Page 78 of Where She Belongs

“Rylee was never going to stay. She didn’t even want to be here for anything more than a distraction. It was always temporary.”

Faith shook her head. “You don’t believe that.”

He threw his hands into the air and stormed toward his horse’s stall.

“Where are you going?” she demanded.

“For a ride,” he bit out. “I need to clear my head.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Rylee could hear her aunt in the kitchen. Yesterday had been a complete disaster. Why did everything have to fall apart so spectacularly in front of her friends? Not only had they witnessed Alexander being a jerk, but they’d also had a front-row seat to Tate’s betrayal.

She still couldn’t believe that Tate could have stooped so low. And why not just tell her if he’d been meeting with that woman to improve his chances at beating the developer?

Something wasn’t adding up and it was giving her a massive headache. She didn’t know what to do at this point. Going over to his place to demand answers now that she didn’t have an audience seemed too… desperate. But just the thought of walking away tore a piece of her heart out.

To make matters worse, she knew Roxy wouldn’t let this go. She’d likely gotten up bright and early so she could corner Rylee and make her talk.

But Rylee had no interest in any of that. She didn’t want to discuss what Alexander had found. She didn’t want to return to the subject of finding a marriage match in New York. She didn’t want to leave Rocky Ridge, but she also had no desire to return to the city where she’d always felt like an outcast.

Rylee groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose as she stopped in front of her bedroom door. On the other side of that wood, she’d have to face everything. Roxy would be relentless. Heck, if Rylee took too long, then Roxy would probably come barging into Rylee’s room just to force her to get some closure.

So, with a heavy sigh and an even heavier heart, Rylee reached for the doorknob. She turned the cool metal and pulled the door open. The clattering sound in the kitchen paused only briefly. Then it started up again.

“Rylee, dear, is that you?”

“Yeah, Roxy. Who else would it be?” She cringed at the comment even though she sounded more tired than irritated. “Just going out to take care of the animals.” She stopped short as she reached the edge of the hallway and found her aunt bustling around the kitchen with an apron. She’d never seen Roxy so… domestic. They’d always had staff to take care of them, and she’d nearly forgotten that Roxy hadn’t come from money.

Roxy stilled, one fist on her hip. “You better close that mouth of yours. You look like a fish.”

Rylee snapped her mouth shut. “Sorry,” she muttered. Then she took in the spread. Crêpes, fresh fruit, and eggs covered her small counter. “You made breakfast?”

“Of course I did. You’re going to need your energy.”

Frowning, Rylee moved toward the door so she could pull on her boots. “Why, is something happening today?”

Her aunt didn’t look her in the eye. “I just figured you’d be getting back to work. Don’t tell me you’re done snooping around in that attic of yours.” Then her focus flickered to Rylee and her voice softened. “You forget that I’m familiar with this lifestyle. And from the looks of it, you’ve been elbow-deep in a few projects outside, too.”

Rylee didn’t bother answering her aunt. It was true, after all. She’d been clearing some of the land, prepping it for fall. Then there were the animals and a few projects she had going in the barn. With half of it rebuilt, she’d wanted to add some shelving and storage to make it more accessible.

Or, rather, she’d wanted to do as much before she’d realized that she was nothing more than a passing fancy to a certain cowboy down the lane.

Her throat tightened and she gave a quick nod before slipping out the door to take care of her animals.

Soon, she’d have to sit at the kitchen table and discuss her next steps. She’d have to admit that she knew she couldn’t stay here anymore. Seeing Tate around town would hurt too much. And her little experiment to find herself seemed to have failed.

Feeding the livestock and cleaning out their stalls had become second nature to her. It hadn’t taken long to learn what her animals needed. This was one thing she was going to miss when she left. There was a small part of her soul that insisted she could take them with her. What if she found a small town in another state and started over? No dumb boys from her childhood. No pushy suitors who wanted a marriage match.

The thought took root far easier than it should have, if she were honest. There were plenty of farming communities on this side of the country. Would Roxy support that decision?

There was only one way to find out.

Rylee gathered the last of the eggs and placed them in a basket before heading for the house. Roxy was cleaning up the dishes from the meal she’d put together—another strange thing to witness. She glanced up with a bright smile when Rylee entered the house. “The food is still warm, though I must admit, I thought you’d be back far sooner.”

Ignoring her aunt’s statement, Rylee placed the basket of eggs on the counter and moved to the sink to wash her hands. “I think I need to move.”

Aunt Roxy froze. She’d been in the middle of putting a mixing bowl away, and her eyes slid in Rylee’s direction. “Move?”