sun. I looked up at James, careful not to drop my eyes below his chin. “I wanted to check in and see if you’ve talked to your nana.”
A proud grin spread across his face. “As a matter of fact, I have. Brace yourself for some unexpected company at dinner.”
“Tonight?” I asked, suddenly flustered.
James nodded. “Come inside and I’ll tell you all about it.”
I followed James into the cabin and took a seat on the recliner. He was still half naked, and I didn’t trust myself to be close to him, despite what had happened at the rodeo. James fetched two beers from his refrigerator, passed me one, and took a seat on the couch. I crossed my legs and looked at him with raised eyebrows, waiting for his explanation.
James popped the cap off of his bottle, took a long drink, and then began. “I called Nana on Tuesday after I woke up and saw the ‘for sale’ sign in my yard. We had a nice long talk, and then I casually mentioned that she should take down my new address. I acted like I thought Mom had already told her everything. Needless to say, Nana Claire wasn’t happy. She and Grandpa Dave couldn’t get away from home until today. They should be here in a few hours.”
My stomach fluttered and my heart raced in my chest. Suddenly, I wasn’t sure that bringing Nana Claire to town was a good idea. I rolled the beer bottle between my hands and rocked the recliner back and forth.
“Willow… are you alright?” James asked. I stared at the floor, unable to tell if he was concerned or frustrated.
“I don’t know, James… it kind of feels like we’re ambushing them…” I hesitated.
“We agreed that this was for the best,” he reminded me. “And we’re not ambushing them. My grandparents are allowed to come see me whenever they want. If Nana wants to share her opinions on Mom and Cole’s engagement, so be it.”
I took a sip of my beer and tried to calm my nerves. I wanted to believe that James was right but, deep down, I knew he was just rationalizing what he wanted to do. “I don’t know…” I said again, twirling my hair nervously between two fingers.
“You can’t even stand to be in the same house with them, Willow,” James pointed out. “You came down here because you needed to escape. Have you seriously already forgotten about that?”
Dread filled my stomach as I thought about the love fest going on back at home. I hated the thought of causing Daddy any pain, but I couldn’t live with him and Renee.
“You’re right,” I agreed with a sigh. “On the walk over here, I was thinking that if something doesn’t give soon, I’ll have to find a contractor and build my own house. And I can’t exactly afford to do that right now. Unless I take out a loan against the land and horses… which I don’t want to do.”
James nodded. “I don’t blame you. Its better this way, I promise. If I really thought my mom and Cole were right for each other, I’d stay out of it. But in the long run, we’re saving them from making a terrible mistake. And who knows? Maybe when all of this is over, you and I can finally…”
My heart skipped a beat as James’s voice trailed off. He cleared his throat and glanced nervously towards the window.
Finally…? Was he going to say we can finally be together? I can’t get my hopes up again. That can’t be what he meant.
“We can finally…?” I asked softly.
James turned to me, but couldn’t look me in the eye. “Nothing… I don’t know what I was going to say. Just forget about it.” James tossed his hat onto the coffee table, grabbed a white t-shirt from the arm of the couch, and pulled it over his head. He glanced down at his phone, and I knew I was being dismissed.
“I should go back to my house for a while,” James said as he rose from the couch. He left the Stetson on the coffee table and covered his chestnut hair with a ball cap. I stood and followed him to the door.
“Mom made me a list of things that need repaired before it