“Does that mean you’ll knock him senseless if he doesn’t behave?” She grinned at her brother who stood there in his dress pants and shirt he wore to work every day.
He lifted his hands to inspect them. “No, I need to take care of these. I can’t risk injuring anything, so Ben will be out of danger today. Unless he upsets you too much. Then I can’t promise anything.”
She laughed as he came over and put his arm around her shoulder to lead her up the steps. All her life, she’d always known her brothers would be ready to throw anyone down who treated her badly. Even Travis, who apparently needed to keep his hands safe for working as a physiotherapist.
When they opened the front door, Robyn gasped at how much the living room had been transformed. Somehow, Ben had managed to get it all painted and cleaned up since she’d been here last. They walked back through to the kitchen, and she had to fight the sob that choked her.
The cabinets were beautiful and as she turned slowly and took in everything, she realized Ben had given her the dream kitchen she’d tried so hard to explain to him from the ideas in her head. It was like he’d been able to see exactly what she’d envisioned.
Travis whistled and walked over to open a drawer, then pushed it shut slowly. “The guy does good work; I have to give him that.”
“Thanks, Travis. I appreciate your compliment.”
Ben’s voice startled her as he walked in behind her. He stepped past her and picked up some papers on the counter before turning to face her. He still hadn’t even looked at her, keeping his eyes focused on what was written on the page he was holding. She pushed away the feelings of loneliness that were pushing into her heart as she realized he was letting her go. Obviously, he’d accepted that what had happened couldn’t be fixed. And that’s what she’d wanted.
So why did it hurt so much?
When he finally looked up and met her eyes, she struggled to breathe. His eyes held hers briefly before he came over and handed her the clipboard with papers. “Just sign there where I’ve marked it to say that the work is completed to your satisfaction and that you’ve decided not to let us finish some of the other things we’d discussed. Then I’ll just send the final invoice out to you when I get home.”
She took the papers from him and signed where he’d marked an X. His own signature was written above it, and everything just felt so final. A couple of weeks ago, they’d found the paper with their signatures on it that had sent her life into a whirlwind of happiness and excitement. Now, she was signing the paper that would end the relationship they’d had, not just for these past weeks, but for all the years before.
When Ben left this time, there would be no coming back years from now to pick up where things had left off.
With a shaking hand, she handed it back to him. Travis’s arm went around her shoulder again, and she let herself lean into the strength her brother was offering.
“I’ve left a list of things here that still need to be done when you have the time. Mostly cosmetic stuff, so you’ll be able to get moved in any time now. You’ll have to reapply for any permits for anything else you do because I’ve pulled the ones I had. And I’d make sure to get the furnace cleaned out before next winter. I’d say it’s been a while since that’s been done, and I know how much you hate a lot of dust.”
Every word he spoke was flat, without any expression. She knew he was angry that she wouldn’t give him a chance to explain, but he didn’t have any right to make her feel bad. He was the one who’d lied to her. Well, it wasn’t really a lie. He’d just avoided telling her something that might have affected her own decisions.
And now she was standing here arguing with herself, while the man she loved was about to walk out of her life forever.
He reached out and handed her the house key, letting his fingers linger for just a second longer than necessary. She lifted her eyes to his, and he gave her a sad smile. “Take care of yourself.”
With that, he turned and walked out the back door. She stood completely still, willing herself not to race after him and beg him to stay. Just when she was sure her legs wouldn’t hold her a second longer, Travis pulled her into a hug and held her up.
She clung to her brother for strength and let her tears fall. As the truck outside started and backed out of the driveway with a crunching of gravel under the tires, she cried for everything she’d lost.
“How come this hurts so much? I’d barely even thought about Ben Tilney over the years until he showed up in town a month ago. Now it feels like my heart has been ripped from my chest.”
Travis pulled back and smiled down at her. “Again, I’m no expert on the subject, but I’d say it’s because you love him. And by the look of pain in his eyes when he walked out that door, I think it’s safe to say he feels the same way.”
“Well, if this is love, then it stinks.” She reached up and wiped at the wetness on her cheeks.
Travis nodded in agreement. “It does. Being single is much simpler.”
“I’m never going to let my heart get that involved again. I’ll just stay single. Maybe I’ll get a few cats, like Brooke. Or a dog.”
As they walked out the door and locked it behind them, her eyes moved over to where the tree in the corner stood. Maybe she should cut it down so the memories could be erased.
Because she knew every time she looked at it, her heart was going to break all over again.
And nothing was ever going to be able to fix it.
Chapter Eighteen
Ben followed the road out of town, turning down the gravel toward the ranch. He’d already told Bill he’d just meet him back at the warehouse when he got back to Lewiston. He knew going to see Grandma Gertie probably wasn’t a good idea, but he had to say goodbye to her. It was silly, but he felt like he’d let her down. She’d believed in him and he’d gone ahead and hurt her granddaughter.
By letting her down, a small part of him believed he’d let his own grandma down too.
He pulled his truck up in front of the cabin he knew they lived in on the sprawling Quinn Valley Ranch and cut the engine. He was sitting there feeling like a child about to get into trouble at the principal’s office when Gertie came out onto the front porch and waved at him. Well, either she hadn’t heard about what had happened or she was just letting him believe he was safe before getting him inside and giving him a good piece of her mind.
He stepped out of the truck and tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans as he slowly walked over to her. “Hey, Grams. I just wanted to pop in and say goodbye before I head back to Lewiston. I didn’t know if you’d welcome me or not, but it didn’t feel right not to see you before I left.”
She came down the steps and stood right in front of him. “Ben Tilney, you have always been such a good boy. You didn’t need to waste any time worrying about saying goodbye to me, but I do appreciate it. Are you leaving town now? I just took some cookies out of the oven; you can take some with you.” She turned to go back up the steps but he stopped her, placing his hand on her arm and smiling into her upturned face.
“That’s okay, Grams. I don’t want to trouble you. Save the cookies for Harley, so he can’t say you never make him any.”
She just laughed and shook her head. “That man acts like I never bake anything for him and he’s going to starve. I’ve never seen anyone eat as much as him, so I’m not worried about that happening anytime soon.” Gertie placed her hand on his, her soft skin warm against the rough calluses on his own. “Did you talk to Robyn before you left?”
Somehow, he knew Gertie wouldn’t beat around the bush, so he’d been prepared for her to ask. “I did. She had to sign some papers, and I made sure she has the keys.”
Gertie stared at him, waiting for him to say more. When it was obvious he wasn’t, she scowled up at him. “No, I asked you if you talked to her? I mean, about more than just what’s left to fix on the house or where the keys are. Surely you’re not just leaving, just like that?”
He swallowe
d hard and clenched his jaw tight as he tried to think of what else he could say. “Gertie, I tried. Robyn has already made up her mind, and the truth is, she’s right. I should have told her about being engaged before, but I guess I just hoped it wasn’t a big deal. I was so happy being with her, I didn’t want to risk anything messing that up.” He laughed bitterly and looked past Gertie toward the large house in the distance that had been the original homestead. “Guess that didn’t work out too well for me, did it?”
“Oh, Ben. We all make mistakes. Yes, you should have told her and let her know what had happened before. Finding out like that was hard for her, and I’m sure you can understand why it upset her to feel like she was just a fill-in for the woman you’d really wanted to marry. But Robyn is reasonable. She’ll come around.”
Ben just shrugged, knowing Robyn had already given up on them. But if Gertie wanted to believe there was still a chance, he wouldn’t take that from her right now.
“The thing is, I know now beyond a shadow of a doubt in my mind that Lisa wasn’t the woman I really wanted to marry. I’m so glad she showed me her true colors before I made that mistake and missed out on the chance of being with Robyn, even if it was for only a few short weeks.”
He leaned down and gave the older woman a hug, careful not to squeeze her too tight. It was times like this when he missed his grandma even more, remembering how as a kid, she’d always known how to fix anything. She would have known what to do.
“Look after Robyn for me, Grams. Make sure she’s happy. I know you like to have your hand in there to help find all your grandchildren’s matches. So when you find someone for her, make sure he treats her right.”
As he pulled away, she patted him on the arm. “Don’t you worry about that, Ben. I’ll always look out for her. But I have a feeling she is pretty good at looking after herself too.”
He laughed and nodded before turning to hop into his truck. The longer he stayed, the harder it was going to be to leave. Before he could close the door, Gertie clapped her hand to her chest and raced over. “Oh my goodness, hold on a second. I can’t believe I almost forgot.” She was reaching into the pocket of the sweater she was wearing and pulling something out. For some reason, Ben wasn’t buying the almost-forgot act. She’d known there was something in that pocket she was going to give him.
She handed him the picture she was holding and smiled down at it. “I found this the other day when going through some albums. I’d completely forgotten that your dear grandmother had given me a copy of this so many years ago. She had her own and said it was just such a beautiful picture, she’d wanted me to have one too. I thought maybe you’d like to have it.”
A smile spread across his face as he looked down at a scene from his memory so many years ago. He was crouched down beside Robyn under the tree, and they were smiling at each other as they held the time capsule about to be buried between them. He’d been so heartbroken that he was moving and had been trying to be strong about it, but the truth was, he knew he was going to miss Robyn terribly. And he had, for a long time after they’d moved. Over time, it had gotten easier, but he remembered how he’d cherished that one last moment with Robyn.
“Grandma must have taken this without us knowing. I wonder why she never told me.”
“We both thought it just showed the deep caring you two had for each other. She said when you looked closely at the picture, you could see the love. There aren’t many people who ever find that in a lifetime, to have someone who is just destined to be in their lives.”
He shrugged and lifted his head to give Gertie a smile. “Unless someone messes it up and ruins it.” He tucked the picture into his visor where he would be able to see it easily. “Thanks for giving it to me.”
They said goodbye again as he closed the door and backed out of the yard. As he drove down the lane, he looked in the mirror and saw Grandma Gertie waving. She didn’t look as upset as he’d thought a devoted grandma like her would be over someone breaking her granddaughter’s heart.
But he knew she’d make sure Robyn was okay, and that’s the only thing that really mattered.
Chapter Nineteen
Robyn stabbed the small metal trowel into the dirt, watching the hard clump break apart. She’d never really had much of a chance to try her hand at gardening, so she just hoped she was planting these flowers right. Mrs. Tilney always had the most beautiful flowerbeds along the fence line, so Robyn wanted to bring them back to life after years of neglect from the renters.
Plus, it gave her a way to keep herself busy and take some of her anger out on the dirt.
“You’ve done a wonderful job of fixing this house up, I have to say.”
Robyn lifted her head to see who was talking to her from the other side of the picket fence. The man stuck his arm over the fence to shake her hand. She quickly wiped the dirt from hers before reaching up to take it.
“Sorry for interrupting, but I’m just moving into the house across the street and I saw you outside working, so thought I’d introduce myself. I’m Blake Coleman, the new reverend at the Hillside Church here in town.”
“Oh, I knew that house had sold over the last month but hadn’t realized anyone would be moving in so quickly. I’m Robyn Quinn.”
His eyes wrinkled in the corners as he smiled. “Quinn. So, you’re named after the town, or the town is named after you?”
She laughed as she stood up and wiped the dirt from her pants. “My family settled the area. You pretty much can’t throw a frisbee in this town without hitting a Quinn.”
“Good to know.” He looked up at the house behind her as he crossed his arms over his chest. “But I wanted to let you know how great your house and yard looks. The first time I came to town to look at houses, this one was actually still for sale too. I looked at it but knew there was just too much work for me to do on it. I noticed when I came to sign on the house I bought that you had some workers here. From what I can see on the outside, they did a great job.” He looked back at her with a kind smile. “I wondered if I could get their name, so maybe they could do a few of the tasks I’ll need to do on my house too.”
Robyn tried to ignore the ache that spread through her chest at the mention of the “workers” she’d had at the house. “Actually, I don’t know if they’ll be doing any more work around town. They were from Lewiston. It was just an old friend of mine who was doing a favor for me.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. It’s hard to find the kind of guys you can trust to do a good job like this. You’re sure you couldn’t convince him to come back and do just one more house?” He was still smiling as he looked at her hopefully.
“Well, um. I don’t think so. We had a bit of a falling out and I likely won’t be talking to him again. I could give you his number and you could try calling if you want.” But the thought of having to see Ben across the street every day made her heart clench in pain. She reminded herself that he would most likely say no anyway, not wanting to be back here around her.
Blake’s eyes pulled together. “I’m sorry to hear about that. Nothing worse than a falling out between friends. Had you guys known each other long? Forgive me for prying, but I guess it’s the nature of my job to want to make things work out for people.”
She smiled sadly and shrugged. “We were friends all our lives, but he moved away for a few years. We’d just kind of reconnected.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I remember standing in the yard when I was with my realtor putting the sold sign up and watching you walk outside with a man. I’m assuming he’s the one we are referring to. You both seemed quite happy and comfortable around each other. It’s hard to find people we can let our guards down around and trust enough to be ourselves. Maybe in time, you’ll be able to reconnect.” He was watching her with kindness in his eyes, and she knew he meant well. But he didn’t know the whole story.
After he’d left, she slowly made her way back into the house. Everywhere she looked, she could see Ben. This house was now fill
ed with reminders of him and she just didn’t know how she was going to move on. She made her way into the dining room and slid down the wall to sit on the floor. Her eyes moved around the walls, taking in the beautiful slats he’d put up after she’d mentioned it to him just that one time.
And the fact that he’d still done it even after she’d found out about Lisa, and told him to leave, broke her heart even more. He’d taken the time to make sure she had her dining room feature she’d wanted so badly, even though he could have packed everything up and left right then.
Instead, he’d given her what she’d wanted, and it was exactly how she’d pictured it in her mind.
Vicki walked in and slid down the wall beside her. She held something in her hand, and she handed it over to Robyn. “I was putting some of my things up on the top shelf in my closet and I found this stuck in the very back. Obviously, no one had noticed it because you can’t really see up there. I have a feeling, though, that someone wanted me to find it now.”
Robyn looked down at a picture of Ben and her sitting under the tree, ready to put their time capsule in the ground. As she looked at it, her eyes teared up at the memory it brought forward. They’d been so sure they would never lose touch and that they’d always have each other. Only moments before this picture was taken, they’d signed their marriage agreement and tucked it into the bottom, never realizing how much it would affect their future.
“Mrs. Tilney must have taken this and kept it for herself.” She smiled as she thought of Ben’s grandma and how much she’d always enjoyed having them both around her house. Robyn turned the picture over and recognized the woman’s handwriting.
“Ben and Robyn, placing their future in the ground to find again someday. I hope they never forget to come back for it or how much they love each other.”
A hard lump formed in her throat as she read the words.
Remembering Romance: Quinn Valley Ranch Book 17 Page 8
