“I can’t sit. I’m too angry.”
“It’s barely seven o’clock in the morning. What could possibly have set you off this early in the day?”
“I just came from having a little chat with Dad. Apparently he saw me leaving your room last night and jumped to all the worst conclusions.”
“Meaning?”
He frowned at her. “He assumes you and I are having an affair.”
“Luke, if it weren’t for certain circumstances, we would be,” she said pointedly.
“He assumes it has been going on for some time.” When she showed no evident reaction to that, he added, “He wonders if perhaps Angela is mine.”
Jessie’s eyes widened. Her mouth gaped with indignation. Patches of color flared in her cheeks. She flew out of the rocker and headed for the door.
Luke stared after her. “Where the devil are you going?”
“To have a few words with your father. I will not allow him to insult Erik’s memory, to insult all of us with such a disgusting allegation.”
Luke caught her elbow and hauled her back into the room. “It won’t help. He’s in a rage. He won’t listen.”
“Oh, he’ll hear me,” she insisted in a low tone. “Let me go, Luke.”
“Not until you calm down.” After a moment, she stopped struggling. Her utter stillness was almost worse. “I’m sorry, Jessie. I knew this was the way he would take it. God knows what Mother will have to say when she finds out. She’ll probably insist on going into seclusion from the shame of it all. I think the thing to do is get away until they’ve had a chance to settle down and digest the news. Maybe then we can have a conversation that won’t deteriorate into a lot of ugly name calling.”
Jessie’s chin tilted stubbornly. “I won’t leave. Not like this.”
“There’s no choice. You have no idea what it’s going to be like around here in a few hours. I won’t let you go through that.”
“I’m not leaving,” Jessie repeated adamantly. “I thought Angela would bring this family back together. It seemed to me just yesterday that you and your father were putting past differences behind you. I can’t allow our feelings to ruin your chances for a reconciliation.”
Luke stared at her incredulously. “Jessie, what the hell is going on here? You fought like crazy to get me to acknowledge my feelings for you. Finally, just last night, we agreed to stop fighting how we feel and try to build a future. Now you’re willing to put that at risk so my father and I can get along? I don’t get it. Where are your priorities?”
“Where they’ve always been,” she said quietly. “With family. Nothing’s more important, Luke. Nothing.”
He took a step back and studied her as if she were an alien creature. He didn’t understand how he had gotten it so wrong. She was still the woman he loved, all right. Her hair was tousled and just begging for him to run his fingers through it. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes glinting with determination. She was the most incredible mix of soft curves and fierce convictions he’d ever met.
Right now, though, it seemed to him their dilemma came down to a choice between family and him. If he understood her correctly, she was choosing his family.
Raking his fingers through his hair in a gesture of pure frustration, he shook his head. “So that’s it, then? After all this, you’re choosing them over me.”
He had to admit that Jessie looked shocked by his assessment.
“That isn’t what I’m saying at all,” she protested. “I’m saying we need to stay here and work it out.”
“Not me,” Luke said stubbornly. “You can make peace with the devil, if that’s what you want, but I’ll be damned if I’ll hang around with people who think so little of you and of me. Frankly, I’d think you’d have more pride, too.”
With one last look in her direction, he turned and stalked from the room. Just as he had with his father earlier, he ignored her plea for him to return. As far as he could tell, there was nothing more to be said.
Only after he had his bag packed and was outside did he allow himself to stop for an instant and think about what was happening. When he did, this great empty space seemed to open up inside him.
They had been so close. He had actually begun to believe that dreams could come true. In the end, though, Jessie’s love hadn’t been as strong as he’d thought.
He threw his bag onto the passenger seat of one of his father’s pickups and dug the keys out from under the mat. He’d hire someone to drive it back from his ranch tomorrow. He sure as hell wasn’t about to ask Harlan to have the pilot fly him home.
Besides, the long, tedious drive would do him good. He’d have time enough to figure out how he was going to survive not having Jessie and Angela in his life.
He was just about to turn onto the driveway, when a bright red pickup skidded to a halt behind him, blocking his way. Cody leapt from the truck before the engine quieted.
“Luke, what the hell are you doing?” his youngest brother demanded.
“What does it look like? I’m stealing one of Daddy’s trucks and going home.”
“Without Jessie?” Cody inquired softly.
Luke stilled and stared at his brother. “What do you know about Jessie and me?”
Cody rolled his eyes. “Hell, Luke, anyone who isn’t blind could see how the two of you feel about each other. Don’t abandon her now.”
“You’ve got it backward. She made the decision to stay.”
“You’re the one in the truck, about to head down the driveway,” Cody contradicted. “That constitutes abandonment in my book. I thought you had more guts.”
A dull throbbing was beginning at the base of Luke’s skull. “Whatever you have to say, Cody, spit it out. I want to get on the road.”
His brother shot him
