And yet…if Violet couldn’t be herself with Hayden, maybe they shouldn’t get married. Maybe Violet had made the right choice.
Even if it breaks Hayden’s heart.
Eve was torn. Emotions in a jumble.
The Fisher women looked at each other, as if waiting for one of them to say, “What now?”
A horn honked outside.
Eve startled, nearly knocking Mom over.
And Violet?
She beamed, looking every bit the blissful bride about to embark on her honeymoon. “That’s Charlie. I have to go.” Violet darted into the bedroom she shared with Eve, returning with her suitcase. “We’re leaving town today, making a new life in Marietta.”
“You can’t leave yet.” Eve rushed forward, grabbing hold of Violet’s arm. “You have to tell Hayden.”
“I can’t.” Tears welled in Violet’s eyes, watering down her smile. “I know how this looks. I know it’s cowardly. But I…I can’t face him.”
And then she was gone.
Chapter One
Ten years later…
Lawyers, accountants, taxmen.
My head hurts.
After speaking to all three today, Hayden Bennett needed a drink. Considering it was mid-afternoon on a Tuesday; he’d settle for a strong coffee.
Hayden stood in line at the Coffee Corner in Bentwood Creek, wondering at the turn his life had taken. A month ago, he’d been working for a rodeo stock distributor in Oklahoma and saving for a ranch of his own. And then came the news: Grandpa was dead.
At his grandmother’s request, Hayden returned home to Bentwood Creek after a decade’s long absence. There’d been a lot to do—a funeral to plan, four brothers to contact, Gran to comfort, a large ranch to manage.
So much for telling Grandpa I’d never come back.
And it looked like Hayden had to stay in Bentwood Creek several months more since his grandfather had made him executor of the will and Gran had suffered a stroke which had poked holes in her memory and the ability to care for herself, holes Doc hoped would fill over time.
But that doesn’t mean I plan to stay.
There were too many memories at the Bennett Ranch he preferred to forget.
Hayden looked around the small coffee shop, taking in the bright yellow picnic tables, bright green benches, and the colorful mural on the wall of a cowboy roping a steer. The Coffee Corner was rustic and welcoming, one of the few businesses in Bentwood Creek that was new. Most everywhere else Hayden went; the town was trapped in time.
The way I would have been had I forgiven Grandpa and Violet ten years ago.
Old memories crept up his throat with bitter claws.
An attractive blonde wearing a tan dress entered the coffee shop and scanned the room. Her blue-eyed gaze landed on him with a start. “Hayden Bennett?” She charged forward; arms open wider than her wide smile. “Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes.”
The woman launched herself into his arms, smelling of flowers and long-forgotten memories.
Those memories clicked in Hayden’s head. A name. “Evie?” A person. “Evie Fisher?” A past. “Violet’s kid sister?”
“You sound surprised.” Evie eased out of that hug and took a playful swipe at his shoulder. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me?”
He’d tried, although admittedly, he’d tried harder to forget his former fiancée, Violet.