Wildflowers from Winter (29 page)

Bethany pressed cool fingers against her cheeks. She was being ridiculous. Even if Evan was, for whatever reason, attracted to her, she had no business being attracted to him. First of all, he made her feel completely off balance. And second of all, he lived in Peaks. On a farm she wanted to sell.

If she allowed herself to love him—to need him—she’d lose everything. The successful Bethany. The self-sufficient Bethany. The Bethany with ambitions as high as the sky. That Bethany could not afford to lose her heart to a man as intense, as tender, as unpredictable and maddening as Evan Price.

She pushed away from the door and climbed the stairs. No light filtered through the crack below Robin’s door. She stepped inside the guest bedroom where the soft patter of rain against gutters and a distant train whistle floated in through the opened windows. She flipped on the light switch, removed her soggy jacket, and opened her laptop. She double clicked on the Internet icon and went to her e-mail.

A single unread message sat in her inbox. The two simple words of the subject line, bolded in black typeface, stared back from the screen:
Interview Request
. Her hands jerked away from her computer. She leaned forward and stared at those two words, her heartbeat quickening. Sending a hopeful plea out into the Universe, she clicked on the message.

When she saw who it was from, the air in her chest turned shallow. Gurtson and Bleeker Architectural Enterprises in Minneapolis—one of the biggest firms in the Midwest—wanted an interview. In three days. G&B was twice the size of Parker Crane. Every smaller firm trying to make it big modeled its business after Gurtson and Bleeker. And they were interested in her. A smile started in her thoughts, moved to her lips, then spread to her shoulders until her entire body morphed into one giant grin.

She opened Travelocity’s website and began her search for plane tickets. She didn’t have to be in Minneapolis until three o’clock on Thursday. But if she was going to clear her mind and focus all her attention and energy on this interview, then the sooner she left, the better.

In her temporary insomnia, she purchased an overpriced plane ticket and booked an overpriced hotel room. Apparently, traveling so close to Memorial
Day weekend wasn’t very economical. But she had no other choice, so she packed a small bag and lay in bed running potential interview questions through her mind. Slumber finally took her around two thirty in the morning and held her captive until nine.

When she awoke, she told Robin the news and reminded her to meet the contractors at the café at noon since Bethany needed to be at the airport before then. Her stomach rolled in a thousand different directions at the thought of leaving, the thought of Evan, the thought of her upcoming interview. She needed a Tums. But her bottle was tucked away inside her purse, and she couldn’t find her purse anywhere.

It took her five minutes of tossing through her things before she realized where it was—in Dan’s kitchen. And while she could buy another bottle of Tums, she needed her license to claim her boarding pass and get through security. Dread seeped into her pores and joined the jumble of nerves already protesting in her stomach. She searched the house for Robin, hoping her friend could pick up her purse for her. But she’d already left for her Tuesday morning Bible study. She wouldn’t be back until eleven.

There was no getting around it. She had to go to the farmhouse.

As she slipped inside her car, she took note of the nice weather. Maybe Evan would be out in the fields. Maybe he didn’t lock the door. Maybe she could sneak in, get her purse, and leave without ever having to see him. She tightened her grip around the steering wheel. A girl could hope.

Luck, however, was not on her side.

As soon as she pulled up the drive, she spotted him out front, carrying something in his arms as he walked from the shed to the house, the two Border collies shadowing him. She stopped beside Evan’s car and turned off the ignition. Her hands remained wrapped around the steering wheel, patches of white spreading across her knuckles. Why had she left her purse here? Of all the times to leave it behind, this was definitely the worst. She stayed in the car and stared down into her lap.

Evan rapped on her window.

She startled, then rolled her eyes at her own jumpiness.
Get a grip. Roll down your window. State your business and get your purse
.

Before she could heed the logical side of her brain, he opened her door and rested one hand on the roof of her car, the epitome of calm and collected.

He tipped his head, his cheek dimpling with a suppressed grin. “Bethany.”

And then they spoke at the same time.

“To what do I owe this—”

“I need my purse.”

He blinked.

Bethany swallowed. “I left it on your kitchen table.”

He straightened and backed away. “And here I thought you were coming over to wish me a happy birthday.”

The lighthearted tone of his voice baffled her. Seriously. Had last night not happened? Had her deluded mind somehow made up the entire almost-kiss scenario? Her eyebrows drew together. He stood there in his sleeveless T-shirt, showing off tanned, rippling biceps she didn’t want to notice and looking nothing but amused.

Her impending interview couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. She needed to get out of Peaks and gain some perspective. She stepped out of the car and forced herself to look into his face. She would not be attracted to Evan. Their relationship wouldn’t be any more complicated than casual acquaintance and temporary business partners. The more distance between them, the easier it would be when Bethany sold the farm in the fall.

She cast a glance over the land, surveying her inheritance. The opened machine shed, where her grandpa spent many evenings repairing equipment. The barn, where she and David played when they were kids. Against their mother’s wishes, they used to jump from the loft down into the round
bales while Dan pitched hay, encouraging their rebellion by the amused smile on his face. Her attention wandered to the empty paddock. Several quarter horses grazed in that field when she was a kid. Before her father’s accident, Dan taught her to ride them. He’d even convinced her mom to let Bethany join 4-H.

“Are you going to get another horse?” Her question came out without warning. Who cared if he bought another horse?

“Do you want me to?”

Her stomach dipped. What if she said yes? Would he actually buy one? She shook her head. No, she did not want a horse. She wanted to sell the farm. Cut the strings. Say good-bye. So what if this place elicited fond memories? So what if it had once meant the world to her? Her longing then had been filtered through the eyes of a hurting child. While she thought she needed the farm as a girl, she knew better as an adult. She needed a job. Not a horse. Or a bushel of corn. Or any other thing associated with a farm.

Bethany cleared her throat and remembered her training. Spine straight, shoulders back, chin lifted. Give the illusion of confidence so the feeling would follow. “Can I get my purse?”

He threw his palm toward the house and gave a slight bow. “Be my guest.”

Bethany marched to the side door, thankful he didn’t follow. Her purse was where she’d left it. She grabbed it and turned right back around. This wasn’t so bad. She could do this. Walk back to her car, thank Evan, and head to the airport. Look forward. That’s what she had to do. The farm was her past. Evan and Robin were her present. She needed to look to her future. A job with a top-notch architectural firm. A new start in a new city. A place where she could forget about her five-and-a half-month setback.

She rolled her shoulders, trying to regain some of the excitement she’d lost. The gravel crunched beneath her feet as she walked back to the car. She should be ecstatic, thrilled, relieved. Here was her chance to get out and
move on, but her mind lingered on Robin and the baby. And the man leaning against her vehicle.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

She stopped. “What?”

He jerked his head to her backseat, the place she’d tossed her travel bag.

She took two steps closer. “Minneapolis.”

“Why?”

She reached for the car door handle, but Evan shifted his weight, blocking her from opening the door. “What’s in Minneapolis?”

Her tongue pressed against the roof of her mouth.

“Bethany?”

“A job interview.”

“A job interview?” A bolt of intensity flashed in his eyes.

Her insides thundered in response. He knew she was looking for a job. He had no right to look at her like that.

“I thought you said you finish your projects.”

“I do.” Bethany squished the two words between her teeth.

“Then what’s all this crap about the café? What about the promise you made to Robin? What about—?” He stopped suddenly and a faint blush tinged his cheeks. She’d never seen Evan blush before. “You say you finish what you start. But what about what you started with the café? Why don’t you finish that?”

“I am finishing it.” She had promised Evan she’d finish the café, and she would. A job interview wasn’t going to change that.

“What about Robin? You act like you care about her. How’s she going to take it when you leave?”

“I promised Robin I’d stay until I found a job. She knows that.” Bethany went so far as posting on her résumé that she couldn’t start until after Robin’s due date. She was going above and beyond.

“And so what? You’re just going to pack up your stuff and take off
again?” He shook his head like he couldn’t believe it. “I guess we’ll see you in ten years, then.”

Something tore loose inside her. He was being impossible. Nothing would satisfy him. Nothing she gave would ever be enough. “What else do you want from me, Evan? I’ve forfeited five and a half months of my life for Robin. How much more of it do I have to give to make you happy?”

“I’m not asking you to give up your life. I’m just asking you not to be in such a hurry to leave.”

There was something behind his statement. An unspoken plea she couldn’t decipher. It punctured the swelling heat inside her lungs. “If you’re worried about Robin, don’t. She has you and Gavin.”
And God
. Despite Bethany’s misgivings, she couldn’t ignore the peaceful, almost appealing look on Robin’s face whenever Bethany caught her in prayer. Bethany didn’t understand it. It didn’t make sense. But she couldn’t refute the evidence. While faith had weakened her mother, it somehow strengthened her friend.

“Look, Evan.
You
can take care of her.
You
can help with the baby.
You
can support her.” And maybe someday, he could take Micah’s place. Even though her heart pinched together at the thought, she couldn’t deny the fact that Robin fit beside Evan more than she ever would.

Evan’s head dropped. He shifted his weight, then looked back up again. He stared at her with a mixture of desperation and doubt. Like she didn’t get what he was trying to communicate and he wasn’t sure he wanted to explain it. “Why are you so desperate to get out of Peaks?”

His words weren’t what she expected. “What do you mean?”

“This place.” He motioned to the farm and the world beyond. “You would never consider staying here, would you?”

She floundered, unsure what to do with his question. Did he mean here, as in
right
here? Or here, as in the general area? Her thoughts gathered, crowding her brain, tripping over one another. Did Evan want her to stay for Robin? Or did Evan want her to stay for him? She opened her mouth
and closed it again. She didn’t know what to say. And Evan wasn’t helping her.

“I really have to go,” she said.

He stepped out of her way. And for the first time since she met him last winter, he didn’t open her door.

TWENTY-NINE

B
ethany stood in the airplane aisle and struggled to shove her luggage inside the overhead bin, then clicked the compartment door shut. A young couple blocked the path between her and her seat, holding hands, their foreheads touching. Bethany tapped the man’s shoulder and gave them an apologetic smile as they pivoted their knees to one side. After jostling her way past, she sat in the narrow airplane seat and pressed her body as close to the window as possible, trying to ignore the passionate duo as they resumed their positions.

She leaned against the stiff headrest and closed her eyes, replaying the interview in her mind. It went well. Very well. Mr. Gurtson had beamed at her as she rattled off her experience. His face lit up when he browsed through her portfolio. He even asked his secretary to show Bethany around their office—their very large, two-story office. The place hummed with activity. She could smell the ideas and creativity coalescing in the air as architects and design engineers bustled through the hallways with elaborate models and stacks of blueprints.

She’d craved working for a company like G&B since she first declared her major in college. It was exactly what she wanted, exactly what she’d spent the last ten years of her life working toward. She’d be working with the best of the best—people and technology—earning the money and prestige she never had growing up. She wouldn’t be stuck working in renovations, her
creativity and vision no longer stifled by whatever run-down walls were already in place. So why wasn’t she able to muster any enthusiasm? Why this vague sense of dissatisfaction? This unfamiliar ache for something she couldn’t define?