Page 82 of Resisting the Fall
Ben sent me a disapproving look. “Already moved on from the cowboy?”
“He looked familiar,” I said, ignoring Ben’s comment.
“It’s James.”
My eyes widened and I dropped my voice. “That was James Carver?”
Ben nodded.
Years of not seeing someone could really transform a person. He was so broad and broody looking. Though now that I knew who he was, I realized that his eyes were the same and he had the same dark hair. I’m sure if I had seen him smile, I would have recognized him. He’d always had such a warm, contagious smile. “I didn’t realize he was back.”
Ben hammered in the nail I’d handed him. “From what I’ve heard, May’s struggling to keep up with the farm.”
I frowned. May had had a rough go, what with her husband dying and James leaving the next year. The poor woman didn’t deserve it. She’d always been so kind. “Well, I hope he’s able to help get it back on track. Autumn Ridge wouldn’t be the same without Carver Maple Farm.”
Ben nodded.
“It seems like a lot of people are back in town—James, Carson, Juliet, Liv, Tate.” I ticked up a finger for each of them.
“Reese Berkeley,” Ben added, “Ari Langford, and Dean Alden.”
“Wow.” I passed Ben another nail. “It’s like the great migration home.”
Ben pounded the nail into the edge of the plywood in three swift hits. “I wonder what the appeal is.” He slid his hat backward in one smooth motion before standing and offering me his hand. “Ready to move down a row?”
I paused, forcing myself to swallow despite how dry my mouth suddenly felt. Ben in a backward hat was even better than the image my mind had conjured of Ben in a cowboy hat, and the smile he sent me made it clear he was well aware of my preference. Especially now, with the way his dark brown hair was just long enough to curve upwards at the sides. Add in his two-day stubble and how his flannel shirt fit with his broad shoulders. And the tool belt. And… just him. I didn’t know about the others, but I could definitely see the appeal of Autumn Ridge.
Well, two could play at that game—as dangerous a game as it currently was—and I had the perfect dress to wear to the barn dance tonight. Ben was not going to know what to do with himself.
I took his hand. “Let’s do it.”
Maven sat in the middle seat of my truck, but her hands were in her lap and she was restlessly playing with the gold rings on her fingers. She’d been like this since she’d arrived home for spring break yesterday.
I set my hand on her knee. “Are you going to tell me what’s the matter?”
She drew in a slow breath, then shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
My heart pounded in my chest, and my mouth grew dry. It was definitely something. “You can tell me.”
“I don’t want you to be mad.”
That wasn’t very promising. But I needed to know what she wasn’t saying, and I felt like it was going to require my full attention. I noticed a small lane ahead and pulled onto it, parking my truck off to the side. The silence in the truck felt heavy, and it took me every bit of strength I possessed simply to look over at Maven. “Talk to me.”
Her guilt-ridden gaze lifted to mine. “I applied to Juilliard for my masters.”
I stared at her. “In New York City?”
“I didn’t think I’d get in.”
“But you did,” I finished for her, my voice clipped. “And you want to go?”
Her bottom lip quivered. “I don’t know. I mean, of course I want to go. I’d be crazy not to.” Her hand settled on my arm. “But I also want to be with you.”
I put my hands back on the steering wheel, letting my mind wrap around what it was she was saying. I knew Juilliard was one of the most prestigious music schools in the country and this was a huge opportunity for Maven, but we’d made plans. I’d waited almost four years for her already. “Why didn’t you tell me you applied?”
“Like I said, I didn’t think I’d get in.”
“So what?” In my frustration, I banged the palms of my hands against the steering wheel, making Maven startle. “You still tell me those kinds of things! I need to know if you’re planning a whole different path for your life than the one we’ve been discussing for years.”
