Page 44 of Forbidden Flame

“Daphne’s not like that,” I said before I realized my mistake.

“How do you know?”

“We talked a lot at the reception. I got to know her. She doesn’t have anything to do with the farm side of the business.”

“So she says.”

I didn’t want to argue about it anymore and reveal how well I’d gotten to know Daphne. It wouldn’t do any good. I wouldn’t change their mind. I was an outsider, and I needed to walk a straight line if I wanted my cousins to take me seriously. “You don’t have anything to worry about. There’s nothing going on.”

Heath nodded as if he was satisfied, and I pulled out two mugs. “You have time for coffee?”

“If I go back to the inn, Marley will just put me to work. You’re lucky you don’t have anyone telling you what to do. Your home is your own.” I felt a pang of jealousy that he had Marley. At one time, their relationship was secret. When they were teenagers, she was younger than him, and Heath had promised her brother, Aiden, he’d protect her, not date her.

They’d only recently reconnected. It was nothing like what I was dealing with when it came to the Calloways. That was a deep-seated feud that went back years.

We drank our coffee and talked about the wedding, how happy Addy was, and how pleased we were that our brother found Sarah.

“You’re all settled now. Aunt Lori can relax.”

Heath rested his elbows on the counter. “She won’t relax until she has more grandkids.”

The family was expanding at a rapid rate. Soon, there wouldn’t be any room for me. “You’re going to want to move back in when that happens.”

“Marley doesn’t want to start a family any time soon. She wants Aiden to manage the inn, and he’s not ready for that yet. She also has her business and the house in California. We’re not there yet.”

“You’ll be there soon enough.”

Heath clasped my shoulder. “No one’s kicking you out. Even if we move back to the cabin, you’ll always have a room here.”

I raised a disbelieving brow. “I would not want to invade your privacy like that.”

“I appreciate that, but the offer stands.”

The reality was my time here was limited. And my ability to keep my jobs on the farm and in his contracting business were contingent on avoiding the Calloways. No matter how much it hurt, I needed to forget about Daphne and the time we spent together.

I knew it couldn’t go anywhere, so why did it hurt so bad?

Chapter 10

Daphne

After our last night together, I’d expected something different. We’d exchanged numbers, and I assumed we’d text here and there, maybe even talk on the phone after Izzy went to bed. The few times I initiated a conversation, his responses were short. It felt like he didn’t want to hear from me. I needed to move on and forget about him.

I couldn’t figure out what had changed since the wedding. Had one of his cousins said something about how much time we’d spent together at the reception? It made sense, but it still hurt.

Flyers were sent around school for an Easter egg hunt at the Monroe Farm that served as a fundraiser. I normally wouldn’t go, but Izzy had been pleading her case all week. And I couldn’t explain to a seven-year-old that her uncles hated the Monroes.

We got up early, cleaned our cottage, and then headed toward the farm. I hoped it was so busy that Cole wouldn’t notice me, or he’d be working with Heath today on a contracting job. I squared my shoulders as we drove through the gate and stopped in front of one of his cousins. I wasn’t sure which one it was.

Recognition showed in his eyes as he smiled and leaned on my window. “Daphne. You bring your pies today?”

I laughed and shook my head. “We’re just here for the egg hunt.”

“You brought your little girl?” His gaze moved around the interior of the van.

“She’s in the back.” I threw a thumb over my shoulder.

“You ready to pick some eggs?”

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