Page 9 of An Endless Memory

But I needed the house now.

My steady breathing quickened. Any faster and I’d hyperventilate. I didn’t have the spare income for rent. I’d have to quit a job I adored and move to Billings to live with my parents—again. That wasn’t the end of the world, but it’d be the end of me as Lily Duke, trying to prove she wasn’t incompetent. A large part of my pride died. Carter claimed I couldn’t do anything without my family.

“Is this necessary?” I croaked.

“We are going to enforce the trust,” Darren stressed. “It’s what Annie wanted.”

Linda glanced at Darren. She looked almost as hopeless as I felt. Darren had been Mr. Ambivalent my entire life but now he was dedicated to carrying out my grandma’s wishes?

“We’ll give you until the end of the month,” Linda said gently.

Shock made me sit forward. I switched Kellan to my other shoulder. He was already rooting around, accidentally headbutting me. He’d start crying to get fed soon. “The end of the month? For what?”

“To find a new place.” She pursed her lips. Whatever bad news she was telling me, at least it wasn’t easy for her. “You need to move out…unless you’re married by then.” She exchanged a look with Darren. He gave her an encouraging nod. “It’s in the papers that couples need to reside on the land or property for that first year. So if you’re dating and you want to fast-track the nuptials…” She spread her hands before dropping them limply to her lap.

I’d have to move out within a month? My parents would be faced with moving me for the third time in less than a year. Instead of moving forward as an adult and single mom, I was sliding back. “C-can I have some time before you talk to Mom and Dad?” I groaned. “You have to tell everyone else, don’t you?”

Linda hesitated and exchanged a glance with Darren. “I have some time yet before I’m required to inform everyone. I’ll give you that time before we both have to deal with the stipulations of the trust getting out. I’m not exactly looking forward to ruining everyone’s day. Thanks to my mother, I’ll be the bad guy until this is over.”

Their expressions weren’t wavering. There was sympathy but no leeway. I’d have to find a husband in a few weeks, or I was losing this house.

Two

Lily

I shoveled chips and dip into my mouth. The end of the month was in a couple of weeks. I’d done nothing but comb rental properties. Either nothing was open soon enough, the space was too small, or they didn’t take pets. I would not abandon my animals. My deadline loomed. Twice, I’d picked up the phone to call my parents, but Carter’s voice ran through my head. You can’t change your underwear without asking them what pair you should put on next.

I wanted to call my oldest sister. She was the most even-keeled. Violet was logical to the point of being irritating sometimes. But then I’d have to tell her about the trust. She’d feel obligated to tell the others, and the Duke Hotline would light up. The last time that had happened was when I left Carter. I didn’t need to start another text frenzy because of me.

I held out hope I’d find a place to live or meet a nice guy who wanted a quick commitment. The thought of dating made me nauseous. The idea of marrying because I had to? I turned livid. I had a lot of regrets about marrying Carter. The kids weren’t one of them and that was about it.

Time to return to ignoring the issue. Sutton’s house was smaller than my grandma’s place, but she had her garage doors open to house the food. We were outside and surrounded by several quiet acres out of town.

Sutton’s brother-in-law, the one I’d embarrassed myself in front of, was at one of the grills. I’d purposely trekked as far away from the grill as possible. Was it possible he wouldn’t recognize me? The rest of her family was here, along with all of my coworkers.

I sat in a chair next to Sutton on the edge of the concrete pad. I didn’t know my coworkers well enough to intrude on their little groups. Cali had no such reservations. She was running around the yard with Sutton and Wilder’s dog, Oreo, and several other kids. I’d been told their names, but there was no way I could recall them. I didn’t even know the name of the sister-in-law who was holding Kellan so I could eat. She was bouncing with him at the edge of the concrete slab and chatting with a few coworkers.

I had nothing to discuss. I was single and soon to be homeless.

“What do you think so far?” Sutton asked. She had her hands resting on her rounded belly. She frowned. “I suppose that might be hard to answer since I’m your boss.”

“I love it.” That part was easy. I did love my job. Yes, I’d been scatterbrained, but so far, everyone was writing it off as new-person slips. I’d forget to start the washing machine or clean an exam room between patients. When I was in the room with the client and the veterinarian, I was on. Outside of that, I might leave my coffee cup on the bathroom sink. Doc Julio found it in the microwave one weekend from the Friday before.

I was also a little in love with this party. My coworkers made up less than half the people. Sutton’s family was large, just like mine. They had fun together. Kids frolicked. People laughed and talked. My siblings and I had been close growing up, but once we’d finished school, we’d dispersed all over the country. They rarely called to chat, and even though we got together for holidays, it wasn’t often all of us.

I had wanted to invite them out, but Carter had hated their interference. He was used to parents who only cared about how people perceived them.

I loved working for Sutton, and I would be envious of her private life if I had the time to dwell on it.

“I really appreciate the opportunity to work at your clinic.” I pushed some dip around with my chip. “I’ll get better, you know, when I get more sleep.”

She chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. We’ve all forgotten to get weights.”

Maybe once. Last Tuesday, I’d gotten one weight on a kitten and had to rush to do every other patient midexam. My mind had been somewhere else since Aunt Linda’s visit. Stupid marriage stipulation. Should I ask to talk to Sutton privately and tell her? Maybe she knew a single guy who was willing to marry a stranger to save her house.

Ugh. No. I wouldn’t ask someone to give up a year of their life for me. I was not irresponsible. I was not impulsive. Marrying a stranger would be both.

A shadow fell over us. I looked up, and my heart skated right into my throat. It was him. The brim of his ball cap was pulled down low, his T-shirt hugged his impressive pecs, and the blue jeans were just porn for women. The way he stood in boots and how his pants draped around his legs—he was all strength and good looks. Add in that I couldn’t forget how he’d looked holding a baby tucked into his arm, and the hot flash was unavoidable and not at all from my postpartum hormones.

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