Page 96 of The Backup Bride Proposal

And yet he wanted to hold on to his anger, so he backedaway from her. “Glad that Montgomery’s gonna be okay. You should go have some breakfast.”

He walked off, feeling shitty for pushing her away but not knowing what to do with this anger boiling up inside him. So it was probably best he keep his distance from Mae until he figured it out.

He spent the day keeping himself busy, digging that trench for the new building, clearing more brush along the north side, and anything else that brought out a good sweat and kept his mind focused on anything but his parents.

It was getting dark by the time he put up the tractor. He drove it into the barn because it looked like it could rain tonight. He was surprised to see Tess in there when he climbed off.

“Run out of things to do to avoid the rest of us, or are you planning to bed down in here tonight?”

He took off his work gloves and climbed off the tractor. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know damn well what I’m talking about.” She grabbed his arm when he tried to brush past her. “You’re so pissed off about your mom and dad’s divorce that you’re taking it out on your whole family, and on Mae. You know she’s in love with you, don’t you?”

That surprised him. He and Mae had never discussed their feelings. Not deep feelings. And how the hell could Tess know that? “I—no, she isn’t. Did she tell you?”

“No. But I can tell.”

“Right. And I’m not pissed off. I’m trying to help out before we have to leave.”

“We do just fine when you’re not here.”

He lifted his chin. “So do my parents, apparently.”

“You do know that their divorce doesn’t have anything to do with you, Kane. But you’re making it all about you. Stopit, before it eats you up and makes you bitter. Holding all that anger inside could cost you everything—and everyone—you love.”

He was about to argue with her that it wasn’t at all what he was doing, but she’d turned and had already left the barn, leaving him feeling empty and hollow, her words ringing in his ears as loud as his heart was pounding.

Dammit. He pulled off his gloves and threw them across the barn, irritated with Tess for calling him out, pissed off at his parents for ruining his vacation at the place he loved the most and wishing he could wind back time so he could remain oblivious—and happy.

Which meant Tess was right. He needed to pull his head out of his ass and just get over it. Nothing he did was going to change the fact that his parents were splitting up, and this childish tantrum only hurt the people he cared the most about.

He went up to the house, realizing that everyone had gone up to bed. Shadow and Lucky came over to greet him, so he bent down to pet them.

“You’re both so loyal,” he whispered, burying his face against theirs. “You know what unconditional love is all about, don’t you?”

“You didn’t have dinner.”

Mae’s soft voice caught his attention. He looked up to see her standing at the top of the stairs, regarding him warily. He hated seeing that look of discomfort on her face.

“Yeah, I kind of got caught up doing stuff.” He stood and walked over to her, mesmerized by the soft fall of her hair over her shoulders and the sweet scent of her freshly showered skin. “I’m kind of hungry now.”

“Donna wrapped up a plate for you,” she said, stepping off the landing. “Can I warm it up for you?”

Her question was testing his mood. She was waiting for him to snap at her again. He swept his knuckles gently across her cheek. “That’d be great. Thanks.”

She warmed the plate while he washed up. He really wished he could shower the layers of dust and dirt off his body, but that would have to wait. Since he’d missed both lunch and dinner, he was starving.

She laid the plate in front of him. Slices of beef, with potatoes and vegetables and a side salad, along with bread and butter. While he dove in, she poured him a glass of water and took a seat across from him at the table.

At first he concentrated on the food, unable to even make basic conversation until his appetite had been appeased. All the while, Mae was seemingly content to watch him eat.

There was a lot he wanted to say to her, but God, he needed to be clean before he did that. After he finished eating he took his plate to the sink, rinsed it and loaded it into the dishwasher.

“I need to clean up,” he said.

She nodded. “Okay. I’ll be up in a minute.” She turned away from him and toward the dogs, who were eager for her attention.

He went up to their room, stripped off his dusty, dirty clothes and headed straight into the shower, lingering long enough under the hot water to scrub away the filth and his three-day bad mood. Once he felt like a human being again, he got out, dried off and went into the bedroom.

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