Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
“A roof over your head?” Jaret said, sounding alarmed. “What do you mean by that?”
Shoot. She shouldn’t have mentioned that. “I didn’t mean anything bad. I just meant when it rains or something, walking versus driving. So much nicer, isn’t it, to drive in the rain rather than walk in the rain?”
Clem was eyeing her with interest. Lily just smiled, hoping they bought what she was saying.
“You should have called us,” Jaret told her firmly.
“Um, yeah. Sorry I turned up without warning,” Lily said. “But I wasn’t sure whether you’d want me here or not.”
“I can’t blame you for thinking that,” Clem said as she tapped her fingers on the kitchen table. “Although I did say to you to come out whenever you wanted. I just never thought you’d do it. That was why I was a bit, um, surprised before.”
“When you asked me if I wanted half the property and was going to sue you if I broke my bottom?”
“Um, yeah.”
“I just wanted to get here. I guess I was simply focused on that and not on what would happen once I got here.”
Lily spotted the rings on her finger. “Your wedding and engagement rings are gorgeous. I bet it was an amazing day.”
Clem glanced up at Jaret then back to Lily. “It was.”
“Congratulations.” She wished she could have been there. “I would have loved to have been there. But it just didn’t feel right. I’ve had to work through a lot of stuff.”
While Harvey took care of her. The way he always did.
Lord, she missed him.
“Lily, that car doesn’t look in the best condition,” Jaret said. “Did you have someone check it over first before you bought it?”
Lily shook her head. “No, there was no time, and I wouldn’t know who to ask. It’s fine. It’ll get me around. Once I find a job, I can fix it up.”
“You want a job?” Clem asked. “Have you ever worked before?”
“No, but I’m not really worried about what I’ll do. Anything will be fine.”
Clem and Jaret shared a look.
“With everything that you’ve been through, Lily, it might be best to just take a break? A breather?” Jaret suggested.
“That’s a nice thought, but I can’t afford to do that. All I have are a couple of pieces of clothing and that car. Which is probably now missing half a tire.”
“Did something happen with Harvey?” Jaret asked her.
“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Clem asked fiercely.
“No, no, Harvey would never do anything to me. He’s wonderful, the most amazing person I’ve ever met.”
“Then why are you here without him?” Jaret asked.
“Because he deserves so much better than me. He deserves someone who’s whole and can give him everything that he needs, who he doesn’t have to take constant care of, and who isn’t too fragile to be introduced to his family.”
Clem raised her eyebrows. “Is that what he said, that you were too fragile to be introduced to his family?”
“He didn’t say it to me, but I overheard his sister talking, and that’s what she said. She had a friend with her who’d obviously met me back when I was with Rick, and she called me cold and a snob and unfeeling. And let’s face it, I was those things, I guess. It’s just I didn’t even know I was being those things.”
“What does that mean?” Clem asked, looking confused.
“I have some things to tell you and then I’ll get out of your way, okay? And if you don’t want to see me again, you never have to. I’m not telling you these things to make you feel sorry for me or so you’ll forgive me, but I just thought, well, I don’t think I can move on unless I do this.”
Lily waited for Clem to answer.
Would she let her explain?
38
“Then do it,” Clem told her. “I got nothing better to do. Well, other than muck out some stalls, put out some hay and fix the leak in the roof of the barn.”
“You mean that I’ve got to muck out some stalls, put out some hay, and fix the leak in the roof of the barn,” Jaret said dryly.
Clem smiled at him. “If you’re offering.”
“Well, I’m certainly not letting you do any of that. But that can wait until we learn why Lily came halfway across the country by herself on a bus, then bought a car off a stranger, and ended up on the roof of our barn.” Jaret gave Lily a stern look and she got the feeling he didn’t approve of any of those things.
“I only ended up on the roof because Chuck thought he was a bull and charged toward me,” she said. “As for the rest of it, well, I need to go back to when you were recovering from your operation.”
“Right,” Clem said. “You said that Rick was lying when he told me that you slept together behind my back.”