Page 126 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
JJ smiled, ignoring the twinge of unease. If talk of the wedding made Nash over the moon, it served as a reminder to JJ just how badly his trip to New York had ended.
Maybe he’d been overly optimistic to think a weekend together on her turf would solve everything. But all he knew was he still had no plus-one for the wedding. And the woman he wanted to be “the one” had rejected him.
He’d like to think he could accept the rejection if he thought it would make her happy.
No, he knew he could. If being in New York and at that job made her happy, then he wouldn’t just accept her rejection. He’d move there and live right alongside her.
It wasn’t like she could keep him from moving to that city.
But the thing was she wasn’t happy. Only two nights before, they’d been talking, and with every mention of her job, he could hear it. It sounded like the life was being drained right out of her.
A lifetime of giving and serving and never being acknowledged or thanked…
Well, maybe it made sense, then, that she’d gravitated to a job where that was the norm.
What would it take for her to realize she was worth more? Not just at work but in life? That it was time to stop worrying about everyone else and let herself be taken care of?
It was time to let herself be loved.
“Did you need something?” Nash asked.
JJ shook his head, bringing him back to the moment with a start. There he’d gone, brooding again like he was some angsty teenager.
“Nope, just, uh…” Aw heck, why had he come in here? He was losin’ his dang mind over this woman. “Just seeing if there was anything you needed help with. I’m guessing you’ve got a full plate with the celebrations coming up.”
And I am desperate for distraction.
Nash sighed wearily. “You’d guess right. That’s why I’m trying to get this stuff done. I want to leave for my honeymoon and not give this another thought.”
JJ crossed his arms. “You know the place is in safe hands while you’re gone, right?”
Nash glanced up. “Of course I do.”
“Good. We’ll take real good care of her for you and Emma and all those other O’Sullivan sisters. Don’t you worry.”
“I know. Thanks.” Nash paused with a sympathetic smile. “How you holdin’ up?”
JJ didn’t know how to respond, so he just tipped his hat with a forced smile. “Better get back to it.”
Nash nodded and let him go.
That was one of the things he liked about his friends here on the ranch. The townsfolk might live for gossip, and they might love to pester a man with questions. But here on the ranch, Nash and Cody and the others, they respected his privacy.
They seemed to understand that he didn’t want to talk about what had happened in New York. Even Rose, Emma, and Lizzy hadn’t pried, though they’d each made it clear that they were there for him if he wanted to talk.
He knew they’d be there for Dahlia too if she needed them. But did she know that?
Did she have any idea how much her sisters would love to be there for her like she’d been there for Rose and Daisy all those years?
His heart felt too heavy in his chest as he walked toward the bunkhouse.
Not that he was one to talk, he supposed. He wasn’t exactly the chatty sort when it came to matters of the heart. It wasn’t like he’d been going to Nash or Kit or any of the O’Sullivans for advice on how to win over his stubborn woman.
But then again, they wouldn’t know. He didn’t think any of them knew her as well as he did. Not even Rose.
And it was precisely because he knew her—because he loved her—that he had to let her face this on her own. He’d said his piece. He’d shown her his heart, and he’d offered to compromise.
There was nothing left for him to do except love her as best he could and hope that one day she’d realize that love can be a place of safety. Love can last. Love can be trusted.
