Page 24 of Unforgotten

Seth laughed. “Maybe not that far.”

“Do you have any suggestions for me? I mean, you were able to win over Tabitha.”

Seth’s amused expression turned serious. “There were a lot of other things going on with Tabitha. She’d been married before and had suffered at the hands of her abusive husband. Then she had to deal with some folks in the community looking down on her because she divorced.”

“So, you had to have patience.”

“You could say that,” he said in a dry tone. “But I had no choice. I knew if I lost her, I’d lose my heart and my future. I had to try.”

“That’s how I feel. That’s why I’m so upset at myself for messing things up. I don’t know how to get back in Bethanne’s good graces.”

“I brought Tabitha all sorts of food and left it at her doorstep. For months. And when I wasn’t delivering food, I chopped her wood.”

Jay wasn’t sure that would work for him. Bethanne had a whole family to take care of her. But he supposed he could try to find some ways to connect with her. “What did she say each time you stopped by?”

“Nothing.” A small, secret smile played on his lips. “She watched me, though.”

“How? From the front porch?”

Seth laughed. “Far from that at first. She didn’t even want me to see her. She watched me through the sheer curtains in her living room.”

Jay couldn’t believe all this had gone on and he hadn’t even heard a whisper about it. “What did you do?”

A look of satisfaction appeared on his face. “I didn’t do anything. One day she got brave.”

“That’s it?” He felt completely let down. And maybe a little disappointed.

“That’s it. But listen to me, Jay Byler. Waiting and being patient isn’t a waste of time—it’s a blessing. I kept trying and Tabitha kept watching. And I was unaware of it, but every day brought us closer together. The same thing could be happening for you two.”

“She said she didn’t want me to call on her, though.”

“Right.” He pursed his lips. “Well, then ... perhaps she doesn’t. It could be Bethanne doesn’t want that kind of relationship with anyone. That might be how she feels.”

“If that’s how she feels, then I’ll have to accept her decision, won’t I?”

“You will ... if you want her to be happy. There’s something to be said for wanting the woman you love to be happy, ain’t so?” Seth talked slowly, as if each word was being pulled reluctantly from somewhere deep within him. “Even if it ain’t with you.”

Even if it ain’t with you. There was something poetic and almost tragic about that thought. Or, rather, maybe it only felt that way to Jay.

He allowed that thought to sink in. Settle and stew. Tried it on for size, even though there was no question in his mind how it would affect him.

Simply put, it would hurt. It would hurt so badly that it would feel like someone had stabbed him in the heart.

But even worse than that pain would be knowingly hurting Bethanne on purpose. Forcing her into doing something that she wasn’t ready for.

Or not respecting her wishes.

Nee, it would be like he was no better than Peter Miller. He was a great many things, but he wasn’t that man. He didn’t want to be.

Realizing he’d been staring at Seth, Jay attempted to pull himself together. “Yes,” he said.

“Yes?”

“I’m not making sense, am I?” He waved a hand. “I meant to say that you’re right. I need to do the right thing by her. Even if it feels wrong for me.”

“That’s how it is, isn’t it? When a man falls in love—really in love. Doing right comes first.”

“I guess Tabitha appreciated your patience?”

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