He was so goddamn sure I was going to fail, he put his farm up.
Over the last three weeks, my confidence flourished under his care; he made me feel important, like I could do anything, and all the while he was betting against me. What kind of man does something like that?
What kind of fool does it make me?
“I thought, you…me…us…”
“Alyson, I didn’t do this.”
“Do you think so little of me, Jay?”
“Me, think little of you.” He snorts. “No, actually, I don’t.”
“Then why?”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I made a mistake.”
“Yeah, you did. I guess my father was right. There is a dumbass born every minute,” I say, unable to keep the hurt from my voice.
“Your father said that. You mean the same guy who dismissed me and insulted me and my home, and you said nothing. Not a goddamn word. Hell, you wanted me to sneak out the back door. Maybe you’re the one who thinks so little of me.”
“I wanted to say something.”
“But you didn’t.”
He’s right. I didn’t, and I should have stood up to my father, never should have asked Jay to sneak out. “I was trying to make myself look better…at your expense. I shouldn’t have done that. Just like you shouldn’t have bet against me.” I fold my arms across my stomach and hug myself as bile punches into my throat. I fight back the tears. “You’re not at all who I thought you were.”
“Alyson, I didn’t mean to hurt you, I just…” he begins, but I’m too upset to hear what he has to say.
“Whether you meant it or not, doesn’t change the fact that you bet against me.” A garbled laugh catches in my throat. “Honestly,” I say, pushing my words past the rawness in my throat, “I want you to leave.”
I take a step backward, and he reaches for me. “You need to listen to me.”
“I don’t need to listen to anything you have to say. Leave.”
He makes a move to come closer but stops when Dad steps into the kitchen. “I believe she asked you to leave.”
Chapter Twenty
Jay
It’s been one week since Alyson left, one whole miserable week with me staring at the For Sale sign on her yard. Yeah, I get it. She’s completely pissed after learning I bet against her, and I can’t blame her. I made the stupid bet; it was before I really knew her. Still, I judged her, expected the worst from her—like everyone else in her life. Even when all signs pointed that I’d sabotaged her property, she believed in me— She never once expected the worst. God, I am such a dumbass.
“You still moping, asshole?” Tyler asks.
I lift my head and take in the scowl on my kid brother’s face as he sits on the fence feeding Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. He rolls a strand of hay between his teeth and wipes his brow with the back of his hand.
“I’m not moping, and go ahead, call me asshole one more time, and I’ll give you the beatdown of your life.”
He snorts. “Asshole,” he says and jumps from the fence, squaring off against me. Ever since he found out what I’d done, he’s been itching for a fight, but I’m not going to give him what he wants. Even though I probably do deserve to have my ass kicked.
“She’s gone. It’s over,” I say and walk around him.
“You know that was a pretty shitty thing to do, Jay.”
“Yeah, I know, and every chance you get, you tell me.” I step into the barn and grab a pitchfork to lay out fresh hay for the animals.
I guess Alyson just assumed we’d take care of the farm when she up and left in the middle of the night. She was right. At least she had that much faith in me. I wish I’d given her the same courtesy. Man, I really fucked up. When she first arrived, looking lost and vulnerable, I should have reassured her instead of jumping on a damn bet. Clearly, Charlie Miller was working with different information than I was when he tried, and succeeded, in convincing me he wanted to give me my land back. The bastard wanted my farm and used Alyson’s innocence to try to win it. I used her innocence, too, and she’s far too good for me.
Tyler pushes up the short sleeves on his T-shirt, exposing his farmer’s tan. “I didn’t want her to go,” Tyler grumbles.
Neither did I.
I shoo a few chickens from the barn