“You know, Justin’s being more unbearable than usual at the moment,” Justin’ sister, Leah, said.Allena didn’t disagree.It was after ten the following morning, and she was in the kitchen with Leah and Mittie, chatting about the older woman’s upcoming Asian tour. Leah was several years younger than her brother and a talented artist as well. She was also much more naturally outgoing than he was—easier to warm up to, which was why Allena had befriended her so quickly when they met.Allena shrugged and took the coffee cup. Mittie passed her and replied to Leah. “I guess he’s got things on his mind.”“He’s got you on his mind,” Mittie announced, grinning broadly.Allena almost spluttered her coffee across the table. “What?”“Granny,” Leah said and sighed. “Stop making things worse.”Allena looked at Leah and smiled. “Your grandmother is only—”“Stirring,” Leah said, raising both her brows. “We all know what Justin is like.”“Don’t we just?" Mittie said and chuckled. “I love my grandson, b
Allena stalked past him and left the room, her chest so tight that her ribs ached. She raced down the hall and headed for her rooms, slammed the door, and flopped onto the couch, every part of her body hurting.She was on the verge of letting the tears flow when there was a sharp rap on her door. She got to her feet, rubbed her hand over her face, and walked across the room, only to find Justin standing on the other side of the door.Allena sucked in a breath and stared at him.“What do you want?” If she sounded rude, she didn’t care. But she wasn’t in the mood for an argument or a rehash of the very obvious tension burning between them.“To talk.” He said, and then sighed. “To apologize.”Allena turned on her heel and walked further into the room. She stood by the couch and faced him, hands on her hips.“So, talk.”“I’m sorry, okay?” he said quietly and moved across the room, standing a few feet from her. “I shouldn’t have made that remark about your personal life. And I shouldn’t ha
“Has Justin found your replacement yet?”Allena smiled at her sister as she stretched out on the yoga mat. Tess has started attending the classes with her and she was delighted for the company. Hanging out with her sister was one of her favourite things to do. And Thursday night yoga class was their opportunity to talk and catch up. Justin usually finished work early onThursdays and spent extra time with the children, which gave her a free evening. “No,” she replied and stretched out her calves. “He has another two interviews scheduled for tomorrow. Both applicants with the right references.” She’d told her sister about the two unsuitable candidates they’d interviewed the day before. She hadn’t told her about the argument or the kiss. Mostly because she couldn’t believe it actually happened. Her lips still tingled at the memory. Her heart ached knowing he’d said it was a mistake. Which of course it was, and obviously it didn’t mean anything. But Tess was a romantic and would read way
After two interviews the following morning, Justin decided to offer the position to the grandmother looking for a part-time job. He wanted someone trustworthy and reliable and since he knew his chances of finding someone as perfect as Allena were impossible, those qualities would need to be enough.Someone as perfect as Allena…Funny, but he’d only just come to realize how true that was. She’d accused him of treating her as though she was invisible. He’d denied it at the time, but since then he’d had days to think about, and now he realized she might be right.He’d taken her for granted and now he was paying the price. She was on the verge of leaving and would soon have a different life. With someone else. With the fireman. She’d fall in love with him. Marry him. Have children with him.And he couldn’t bear thinking about it.“She was nice,” Allena said when he returned to the office after the last interview. “You were right.”“Sometimes that has been known to happen,” he said and grin
The last thing Allena wanted to do was think about Justin getting married. Second, she corrected. The very last thing she wanted to do was spend an hour or so at the pizza parlour and pretend that she wasn’t dying inside.Of course, the kids quickly pulled her out of her funk, and once they were seated and had ordered, she listened as Jayden spoke about the latest book on dragons that he was reading. Jayden usually didn’t say much—he was like his father in that way, but she’d sensed his need for quiet conversation and reassurance for days. And Cassie clung to her, holding her hand, demanding hugs and kisses before bedtime.Determined to make the transition as easy as possible for the children, Allena realised she needed to spend lots of time with both of them over the ensuing weeks, so they both understood why she was leaving in a way that made them feel safe and loved.As she watched the kids munching on breadsticks, Allena’s logic blurred. She’d always known how hard leaving them wo
“What?”“Marry me!” Justin groaned. Not sure if he said it loudly.“What did you say?” Allena stepped back and pulled her hand free, staring at him, thinking she had just misheard... or that he had suddenly lost his mind.“Marry me,” he said again.It was official. He was insane.Jesus! What the hell is he doing? She thought to herself.“That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever—”“It’s not crazy,” he said quickly, cutting off her protest. “Think about it. It makes perfect sense. The kids—”“It’s not about the kids,” she said, mortified by the mixture of feelings surging through her blood, like disbelief and shock and something else—something she wasn’t prepared to admit.“They love you,” he said flatly. “And they need you.”“They love me,” she shot back. “Exactly. But you don’t,” she said and couldn’t bear how much saying the words hurt her. “And I don’t—”“I know that we don’t care about one another in that way, Allena,” he said and sighed heavily. “But sometimes, marriages start out for
On Wednesday afternoon, Justin got home to find Mitchael’s horse trailer by the tables, and Allena bringing Star through the corral gate. “I didn’t expect you today,” Justin said as his cousin approached and shook his hand.“I’m boarding Allena’s horse for a while,” Mitchael explained. “I thought you knew.”“I forgot,” he replied, his stomach sinking.As he spoke, Allena noticed him and immediately averted her gaze, loading her horse up the ramp. Once she was done, Mitchael closed the tailgate and bolted it securely in place.“Thank you,” she said to his cousin, ignoring Justin.“No problem,” Mitchael replied. “I’ll take good care of him. I’ll get him settled in andcall you later to know how he’s doing.”She thanked him again, glancing briefly towards Justin. “I’m going to see the kids,” she said. “They want to watch the kittens play.”She walked off towards the stables, her hips swinging and her head at a tight angle. “Things a little frosty around here, I take it?” Mitch said and g
Justin met her gaze and saw the awareness in her expression. There was no denying it, no hiding it, and no way, he suspected, of trying to diffuse it. He couldn’t help but wonder how long it had been there between them—if it had been there all along and was just waiting to be fanned into life. “I should go.”She nodded, stepping back. “Did you want to see me about something? I know I’m officially still on duty, but Cassie wanted to help Leah and Mittie with the baking, and Jayden was with you, so I—”“I don’t watch your clock-in and clock-out times, Allena,” Justin said, dumping the shoeboxes on the bed. “I thought you might want to spend some time with the kids tonight, that’s all. Maybe watch a movie.”“I should keep packing," she said, her words trailing off.Justin saw the boxes scattered around the room. It added another layer of finality to the situation. The mood between them was tense and uncomfortable, and his foolish proposal was an elephant in the room. And they both knew i