“You don’t scare me,” Garth told him.
Nick walked toward the front door, before pausing. “Then I guess you don’t know me any better than I know you.”
THE RANCH WAS QUIET after the corporate types left. Izzy was still busy, working in the stable, but she hadn’t realized how isolated she’d become until everyone was gone. She didn’t go anywhere, talk to anyone other than Nick, Aaron, Norma or Rita. Occasionally her sisters called, but they were busy and didn’t have time to chat very long.
Maybe she should speak to Nick about going somewhere. The problem was she didn’t have a destination.She couldn’t drive, there wasn’t bus service, even if she could figure out how to use it. The ranch was isolated—she didn’t even know the neighbors, so a drop-in visit wasn’t going to happen. What on earth was she going to do with the rest of her life?
Unable to answer the question, she went into the house after dinner and made her way upstairs to Aaron’s room. He was busy getting ready for his date with Steve, but she wanted to talk to someone and for the past couple of days Nick had kept to himself. Every time she was around him, she had the feeling she’d done something wrong. But she couldn’t figure out what.
Sighing heavily, she walked down the hallway and knocked on Aaron’s door.
“It’s me,” she called.
“Come in. I’m nearly ready. You can tell me how fabulous I look.”
Izzy laughed as she pushed open the door. “Hardly. I can’t see anything. You know that.” She stepped into the room. “But I am confident you are beyond fabulous.”
“But you don’t know for sure, do you?” Aaron snapped. “We both know it’s time for you to get the surgery so you can get on with your life. Have a little courage, Izzy. It’s so exhausting having to deal with your world of self-pity.”
CHAPTER TEN
AARON’S WORDS WERE an actual slap. Izzy felt the heat on her cheek, as if he’d hit her. She stood frozen for a moment as they echoed inside her, then she turned and ran.
She took the stairs two at a time, then paused at the bottom, not sure where to go or what to do. Tears—hateful, weak tears—filled her eyes. They made it even harder to see in the dim light of a few lamps. She wanted to scream that this wasn’t her fault, that she was doing the best she could. But she didn’t. Wouldn’t that simply be more self-pity?Every part of her hurt. Shame made her skin burn. She’d been so happy. She thought she was fitting in. Had it all been a joke to everyone else? Had Nick mocked her feeble attempts to seduce him? Had those really been pity kisses?
She covered her face with her hands, then dropped them back to her sides when she heard footsteps upstairs. She didn’t want to run into Aaron, she thought grimly. She raced toward the front door and stepped out into the night.
It might be early September, but it was still warm after dark. Humidity hung in the air, a wet blanket of moisture. Crickets called to each other. Other bugs chatted and sang. This was their time. Still, Izzy felt cold and she hugged herself as she eased toward the benches she knew lined the porch.
The darkness seemed a good place to hide, she thought as she sank down and pulled her knees to her chest. Aaron would go out through the rear of the house. She didn’t have to worry about running into him here. She could gather her strength and figure out what she was going to say the next time they crossed paths.
He hadn’t tried to be mean, she told herself. Not really. He was just being Aaron. He’d been good to her and he was very much a friend. But with affection and connection came the ability to wound.
She heard footsteps and turned toward the sound. It was dark, so she couldn’t see anything, couldn’t find a way to escape.
“Izzy?”
Relief allowed her to breathe again. “Nick.”
“What are you doing out here?” he asked.
“Hiding,” she admitted. “Aaron and I had a fight.”
“How is that possible? He loves you.”
“He thinks I should get the surgery so I can tell him how great he looks.”
“It’s as good a reason as any.”
She dropped her feet to the floor. “Very funny. Look, this is my body and my decision. You both need to lay off about the surgery. It’s not for you to say.”
“I’ll agree, but only for tonight.”
“Great. I’ll take what I can get. Where have you been for the past couple of days?”
“Here.”
“Okay, yes. You’ve physically been on the ranch, but you’ve been hiding out. What’s going on?”
“Nothing I want to talk about. Want to go for a run?”