Page 15 of Heart of Stone
“Then he can’t expect you to be ready to move in with him. It’s that simple. As much as I believe Stephen is different than Travis, better for you in so many ways, you still have to becomfortable with where things are headed. And if it scares you to move in without that commitment from him beforehand, he should understand that. I think he will, but you’re going to have to tell him.”
Danielle’s hands peeked out from beneath the blanket again. After taking another sip from her mug, she confessed, “I don’t want him to think I’m pressuring him into popping the question.”
“But you aren’t, and he should be able to see that.” A gust of wind blew past us, forcing me to run my fingers through my hair to get it out of my face. “Why should you feel pressured to move in simply because he asked? I say that if he truly loves you, he’ll be prepared to lay the world at your feet. Tell him what you need, Danielle. And how he responds will indicate to you whether he’s the right guy.”
A small smile appeared on her face. “You know, you’re the best friend a girl could ever ask for, too.”
I grinned back.
The two of us spent the next little while braving the cold in silence. I used the time to consider the ways in which I could drown Reid in my cheerfulness. At the same time, I considered Danielle’s suggestion to get Barrett on my side.
Sandstone Heart meant the world to me.
I couldn’t let go of this place.
So, I was prepared to do whatever it was going to take to hold on to it.
And Reid Erickson was just going to have to find a way to live with it. At least for the next six months.
SIX
Reid
“I never thought you were the kind of guy who’d only stay one night or come to town, only to never reach out.”
Just shy of ten minutes away from my parents’ place, my phone rang. The call was from my best friend, Cole, and he didn’t hold back any of his thoughts.
“Sorry, man. It was a quick trip. I got there Saturday morning, and we’re now at Sunday evening. I’m already back in Cardinal, nearly at my parents’ house.”
“Speaking of which, how’s your mom doing?” he asked.
I hated having to admit the truth. I should’ve had more to share than I did. “I’m heading there now to check in on her. It’s been a few days since I was by to visit. She’s obviously better than she was, and she likes being at home over being at the hospital, of course. But she’s still rather fragile, the way I see it.”
“I can imagine. Sending all my best for a speedy recovery. I wish we could’ve met up for a bit while you were here.”
There was no question I felt the same. Unfortunately, what Cole didn’t understand was that it simply wasn’t an optionright now. “I know. Same here. But it was a short stay. I had just enough time to deal with a mountain of paperwork for the business before heading back to my place to take care of some things there. Plus, I had to pack up more clothes and a few extra things to bring back here with me. I only got a few hours of sleep last night as it was.”
“You made no time for any fun, then?”
Fun seemed like a foreign concept these days. I’d been feeling miserable for more than a week now, and I was convinced that wasn’t going to change any time soon. “Sadly, I’ve got just shy of another six months of no fun.”
“What exactly is going on there? Are you essentially just running the place while your dad helps your mom with her recovery?”
“Yes and no.” The thought of what these next several months would be like was enough to make feel as though I had added several hundred pounds of weight to my shoulders. “My dad is taking a step back entirely. He knows I want nothing to do with this place as it is, but he’s requiring me to step in and fill his shoes for six months. Afterward, he’ll let me have the property to do whatever I wish with it.”
An extended silence came through the line.
“Something tells me you’ve already got dozens of plans for what you intend to do there, and none of them are what your dad hopes you’ll do,” Cole said.
I laughed for what had to be the first time in more than a week. “I have a couple of thoughts. I just need to get through these next few months without pulling out my hair if I’m going to make any of them happen.”
Cole chuckled. “Are there at least some pretty girls there to bury your frustrations in?”
In an instant, a vision of Natalia flashed in my mind. “That’d be far more of a hassle than it’s worth at the moment. I’mnot planning to stay here anyway, so a relationship would be a foolish idea.”
“Who said anything about a relationship?”
Well, if that didn’t just give away where my mind had drifted at the mention of pretty girls…
