have to work like crazy to prove yourself.”
“It’s what I do.”
“Where will you live?”
“Subletting the apartment of the person on leave.”
“Ah. So…everything is falling into place.”
“It is.”
“How do you feel about that?” He leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb. “About leaving?”
“I…we knew this day was coming.”
“Were you going to discuss this with me?”
“I was actually on my way over when you knocked.” He knew her well enough to tell that she was being honest. “This isn’t easy for me, Cole. You know it isn’t. But…this situation. We always knew it was temporary. Right?”
“It started that way.” He let out a breath, telling himself that this was the future they’d agreed upon. When Taylor got a job, she would move on. Embrace her old existence instead of the one she’d built here.
The phone buzzed in his pocket. Jancey’s ring. He held Taylor’s gaze as he answered. “Yeah?”
“Can you pick me up? My car just broke down. Halfway home. You can’t miss me.”
“Sure. See you in a few.”
He dumped his phone back in his pocket. “I have to get Jancey. We can…talk later if we need to.” Taylor nodded, as if she couldn’t find her voice, and then he headed to his truck. Not that many hours ago, she would have gone with him to get Jancey. Now…
Yeah. Definitely the queen mother of all bad days.
* * *
TAYLOR HAD EXPECTED Cole to come back to see her after he’d towed Jancey’s dead car home. He didn’t, which was killing her. She wanted to tell him how precious their time together had been.
To maybe suggest that it didn’t need to be over…maybe they could leave the door cracked?
She wanted to believe that was true.
But she didn’t.
Too many years of talk intervened—talk of independence and careers and making one’s own way. Talk of never settling for mediocre, and in her mother’s view compromise meant not living up to potential. Of settling for less and slowly dying inside.
Taylor let herself out of the bunkhouse and stood for a moment watching her grandfather’s house. Shadows moved past the curtains, and her heart squeezed. You aren’t meant to be here.
She’d grown to like the farm. The affection she felt for the place had kind of snuck up on her. Cole played a major part in that affection, but there was more to it than that. She’d begun to reclaim her grandmother’s garden—to see if she could change her black thumb into more of a greenish gray. She didn’t need prize vegetables, but she wouldn’t have minded seeing her seeds grow.
The door opened to the house and Cole stepped out onto the porch. She’d thought it was because he’d seen her saying goodbye to the place and was coming out to meet up with her, but the way his head came up when she started toward him told her no. He had not been about to seek her out.
Fine. She’d seek him out.
He came down the steps as she opened the gate and met her on the sidewalk.
“How’s Jancey?” she asked.
“Fine. The car needs a new battery.”
“How are you?”
“Almost bootless. Chucky ate one of my boots.” He glanced over at the barn, presenting her his profile. She saw his jaw muscles tighten before he looked back at her. “I’m sorry for not being more congratulatory about your job. I know it’s what you wanted. So—” he pushed his hands into his pockets “—congratulations.”
“I wish our circumstances were different.”
“Circumstances are what you make them.”
Taylor tilted her head, wondering if she’d imagined the note of censure in his voice. “What does that mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Sometimes it’s worth compromising instead of following a carved-in-stone plan.”
“You have a crop in the ground. A ranch to watch over. A sister who needs you.”
“Meaning?”
“You’re the one who would have the hardest time changing lifestyles if we ever…” She made a gesture instead of finishing her sentence. “I’m the one who’d have to give up everything.”
“It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.”
“Given what we’re working with, what else can it be? You saw how much luck I had getting a career off the ground here in Montana.”
“You don’t want to try?”
She pulled in a breath. “I’m afraid of embarking on something that has no hope of succeeding.”
His expression, which had already bordered on cool, totally shuttered. “That’s answer enough for me.”
She felt a stab of desperation as he took a backward step. She’d hoped—really hoped—for one more night together.
It wasn’t going to happen, and she felt as if a small part of her had just curled up and died.
“I’d like to part friends.”
He nodded, keeping his hands in his jacket pockets as if he couldn’t handle touching her now. “When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning. I was going to ask Jancey to take care of Max until I get settled. I start work the day after tomorrow.”
“I’ll ask her.”
“Thanks, Cole.” Since she didn’t know what else to do, she held out her hand. He shook his head. “Don’t do that to me, Taylor.”
“I don’t know what to do,” she said softly.
“Just say goodbye and leave it at that.”
This was a situation she’d walked into willingly, and she couldn’t cry foul now that it hurt to get herself back out of it. But damned if she was going to say goodbye and leave it at that. She stepped closer and took his face in her hands, rose up on her toes and kissed him.
“Goodbye, Cole. I will miss you.”
She pulled in a shaky breath and walked back to the bunkhouse, wishing that he would follow her.
Knowing that he would not.
ONE WEEK LATER, Taylor was fully immersed in her element, living and breathing finance. She was part of a team, and, being the newbie temp, far from taking the lead as she’d done before. She had to build a reputation for being efficient, cooperative and creative, while at the same time not coming off as a threat to anyone else. What had been second nature to her now required thought. She was gun-shy, aware that going above and beyond didn’t guarantee anything. In fact, some of the people who had hung back were still employed by Stratford.
Every company was different, though. They had their cultures and hierarchies and personalities to work around.
But she was working and back in her city.
And lonely as hell.
She didn’t text or call Cole. It was for the best. They truly were star-crossed lovers and would continue to be so, unless one of them gave up their professional life to be near the other…and thereby gave up their independence.
Her