Page 24 of The Past

A punch of fury twisted my gut.“He just came right out and said it?”

She nodded, her expression dark.“Like it was already a done deal.”

“And what do you think about that?”

She sighed, pulling my coat tighter around her.“I think I’d rather throw meself into a pile of manure every day for the rest of my life than marry that man.”

I couldn’t help the bark of laughter as I shook my head.“Don’t hold back, darlin’.”

She turned to me then, her expression raw.“Ye ever feel trapped, Tommy?”

I studied her, reading between the lines.“Nope.”

She blinked, caught off guard.“Never?”

“Nope.”I took another sip because this conversation just might call for it, then passed the bottle back.“Because no one can force me to do a damn thing I don’t want to do.”

She inhaled sharply, something flickering across her face.Like the thought had never occurred to her.Like she hadn’t realized that was even an option.

“That’s easy for ye to say as a man,” she murmured.

“I don’t disagree it can be harder for women, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try.”

She sighed heavily, looking at the bottle as if she wanted to down the entire thing.“But if I marry Brian, our farms will merge and it’s what’s best for Glenhaven.”

I frowned.“Why’s that your responsibility?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again, clearly searching for an answer.Finally, she stammered, “Because I’m a Conlan.And Glenhaven is our family’s farm.It’s part of who I am.”

I could almost buy that if her father had allowed her to be a true part of the business, but it seemed he just wanted to keep her in the corner.“Hell, Fi, your dad won’t even let you ride steeplechase and that’s because he doesn’t trust you.Why are you still breaking your back to please him?”

Her lips pressed together, and something stormy crossed her face.“Ye don’t understand.Ye don’t know a thing about legacy.”

I twisted slightly and leaned closer to her.“You’re wrong about that.I know a great deal about legacy.Probably more than you.”

Her brows knit together.“What do ye mean?”

“Well, for one… our family’s farm is very old.It dates back to the mid-1800s.It survived war and the Great Depression.And every generation of Blackburns, whether they were male or female, worked until their hands bled to keep it going.I know plenty about what it means to protect a legacy that you love, and I’m next in line for it.”

“I love this farm,” she said in a small voice.“And I love my family.”

I gave her a soft smile.“I get that.But I also know that a legacy means nothing if you lose yourself in it.And most certainly not for a loyalty that wasn’t deserved.”

Her breath caught.“Not deserved?”

“Why would you sacrifice your own happiness for a parent who didn’t love you the way a parent should?”

Anger flashed in Fiona’s eyes.“Who says my da doesn’t love me?”

I took the chance of pissing her off further.“Oh, he might love you, but not the way you deserve.”Something dark flickered across her face, but I continued.“If he loved you the way you deserved, he’d never force someone on you who wouldn’t make you happy.He’d never ask you to sacrifice your happiness to make the family richer.”

That landed hard.I could see it in the way her breath hitched, the way her fingers curled tighter around my coat.

She stared at me for a long moment, then her expression shuttered before closing off into a mask of aloofness.“What’s yer family like?”she asked, putting the spotlight on me instead.

I was glad I hadn’t totally turned her off with my bold proclamations about her plight, which probably crossed more personal lines than I could count.“My family is amazing.”

She listened intently as I told her about my parents, about how patient they were with my antics, about how my dad worked me hard but always with fairness.About how they sent me here not to punish but to teach me.

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