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It seemed that Janice could sense it, too. As Rusty observed her, he could sense that she was not as at ease as she usually was. It was as if some invisible thread had pulled her taut, making her movements stiff and unsteady.
"Ouch!" Janice yelped suddenly, stumbling backward as Snickers nickered nervously, retreating a few steps away from her. The mare's ears flicked back as she eyed Janice warily.
"Are you okay, darlin'?" Rusty asked.
"I'm so stupid," Janice muttered under her breath, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Snickers stepped on my toes. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have put my foot so close to her hooves."
Rusty opened his mouth to correct her. He knew that he should spank her for saying something negative about herself, to make the situation into something sexy and positive, but the sadness that weighed on him held him back.
"Don't be so hard on yourself," he finally managed to say. "We all make mistakes."
Her green eyes met his, searching for a reassurance that he couldn't quite give. "I know," she whispered, "but it's just . . . it feels like something's off, and I can't put my finger on it."
Rusty swallowed hard. He wanted to reach out to her, to tell her the reason for his sudden awkwardness, but he knew that doing so would only hurt her more. She could never know therole her father had played in their break-up. It would destroy her. Instead, Rusty tried to focus on the present, forcing a smile as he stepped closer to Snickers.
"Here, let me help you," he said, gently placing a hand on the mare's flank, feeling the warmth of her body beneath his palm. Together, they stroked and reassured Snickers in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, the air between them thick with unspoken tension.
"Rusty," Janice said softly, breaking the silence, "promise me that you'll always be honest with me."
He hesitated, his heart clenching at her words. "I promise, Janice," he finally responded, trying to hide the tremor in his voice.
“Tell me truthfully—is something wrong?”
"Just got a lot on my mind, that's all."
Janice studied him for a moment, before nodding slowly. "Well, speaking of having things on our minds, I think it's time we told Chuck about us." Her eyes met Rusty's, determination shining in them. "It's getting harder and harder to keep this a secret, and I don't want to hide our relationship anymore. Don’t you agree, Daddy?"
Rusty felt a pang of guilt at her words. He knew she was right, but the fear gripped him, the fear that their past would come back to haunt them. "Soon," he said quietly, looking away from her piercing gaze. "But not tonight. We should wait a while longer."
"Wait? Why?" Janice's brow furrowed, and her arms crossed over her chest defensively. "What are you so afraid of, Rusty? Are you ashamed of me, of us?"
"Of course not, Janice," Rusty replied, pain lacing his words. "It's just . . . are you a hundred percent sure you don’t want to go back home? To your father?"
Janice’s eyes widened. “Back to my father? Why would you ask that? Do you want me to go, Rusty?”
“No!” said Rusty. “Definitely not. Not at all. I just, you know, I wondered if you were interested in trying to salvage any kind of relationship with him. Plus there's your title and inheritance to—”
Janice shook her head vehemently. “He can't take that away from me. And I don't want to go back now. I risked a lot to get here, remember? I needed to escape from him, Rusty. I can’t be near my father. Not now, not ever. Not when he won’t accept me for who I really am.”
“You understand what you’re sacrificing, though, Janice?”
Anger flared in Janice’s eyes. “You want me to go back to my father so that I can inherit all his land? You think that matters to me?”
Rusty swallowed. “No. Of course not. Although itisyours, by right. And it would be very unfair if he took it all away from you. Are you sure you wouldn’t ever regret that?”
The anger in Janice’s eyes was replaced by sadness now. “I thought you understood me, Rusty.”
Rusty looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "I do, Janice. I'm sorry. The situation is just complicated, that’s all."
"Complicated," she repeated, bitterness seeping into her tone. "Seems like everything is always 'complicated' with you."
"Look, I promise, we'll talk to Chuck soon. I just need some time, alright?"
"Fine," she huffed, her frustration evident. "But don't wait too long, Rusty. Secrets have a way of coming out, whether we want them to or not."
Rusty nodded, knowing she was right. He couldn't keep the truth hidden forever. Not from Chuck. And not from Janice.
CHAPTER TWELVE
