Page 45 of The Runaway Bride of Blossom Branch

Harry chuckled. “Well, that’s different. Sure, Cate. I don’t see why it couldn’t work.”

“I was hoping to get your architectural input about the building. But if you’re leaving in the morning...”

Could she get him to change his mind?

Harry was already shaking his head. “Sorry I can’t be more help. If you get a thorough inspection, you should be fine.”

“And adding a wall or two to make an apartment?”

“Not a problem. It’s the knocking out walls where people get in trouble. How soon do you have to make up your mind?”

She gulped inwardly. “I put down earnest money this morning. And promised them an official offer in seventy-two hours.”

“I see.”

Was that disapproval she heard in those two syllables, or was she being paranoid?

He stood and peered through the glass, not that he could see much. “You must have really been impressed.”

She followed him, sticking her nose to the glass. “The hardwood floors are original...and some of the light fixtures. It’s dusty and cluttered, but the bones are good. My art classes trained me to see potential.”

Harry turned to face her. Now a streetlight illuminated his bold features. The grim line of his mouth was what bothered her most.

He ran a hand through his hair and pinched the bridge of his nose momentarily. “What happens if you and Jason get back together?”

The question knocked the breath out of her. As if someone had literally punched her in the stomach. “It’s not going to happen. You know that.”

“Howdo I know it?” Harry asked, the words terse.

“You heard Jason. He’s not in love with me.” Although she had found a measure of peace about her situation, her fiancé’s rejection still stung.

“But what about you, Cate? Aren’t you going to try and win him back? Aren’t you going to fight?”

How did she answer that? Could she own up to experiencing a tiny, deeply buried snippet of relief? Or was that too embarrassing for words? What did it say about her if the aborted wedding she had planned for months turned out to be a nightmare instead? What if she admitted that the dreams she had clung to so stubbornly were maybe not what she really wanted after all? And how could she be transparent enough to admit that Jason had likely done the right thing?

“No,” she said, not dressing it up. “I’m not.”

“I see.”

She had no idea what Harry was thinking. Hardly a surprise there. No wonder she always felt unsettled around him. “We should get back to the house. You’ll need to pack.”

“I’ve traveled all over the world. Packing takes no time at all.”

“But aren’t you leaving early?”

“Around four thirty”

“Then let’s go.”

He didn’t argue with her.

The trip home took less than five minutes. Inside the house, awkwardness bloomed again. Though they were standing in the living room and not the kitchen, Harry’s earlier words echoed around the house, never to be forgotten.

Maybe I was jealous.

She watched as he checked doors and windows and gathered a stack of books he had been reading during their time in Blossom Branch. “I’ll be in touch,” he said, never quite looking at her.

“I hope you have a successful trip.”

---