Page 79 of Where She Belongs

Rylee nodded. “I don’t know. I don’t belong here. That’s been made perfectly clear. And I don’t feel like I fit in with everyone in New York.”

“Rylee.” Roxy sighed. “You don’t mean that.”

“Which part?” Rylee shut off the water and reached for a hand towel. “Because I can assure you I mean every word. It’s been great living here. I think I’ve found my calling. I’ve always been meant to care for animals and work with my hands.”

“Then stay.” Roxy’s words came out in a huff and Rylee’s brows lifted with surprise. “What?”

“You heard me, dear. If you feel this place is more like home, then stick around.”

Rylee shook her head. “I can’t. There’s nothing here for me.”

The look her aunt gave her made her feel about two inches tall. “If you’re suggesting that you don’t belong here because of what you went through with that boy⁠—”

“To be fair, Tate isn’t a boy. Even if he acted like one,” she muttered that last bit under her breath. “But yes, that’s what I’m saying. I don’t want to be here. In this town. When he’s living next door and I’m forced to remember what it’s like to have…” She swallowed down the lump in her throat, hating how her voice trembled. “What it’s like to have his heart.”

In an instant, Roxy was at her side. “And who says you don’t?”

Rylee laughed bitterly. “You saw what happened. He didn’t even try to explain himself. He just let Alexander walk all over him before he left. He’s hiding something. Even if there’s more to the story of that picture, he refused to talk about it. I asked him to, practically begged for it. But all he did was… leave.”

Roxy placed a hand on her forearm and squeezed gently. “What I saw was a man who was scared. Of what, I don’t know. Like you said, there is probably more to that story⁠—”

“It doesn’t change the fact that he chose not to clear the air. First the argument. Then the avoidance. Now this? I can’t deal with the unknown.”

Her aunt laughed quietly, but it almost sounded sad. “No, you’ve never been very good at dealing with the unknown. You always wanted answers. You always demanded to know what was coming next. It was almost as if you were scared of being surprised again after your father passed.”

Those words hit her harder than she wanted to admit. It was true. Her life being upended as a child had made it difficult to go with the flow. She’d never really liked surprises.

Until Tate started showing up with critters that needed someone to look after them. Those surprises she’d taken in stride.

“Perhaps you need to stick around a little longer,” Roxy said. “The summer isn’t over for a few more weeks. Take the rest of that time to figure things out.”

“I don’t need the rest of the summer,” Rylee insisted. “I just need to do some looking around. Maybe I can find a piece of land somewhere else that can accommodate my animals. Somewhere I can do a little farming. With my inheritance, I won’t need a job to make ends meet. I just…”

“Don’t make any rash decisions, dear. That’s when mistakes are made and regrets run free.”

Rylee set her jaw at her aunt’s request.

Her aunt sighed, her eyes pleading. “You ran from New York to find yourself. Don’t run from here, too. Running never gets anyone anywhere good. You need to figure out what you want while staying in the thick of discomfort. If you stay and find this isn’t your home anymore, then absolutely start looking for something else. But don’t leave just because you think you won’t be able to handle seeing that man again.”

She was making a lot of sense.

Dang it all, Rylee hated just how logical it all seemed.

“Fine. I’ll stay. But that doesn’t mean I’m staying for good.”

“I know.” Roxy patted her arm. “Like I said. Just until the end of the summer. Then I’ll help you find a new place myself if that’s what it takes.”

“And I’m going to start packing stuff up.”

Her aunt’s exasperated stare would have been humorous if she hadn’t also looked so disappointed and maybe a little angry. Rylee ducked away from her and the feelings her judgment stirred up. Technically, Roxy could do a lot to prevent Rylee from leaving. She was the one still responsible for the inheritance. At least for now.

She sat down at the table and filled a plate with food. Then she picked up a fork and knife. But before she could take a bite, a letter dropped in front of her.

She left it where it lay.

Then she pulled on her boots and went out to the barn, and took her phone with her.

Louie fainted at the sound of the gate and got up again. Dewey came over to have his ears scratched. Huey had his head through the fence after grass he had a whole field of, on the theory that the grass on the road side had a flavor the rest of it didn’t.