“I’m glad to hear that,” Jace said. “I know it’s hard to change from one thing to another. I’m about to do the same thing.”
Kelly’s fork clattered onto her plate. All eyes went to Jace.
“I got a job today,” he said.
“Job?” Kelly questioned.
He nodded. “That’s the reason for the suit.” He leaned back in his chair.
The room was deathly quiet. Yes, Kelly had thrown him off the farm, but in the back of her mind, she thought he’d come back. If he didn’t challenge her for ownership, then she thought they would resolve their differences, but if he had a job...
“Where?” she asked.
“County land office. I’m the new engineer for Duchess County. Sort of like a surveyor. I enrolled Ari in that day-care center, which he loves, and I’ll be looking for a permanent place for us to live.”
“That’s a lot of change,” Mira said.
“It is, but we can’t live here. And my savings aren’t going to let us continue to live at the motel.”
He was in a motel. Kelly felt like a louse. How could she throw him and his son out with no place to live? She felt her face grow hot.
“Maybe Kelly will let you come back until you find somewhere else,” Sheldon said. “This is a big house. I’m sure you two can get around without bumping into each other.”
All the eyes that had been on Jace were now on her. They silently asked for a response.
“Of course,” she said. What else could she say. “We have the horses and Ari loves riding them. I don’t imagine it will take long to find a nice place. Not in this market.”
“We’ll talk about it later,” Jace said. He must have heard the reluctance in her voice.
“Staying here until then sounds perfect,” Mira stated. “Ari can still go to the day-care center and he’ll have this treat to come home to until you get off work. I’m sure that job could send you away at times.”
She looked at Kelly. “And you love having him around.”
Kelly glared at her cousin. She felt like the walls were closing in, yet there was nothing she could do to stop them. Even her own family wasn’t standing up for her. Mira was throwing her into the lion’s den.
And they both knew why.
As dinner ended and the dishes were being moved to the kitchen, Jace stopped Kelly. Angling her onto the porch, he leaned with his back to the railing. Kelly faced him.
“I’m not going to stay here,” he told her.
She took a breath before asking, “Why?”
“Ari and I need to be settled.” She thought they could settle here, but didn’t say it. She’d become used to having them around.
“What about the Kendall?” she asked.
“The Kendall is yours.”
Kelly blinked, unsure she’d heard the words she so wanted to hear.
“Sheldon is returning to North Carolina,” Jace said. “Ari and I will find a small place. He’ll go to school and I’ll work. The Kendall is yours.”
Kelly felt numb. She moved to one of the rocking chairs and sat on the edge of it.
“You’re not going to challenge me on it?”
Jace smiled and shook his head.
“What changed your mind?” she asked.
“I realized it’s just a house. In Colombia, our apartment was small, but we were happy. We don’t need the Kendall for that. Now that I have a job and day care for Ari, we need to get on with our lives. We should have done this when we first arrived.”
Kelly thought of the Kendall without them and her heart lurched. She was getting what she wanted. So why didn’t she feel like she’d won?
* * *
SHELDON STAYED FOR four days, enjoying the hospitality of Kelly and the Kendall. Consequently, Jace was also underfoot. Kelly couldn’t turn a corner without seeing one or the other of the brothers. Ari was also by her side. He enjoyed day care, but couldn’t wait to get to the horses when it was home time.
Sheldon left on a Saturday. Ari said goodbye and hugged his uncle. It was a moment that Jace seemed to appreciate given his wide smile. Then she and Ari mounted a horse and went for a ride while Jace took his brother to the bus station. She and Ari rode longer and farther than ever before. Ari sat in front of her. She took him to the place where she grew up. It was about a mile beyond the Kendall’s south border. Her house was still there, although it was occupied by another family. The neighborhood had changed. When she lived here it was poor and run-down. Since then new families had moved in and fixed everything up.
Slipping down from the saddle, Kelly reached up and helped Ari to the ground. She tied the horse to a nearby tree at the edge of the neighborhood.