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The tension between the two seemed to increase by the minute. Clint bloodied Miles’s nose, and Eva cried out. Miles split Clint’s lip, and she gasped. The two didn’t stop for more water, a rest, or a peace treaty. Even though Easton offered them a peace treaty signing where he would ‘mediate while they aired their grievances’.
Jared finally came into the barn and heaved a sigh. “Walker ratted you two out. Millie says you better get your feuding selves cleaned up before dinner. Come on. It’s gone on too long. You aren’t solving whatever issue you think is between ya tonight.”
The brothers backed away from each other, glaring.
“Come on, Eva.” Walker tilted his head. “Papa and I will walk you in. I’m sure Mama would love to see you.”
“We should help with dinner too,” Eva said. She didn’t want to walk away from Miles. She hurt from watching them thump each other for so long.
As she walked away, she heard Clint say, “You think Lily is just going to keep waiting around her entire life?”
Her spine straightened, and she strained to hear Miles’s answer.
As far as she could tell, he didn’t respond.
The fight was about Lily, then. Did Clint like the lady too?
Eva had no answers. Should she just ask?
Glancing back, she saw Miles standing in the ring, watching her go. His headgear was off, his hands half unwrapped. His hair was tousled and his face battered. He looked like the image of a perfect hero in her mind. She couldn’t be imagining the yearning in his eyes.
No matter how drawn she was to Miles, she felt worse for Lily with every passing moment. The lady had waited faithfully for Miles, the most incredible military hero, to come home. She had probably prayed for his safety, knowing he was loyal to her but had to serve his country because of the faithful type of man he was.
Until the famous actress got attacked and the military hero almost kissed her and looked longingly at her.
Eva had stolen Miles’s attention from Lily. She wanted no part of that.
Why, then, couldn’t she glance away from Miles’s blue gaze?
Chapter
Twelve
Miles was annoyed with Clint, with himself, with Lily even. It was true he’d let her wait too long, not manning up and ending the relationship, but she was the one who turned the question around and asked him if he wanted to date other people. She always seemed relieved when he’d replied no. Her crying when he’d tried to break up six months ago still baffled him. It was so unlike her it had thrown him for a loop.
The sparring match with him and Clint had him sore and had solved nothing, but it felt great to get that much steam out. Especially with how pent-up he was, wanting to be with Eva and owing it to Lily to talk to her first.
He made it through dinner with Clint getting surlier by the moment, Easton and Walker teasing Eva, Mama and Papa laughing at their boys but giving Clint and Miles worried looks. Mama rarely stopped them from fighting anymore, but that didn’t mean she liked it.
After dinner, they all pitched in to clean up while Papa took Mama on a walk. The tension in his chest and between him and Clint was growing. Clint flirted with Eva like Walker and Easton, but he acted like Lily was his responsibility or long-lost love. That made little sense as he’d dated Sheryl for a year and had been engaged and almost married the two-faced Sheryl six months ago.
Miles couldn’t even figure out his own life, so he didn’t try to riddle out Clint’s. He had to deal with the boulder sitting on his chest or he would implode. Eva asked Walker and Easton if she could help with their nighttime chores, and they both readily agreed. She ran upstairs to change out of her dress. Miles made sure he was waiting outside her bedroom door as she came out, looking fabulous in jeans and a T-shirt.
“Oh.” She stopped and peered up at him. “Is the nose all right?”
He tested it and winced. “Not broken.”
“Good.” She moved to walk around him. “I’m going with Walker and Easton. They’ll make sure I’m safe.”
“I know.” He put a hand on her arm. She stopped. “Eva … I don’t know how to explain to you without sounding like a world-class idiot. I need to take care of some things and then I’m hoping we could talk …” He scrubbed at his beard. He did sound like a world-class idiot.
“Don’t worry about me,” Eva said, all bright and fake. “Walker and Easton will take good care of me.”
He could bet his brothers would. He didn’t want to leave her alone with any of them, but he had to talk everything out with Lily, make a clean break once and for all. If heaven had any favors for him, Eva would listen to him and give him a chance.
“That’s true,” he managed. “Can we talk … after?”
“No.” She shook her head. “There’s no need for us to talk. From what I understand, you have someone loyal to you. You should focus on her.”
