh. “I’m not going to take her away, if that’s the reason that you’re crying. I would never do that to any of you. You’re her family.”
“I know that,” Julia said with a smile. “No amount of money or power on this earth would pry that little girl from Kristy. She’s worse than a momma bear.”
“She’s a good mother,” Kashif acknowledged.
“She is.”
“So what’s the matter?”
Julia sniffed and sighed. “Kristy is down at the real estate office. She had the deed for the farm in her hand. I don’t know what happened, but she couldn’t even talk to me about it. When I asked her what was wrong, she started crying and telling me that she saw no other way out of it.”
Shock cascaded through him as he stared at her. “Kristy is selling the farm?” Why wouldn’t she have told him? Silently answering his own question,because she thinks I hate her.
“I think so. I know things haven’t been going well here, but I guess I didn’t realize how bad until I looked at the books. It’s not her fault. She can’t be blamed for the fancier resort opening up nearby or global warming, but I could see the guilt in her eyes. I’d bail her out, but we don’t have the money either. We’ve offered to help her run this place, but the amount of money needed…it’s just too much.”
“What does she plan to do when she sells?”
Julia got up and grabbed the laptop. “I found these sites pulled up on her computer this morning. I think she’s planning on working strictly with the dogs for training classes.”
Kashif pulled up the websites and couldn’t help but smile. Kristy had looked at sand sledding first before moving on to training search and rescue dogs. They weren’t terrible ideas. Kristy could go back to her love of training, and with her talents, she’d whip her dogs, and anyone else’s, into shape in no time.
But that wasn’t what her dogs were meant to do, and that saddened him more than he wanted to admit.
“Julia, do you know which agency Kristy went to?”
“There’s only one in town. Kathryn Dulles is the only real estate agent that we have.”
Kashif nodded. “All right. Kristy said that I could spend the day with Arella. Is it all right if I take her for a walk in the forest?”
“Sure. Just be careful. A single hair out of place on that girl, and Kristy will murder you and bury your body where no one will ever find you.”
“Duly noted,” he chuckled. “Come on, Arella, we’ve got a few things that we need to do today. Are you up for it?”
“Puppies?”
He nodded his head. “Sure. We can take the puppies, but let’s leave the goat at home, deal?”
“Deal!”
20
Later that night, Kristy couldn’t sleep. Wandering downstairs to get something to drink, instead of returning to her bedroom, she found herself in what had been Kashif’s room.
She could still smell him as she stretched out on his bed. Burrowing in the warmth, she closed her eyes and imagined that instead of the coverlet, it was his arms wrapped around her, protecting her. Alone, and unable to keep it together any longer, she didn’t bother to swallow back the tears that gathered in her eyes.
How had everything gone so wrong? Two weeks ago, she was a hard-working single mother who managed to make her life work. Now, she knew the difference between existing and living her life. And as soon as she’d realized how she felt about Kashif, how happy she was to have him in her life again, she lost him.
Kristy could understand how he must feel. His words continued to squeeze around her heart. Lies. Betrayal. He was so right.
“Please come back,” she whispered in the darkness. “I love you.”
As usual, the darkness refused to respond.
Finally, she cried herself to sleep. It was a merciful sleep, devoid of dreams, and she had no idea how much time had passed, but when she woke up, she knew that she wasn’t alone.
The bed dipped as someone sat on it, and she immediately recognized his presence. Kashif cupped her face and stroked his thumb across her cheek as if to wipe away the tears.
