Page 76 of The Runaway Bride of Blossom Branch

There was one room left.

She couldn’t put it off any longer. When Jason finally returned home, there should be no trace of Cate in his apartment.

He had severed their ties. It was up to her to honor his wishes.

Despite the fact that she had come to terms with knowing she and Jason were marrying for the wrong reasons, walking into the bedroom they’d once shared hurt.

On the bedside tables, she saw the porcelain giraffe lamps they had picked out together. Jason had been excited about taking her on an African safari. It had been their Christmas present to each other four years ago. The inexpensive lamps were a whimsical remembrance of an amazing trip.

The rug on the floor, the color of the walls, the bedding ensemble...all those were Cate’s choice. Jason had been happy to let her decorate. Though he had an eye for detail and a creative vision for his photography, he wasn’t interested in picking out home decor.

Cate had happily built their nest, never once imagining that her world would take a dark turn.

It didn’t make sense to take furnishings with her. Jason could donate what he didn’t want. Cate needed to start fresh, wherever she ended up.

There were only a few things to gather from the bedroom and bathroom, mostly workout clothes, toiletries and an outfit or two. Soon, she had erased the last personal traces of Cate Penland from her ex-fiancé’s life.

She paused beside the bed and picked up the framed, five-by-seven picture of herself. Technically, the photograph belonged to Jason. She had given it to him on some birthday or anniversary several years ago.

The woman smiling at the camera looked painfully young and happy. Cate felt ancient compared to her.

A sound at the door had her whirling around. “Harry,” she said, one hand at her throat. “You scared me.”

“Sorry.” His face was expressionless. He scanned the room briefly. “You almost done?”

“Yes.” She returned the picture to its original location.

Harry winced. “I’m sorry, Cate. So sorry. About this whole damn mess. If it were up to me, I would have made sure you had your happily-ever-after.”

“But you can’t. And for what it’s worth, why would I want to marry someone who doesn’t want to marry me?” The king-size bed stood between Cate and Harry. It was too big for the room. She and Jason had argued about it. Now she wondered if Harry was seeing his cousin and Cate in that bed.

For some reason, she found herself wanting to comfort him. “It’s okay, Harry.I’mokay. Really, I am. Let’s get out of here.”

It wasn’t her imagination. Harry’s gaze remained glued to the bed for several long moments. Then he seemed to shake off whatever unpleasant thoughts occupied him. “Right,” he said. “Let’s go.”

Between the two of them, they were able to carry what turned out to be only five bags ofstuff. The contents fit easily into the trunk and back seat.

When Cate was behind the wheel, she gave a sideways look at her passenger. “Any more stops?”

“Lord, no. Let’s go home.”

“I agree.” She was happy to oblige. It had been a hard day, and it was barely five o’clock.

Once they were back at Harry’s place, he got out and raised an eyebrow. “Are we taking this upstairs?”

“No. While you were in with the doctor, I texted my mom and sister. They’re expecting to see me after dinner. I told them I was going to dump these bags in my old room. You’re welcome to ride over there with me. I’m sure my dad would like to thank you again for the financial assist.”

Harry shuddered theatrically. “No thanks. It will be nice to have a quiet evening at home.”

He didn’t add the wordsby myself, but Cate wondered if that’s how he meant them. After the days in Blossom Branch and then his accident, maybe he was ready for some downtime alone. After all, this week was supposed to be a vacation for him.

They ended up ordering in for dinner. Cate chose a Caesar salad topped with grilled chicken. Harry wanted beef and broccoli stir-fry. When the food arrived, they ate at the table in the living room beside the windows.

Cate was pensive and quiet. She had a feeling her time with Harry was inevitably coming to an end. Even if she eventually slept with him, she needed to get out of this apartment and get herself established somewhere that was hers and hers alone.

She poked at her lettuce. “You don’t have to go back with me tomorrow,” she said. “Especially if you don’t mind me borrowing the little red car for a few days.”

His paused his fork in midair as he frowned. “You’re uninviting me?”

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