“It’s going to have to wait, Arielle. I need to find Heather.”
“You and Luke have made me listen to both of you all of my life, now you’re going to hear what I have to say.” He’d never known his sister to be this upset with him.
“Could you make it quick?” he asked impatiently. “I’ve got to get to Heather and find out why she left.”
Arielle looked thoughtful a moment. “She’s extremely important to you, isn’t she, Jake?”
“Yes.”
“You love her, don’t you?” Arielle pressed.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he said stubbornly. He knew he had deep feelings for Heather, but he wasn’t comfortable with the word love.
“Oh, Jake.” Arielle’s voice softened as she reached out to put her arms around him. “You’re frightened, aren’t you?”
“That’s ridiculous, Arielle.” He hugged her back. “I can’t think of one single thing I need to be scared of.”
Leaning back, she smiled sadly. “How about losing Heather? Aren’t you afraid of that?”
His chest tightened painfully at the thought of never holding her, loving her, again. “You don’t understand, I…”
When his voice trailed off, his sister nodded. “That’s exactly what’s going to happen if you don’t take the chance, Jake. I don’t know what’s holding you back, but whatever it is, you’ve got to let it go.”
As he stared at his younger sister, he knew that she was right. He’d avoided making a commitment for fear of turning out to be as irresponsible as his father. But he was nothing like Owen Larsen and never would be.
No other woman incited the degree of passion in him or made him want her the way Heather did. And he’d never met any other woman who made him want to be a better person. Not until Heather.
Taking a deep breath, he rose to his feet and kissed Arielle’s cheek. “For a kid, you’re pretty damned smart.”
“What’s going on?” Zach asked when he walked up to the table.
“I have to go find Heather and do some serious explaining,” Jake answered, turning to leave.
“Stop by a sporting goods store first and get a set of knee pads,” Zach called after him. “If Heather is anything like Arielle, you’re going to need them when you’re on your knees begging her to give you another chance.”
After checking with Clara to see if she could watch Mandy for the rest of the evening, Heather barely managed to make it to her room upstairs and close the door before the tears she’d been holding in check spilled down her cheeks. How could she have let herself think there was a chance that Jake was different now than he’d been over a year ago? How could she have been so stupid?
Collapsing on the bed, she hugged one of the pillows. She should have known better than to think that he had changed. Jake was Jake. He couldn’t be someone he wasn’t, couldn’t be the man she wanted him to be. Seeing him with his friends tonight and hearing his plans to buy a house in Malibu had been all the proof she needed to see that she and their daughter weren’t enough for him.
She wasn’t certain how long she lay there sobbing against the pillow, but when she finally managed to stop crying, she gathered the scraps of her broken heart and got up. There were things she needed to do before she faced Jake tomorrow morning.
Going into the bathroom, she washed her face, then took off the evening gown she’d changed into for dinner and put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She needed to pack her and her daughter’s things and take them down to her old car, then draft her resignation.
As she opened the dresser drawers and started pulling out clothes, the sound of a car coming to a screeching halt in front of the mansion caused her to jump. Almost immediately she heard the front door bang back against the woodwork.
Hurrying to the top of the stairs to see what was going on, she stopped short at the sight of Jake, standing in the open doorway staring up at her.
“Heather, honey, we have to talk.”
Chapter Nine
“I don’t have to do anything, ” Heather stated flatly.
She watched him release a frustrated breath. “Would you please come down here? I need to tell you something.”
“Where are your friends?” she asked as she slowly descended the steps.
“Damned if I know and damned if I care.” He closed the front door, then walked over to stand at the bottom of the staircase.
“I would have thought you’d be out celebrating with them,” she said, drawing on every bit of strength and pride she could muster.
“That’s one of the things we need to discuss.” When she descended the last step, he started to take her by the hand, but she sidestepped him. He stared at her for a moment before he motioned toward the study. “Please follow me.”
“I don’t really want to discuss anything right now, Jake.” Did he think hearing that he was leaving her and Mandy would make everything all right?
She walked over to the fireplace and traced her finger along the frame of a snapshot that he’d had Clara or Daily take of himself holding their daughter. Just like the photograph, she was never going to be a part of the picture. The thought caused an ache so deep inside, she had to look away to keep from crying out.
When Jake put his hands on her shoulders to turn her to face him, she backed away from his touch. “Please don’t.”
“Heather, honey, you have to listen to me.”
“You don’t have to make excuses or explain,” she said, surprised that her voice remained steady. “You’re an adult. You can do as you please.”
“But I’m going to tell you anyway,” he interrupted. “Now, will you stop arguing with me and start listening?”
Sighing heavily, she walked over to sit in one of the chairs. “Let’s get this over with. I have things to do.”
He stared at her for several long seconds. “What do you have to do at this time of night?”
“I need to pack.”
He folded his arms across his broad chest. “Are you going somewhere?”
“I suppose now is as good a time as any to tell you that I quit effective immediately.” She had to pause before she could finish. “You’ll have to find someone else to manage Hickory Hills and oversee your horses.”
A dark scowl wrinkled his forehead. “You can’t do that.”
“Watch me.” A sudden anger swept through her and she started to get up.