even want to tell you the trouble I got into with my mama for getting back to the barn near dark.”
I chuckled as I glanced from the picture to him. He was staring at it with a smile on his face.
With a spin around the office, I took the rest of it in. A large leather sofa sat at one end of the room. A giant picture window was behind it, and I gasped as I saw the view. A rolling pasture made way to a mountain range that was fairly close to the house. The way the sun reflected off the snow made it sparkle like a million diamonds. It was truly stunning. On the other side of the room was a large fireplace with two oversize leather chairs on either side. I imagined the boys playing in this room when they were younger.
“My goodness. Every single room in this house I swear has a different view.”
Tanner chuckled. “You should see the view from my bedroom.”
I turned and slightly raised a brow. “I’m sure it’s equally impressive.”
He laughed. “I like to think so.”
I shook my head, and the sinking feeling of sadness suddenly came back in a whoosh. I needed to be honest with him before I let things grow between us, because I knew I was sending him mixed signals. This was the moment I needed to decide what to do about my attraction to Tanner. Give in to it or tell him we had to only be friends. I knew what I wanted, and I prayed he would be patient with me.
My phone buzzed in my pocket with an incoming text, and my heartbeat picked up slightly. I had called Cory to tell him I had decided on a piece of property to buy. Even though I had come into my trust fund, I was still relying on Cory as my financial advisor. After all, I was only twenty-four, and I now had a rather impressive bank account. So, I thought maybe it was him reaching back out to me.
I pulled the phone out and saw it was from Mary, an old high school friend and the woman who had cheated with a boyfriend of mine I had been going out with at the time. I had felt so betrayed by her, especially since she had been my best friend and the one person whom I had always counted on being there. And Jase, the guy I had finally allowed myself to open up to, had turned out to be a major dick. I knew I should have let it go. That nothing she could possibly say was anything that I wanted to hear. I hadn’t talked to her since we graduated high school. Then, I caught a glimpse of the text. “I hope you’ve been able to forgive…”
Curious, I opened her text to see there was an attachment to it. I read her full text.
Mary J: “I hope you’ve been able to forgive me and that you will be able to join us.”
When I opened the attachment, my stomach jerked and a wave of nausea hit me as I read the save the date announcement.
Mr. and Mrs. Jerkins have the honor of announcing the engagement of their daughter, Mary Kathleen Jerkins, to Mr. Jase Logan. Save the date of June 24th, everyone! We are having a wedding!
I stared at the beautiful scripted announcement in teal and white.
Mary and Jase were getting married. Why in the world was I acting like I had been hurt by the two of them all over again? I honestly could not have cared less about Jase Logan or Mary. So why was this wedding announcement throwing me into an emotional tailspin?
“Timber? What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing,” I said, my voice unsteady. I deleted the message and tossed my phone to the side. I needed to get myself back in check, but that damn voice nagging in my head reminded me that I hadn’t been good enough for Jase. That he had slept with my best friend. That Mary had betrayed our friendship.
“Hey, what’s going on? What was that text about?” Tanner dropped down in front of me and lifted my face until our eyes met. “Talk to me, Timber.”
I slowly shook my head as tears filled my eyes. “I don’t think I can do this. I thought I could, and I don’t mean to keep leading you on. It’s just…”
“Lead me on?” he asked.
I attempted to keep my hands still in my lap instead