a few years back, but there were stipulations attached to make sure he didn’t turn around and sell it right away.”
Burke aimed the phone’s flashlight over the surrounding land. “Huh. How far does the property go?”
“It goes clear back,” Justine explained. “It meets up with the freeway down there, that intersection close to my granddad’s.”
“Hmm.”
“Is something wrong?” she asked as his flashlight moved about some more.
“Are those swings?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said. “This is the big hang out for the teens in town, and I’ll tell you—it’s a good thing we have it. I only wish we had more things for kids that age to do. So they can be outdoors, stay active, keep out of trouble. Like an obstacle course or something. That’s what Piney Falls needs.”
Burke zoomed the light in on one in particular, a double wide swing made for two. “Are those knots sturdy?”
Justine gave into a smile. “Why? Are you thinking of climbing on?” She bit at her lip while waiting for a response. The falls at her side might be at a slow trickle, but the nervous wave of energy flowing through her was on full blast.
At once, Burke shut his phone light off. “I guess not,” he said. “I just…” He released a pent-up breath and shook his head. “I’m probably just putting this off.” Burke shoved his phone back into his pocket, grabbed the blanket where it rested over his arm and spread it over the ground.
“Let’s sit,” he suggested.
The knot in her gut grew bigger as she joined him on the blanket. Best not to cozy up to him, she supposed. Not only were there no onlookers to convince, Justine knew Burke could say something that might make being close feel awkward.
She prepared her heart for the worst. If he wants to get out of the tree lighting, it’s fine. If he says he’s leaving town tonight forever…she would heal eventually. If he—
“I’ve had a great time with you these last few days,” Burke said, interrupting her musings. “But I, uh…I wanted to tell you, before I head out for the week, how I really feel.”
Chapter 20
Burke was ninety percent positive that this was the land he owned. Not only did the name Ingles ring a bell, the property marker beyond the far swing made him recall his meeting with Lenny Foster, the way he’d pointed clear up to the town’s lodge.
Thank heavens Lenny hadn’t come to the event; it could have really blown Burke’s cover this weekend. If this was the land he’d gotten his hands on, Lenny’s warning would make a whole lot of sense. It’s an important piece of property to our town.
Well, it was a good thing Burke had already told Greg not to lower the price; he could simply hold onto it himself. And who knew—maybe Burke could donate a portion of the land to the town. Give Justine the obstacle course she wanted the youth to have.
He forced his thoughts back to the moment at hand. On the trail, he’d followed Justine over the well-trodden path with worry growing heavy in his heart. Was it foolish to lay out his feelings after she’d shot him down the very night before?
Perhaps. But what did he have to lose? It was possible Justine thought he was toying with her, trying to get what he could while he was in town. But that’s not the kind of man he was. He wanted her to know that. More importantly, he wanted her to know why he’d been so willing to play the role of her fake fiancé.
He cleared his throat, tipped his gaze toward the blanket, and ran his fingers over the surface. It was dusk out, which meant the whole looking-into-one-another’s-eyes thing wouldn’t be possible.
Say it, Burke. Just say it. His pulse revved into overdrive; his heart thumped hard to keep up with the adrenaline pushing through his limbs.
“I don’t want our time together to be through.”
The soft, trickling sound of the falls grew louder once he’d said it.
Justine shifted a bit on the blanket, seeming to tuck her folded legs beneath her, but she didn’t reply.
Say something. Please. Burke scooted in a little closer.
“You don’t?” she asked softly.
“No. I realize that our whole purpose of being together the last few days was to convince your granddad, and the rest of the town too, that we’re in love. But if I’m honest, Justine, I haven’t had to do a whole lot of acting.”