But Jace had kissed her again. He knew how she felt. It had been in the kiss.
* * *
WOULD LIFE EVER return to normal? Kelly asked herself that question, uncertain what her next move would be. Rain had come again. The huge swings in summer temperatures made for thunderstorms and evening downpours. Often they didn’t last long.
The rain slowed. Kelly went out on the front porch. The temperature dropped and the rain seemed to have washed everything clean. The air felt fresh. Kelly loved that smell. She walked the length of the porch and looked out over the grounds. She listened for the horses, making sure their sounds were normal.
Sheldon had been unlike what Kelly was expecting. He was humble, apologetic and appeared to want Jace’s forgiveness.
Forgiveness...
Kelly paced slowly, methodically. She’d worked so long and hard on the Kendall, she’d lost sight of the fact that it was only a house. Jace had said that. And now she felt it, too. It was huge, but without the life that Jace and Ari brought to it.
Kelly shuddered as a gust of wind forced the rain to shower her. It was cold and reflected her feelings. While the building had once been warm and inviting, she felt it was cold and lonely now. It needed Jace.
He’d walked away as if he could go on without being here, but Kelly knew he loved the Kendall more now than when he first arrived. And he was sacrificing it for her.
She didn’t need or want his sacrifice. She liked the glory of working on the house, restoring it to its former beauty, but she didn’t want to stay here with the memories of a family and not have that family.
There was New York, she thought. She could go back there. She’d have a huge salary, a staff of her own, big-money accounts. And Perry. She frowned. He was a big disadvantage, but she could handle him. Returning to New York wouldn’t be so bad. She’d have less renovations to worry about. She’d be able to afford a loft and could decorate it the way she wanted.
She’d miss seeing the land and especially this horizon. She’d miss this smell after the rain. She’d miss the horses. She’d also miss Jace and Ari. But being hours away from them would make it easier for her to get over thinking about Jace and what he’d done to her. She should hate him, but she couldn’t. How could she hate a man she’d fallen in love with?
* * *
IT WAS THE evening of the day after he left Maryland, when Sheldon stepped down from the bus and looked around. He was back in Meadesville. The air smelled like salt and gulls. The sky was turning a deep blue in preparation for nightfall. He took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scents he’d become used to in the past year. It was good to be back. That world at the Kendall was no longer his. He was grateful that Audrey had talked him into going. Now he knew what he was leaving behind and he had no regrets about the house and the land. It was in good hands and he was proud to have his name on it. Proud that his brother and his nephew would be there, at least in town, and close to the their old home. He wished it was Jason’s property, but he realized that Kelly loved the place just as much as a Kendall by birth.
Here in North Carolina Sheldon felt he had a real purpose. He’d never have learned that if he was still running the Kendall and failing at it. He was going to take a course to be an electrician, for which he’d receive financial aid. The man Audrey had introduced him to told him about the course. When he completed the classes, Sheldon would sign on as an apprentice with Audrey’s friend. At the Kendall, Sheldon would turn on a light and walk into a room without a second thought. Once he completed his course, he’d know exactly how to fix the electricity instead. Hopefully, his apprenticeship would lead to a full-time job.
Meanwhile, the bungalow was all the space he needed for now. And he liked having Audrey and Christian as friends. He didn’t know where his relationship with Audrey was going, but as time passed, they would find out. Where were Audrey and Christian? He’d called to say he was coming back today.
Sheldon headed toward the small building that served as the bus station. Christian came running through the door before Sheldon got to it.
“Sheldon! You’re back.” Christian launched himself at Sheldon. They hugged. Sheldon knew how Jace felt about his son. He felt a similar way about Christian. Seeing the boy made his heart swell.
Audrey came up behind her grandson. Sheldon was happy to have someone to come home to. Someone who cared about him.
“Hello,” she said.
Sheldon leaned down and kissed her cheek. He thought of Jason and Kelly, wondering how long it would take his brother to figure out that he was in love with her.
“Thanks for coming,” Sheldon said.
The three piled into her car. During the drive, she passed the marina and his bungalow and drove to her house. “You had a long trip,” she said. “I thought you might be hungry.”