Page 69 of Rumor Has It

I risk temptation watching him pad out of the kitchen. The songbook in his back pocket draws my eyes to his firm backside. Heat pools in my lower belly.

It’s impossible for me to deny I’m still attracted to Isaiah. When he opened his suite door in nothing but a towel, I wanted to touch him. To tease him. To drop to my knees, tugging the knot at his waist and taking him in my mouth.

No man has lingered in my thoughts like Isaiah does. I chastise myself for my inability to move on. I’m no stranger to short-lived relationships. They make break-ups a snap. I hate admitting I still feel the sting of New Year’s Eve despite Isaiah’s problems outnumbering my own.

As I’m putting the final touches on brunch, I decide I need some space and will run errands after making this afternoon’s appetizers.

The sound of work boots stomping on the morning porch and scuffing at the mat hits my ears. About to bring the tray of puff pastry bundles and yogurt with a simple berry fruit compote to the dining room, I pause as my father walks in.

“Heya, Daddy.” I smile brightly. “What brings you to this neck of the woods?”

“Jelly Bean.” Dad tips his chin as a way of hello. He’s got an envelope in his shirt pocket. “It wouldn’t entirely be a lie to say I was thinking of you.”

I harrumph as he bends to place a kiss on the top of my head.

“I have some papers for your big sister. Gracyn in?”

“Check her office.”

“Mind if I hang about a bit beforehand? It’s chilly out. Got some coffee on?”

“New pot’s just finished perking.” I toss a thumb over my shoulder. “Lemme run this out in case anyone is waiting for the buffet and I’ll fix you a plate.”

“Lighter fare for brunch than usual.” My dad pours himself a cup. He peruses the decorative tray on its way to the dining room.

“Small crowd. They’re grazers more than hearty eaters and they order take-out a lot.” I shrug. “I won’t be long.”

I had set the china teacups and the silverware out earlier, along with a coffee carafe on a trivet. All I have to do is grab some plates and I can skedaddle. Back in the kitchen, I serve my dad and sit down with what’s left of my cold coffee to chat.

“Timed this perfectly,” Daddy says with smug satisfaction.

“Better than the healthy greens shake Mama makes you choke down?”

Across the table, Daddy sticks out his tongue and makes a sour face. I giggle. Testing out new recipes, I fed Colton Cavanaugh some truly awful concoctions. My daddy ate every last bite. His support means the world.

“Rumor is you have an unexpected houseguest.” Daddy doesn’t beat around the bush.

My lips flatten to a firm line.

Daddy removes an envelope from his zippered vest pocket and taps it on the tabletop. “I think you know what this is. Each family in the trust got a non-disclosure. Isaiah personally brought mine by. I’m simply returning it… In person. Making sure you were okay with all of this since I hadn’t heard from you, and I know my girl well enough to notice that when you’re overwhelmed by something, you go quiet.”

I wring my hands in my lap. My dad places his on top of mine. I look up.

“Cassidy, before I met your mother, I didn’t understand the lengths a person would go to protect a child. I hadn’t known your sister for a very long when Keely and I got involved. A wild ten-year-old was a lot to handle, but Gracyn wormed her way into my heart. By the time I realized I was in love with your mama, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her daughter. It didn’t matter who her father was because she was already my daughter, too.

“But don’t you believe for a minute it didn’t hurt like hell that your mother’s first instinct was to take you girls and run away from me when the going got tough. Don’t paint yourself a pretty picture of me sweeping away a decade’s worth of lies she told, like brushing away breadcrumbs. I’m not that good a man. The one thing I understood, though, was your mother had no one to trust with a secret she worried would threaten her child’s well-being. She sacrificed. Lived like a pauper. And she gave Gracyn the best life a single parent could. When your great-grandmother passed away, Keely had no one to rely on. Whereas everyone here at Kingsbrier… Well, when have you ever felt truly lost, Jelly Bean? When has there never been a single person at the ranch you couldn’t confide in?”

There’s been one time, but it’s my choice to keep how I feel about not creating the menus at the banquet hall locked inside because I don’t want to come off as whiny. If I confided those secrets, countless people would offer to listen. Though, I’m positive the responses I’d get include I’m young and I’m getting the practice I need at the B&B. Otherwise, I’m ashamed to admit my dad is right.

“Never,” I reply.

He shakes my knee soundly. “We had a lot of problems to work out even after you were born. But it was worth it. So, ask yourself what Isaiah’s first instinct was? It sure seems to me he ran toward you. Think about what that says about what kind of woman he thinks you are.”

Chapter Twenty-seven

ISAIAH

“I’ll confirm your performance with CMN.” My manager, Will, is on speakerphone.

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