“But she might lose Kurt because she needs to be here and he needs to be in New York,” Jenna added.
Tony pressed his smiling lips into a firm line and cleared his throat while muffling a laugh. “She’s not going to lose Oh gosh, Kurt.”
Leanna glared at each of the women.
“We didn’t say anything. I swear it,” Amy protested.
“Not a word,” Jenna added.
“Your window was wide open, Leanna.” Tony shook his head. “It’s not like I haven’t heard people having sex before.”
Leanna stopped walking and looked up at the sky. “Please, just strike me down right here, right now. Spare me any more indignity. Please!”
“Don’t worry. I deleted it from my memory banks just now,” Tony assured her. “Although I was happy for you. I don’t think I’ve ever heard your cottage rockin’. Now, Bella’s, that’s another story.”
“A girl’s gotta live,” Bella quipped.
“You guys, this is serious. What should I do?” They arrived at Leanna’s cottage and settled in around the table on her deck. Leanna buried her face in her hands. Pepper put his paws on her lap and panted at her until she reached down and stroked his fur. She couldn’t even look at him without thinking of Kurt.
Who am I kidding? I can’t breathe without thinking of Kurt.
Tony clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back. Amy’s eyes slid to his broad chest and the waves of muscles covering his midsection. Jenna kicked her under the table.
“You’re overthinking this, Leanna.” Tony leaned across the table and touched her hand. “Call Kurt. Talk to him. You two will figure it out. Plenty of couples have long-distance relationships, and New York is a short flight from P-town.”
“He has a point.” Jenna brushed a few grains of sand from the table. “And you know, in many ways, seeing a guy on weekends might be better than living together. You won’t get sick of each other.”
“I highly doubt I’d ever get sick of Kurt. He’s so…” She contemplated how to sum him up in one word.
“Hot?” Bella asked.
“Loving?” Amy suggested.
“Attentive? Good in bed? Intelligent?” Jenna bumped Leanna playfully with her shoulder.
“How about normal? Does a guy really have to be all those things all the time?” Tony set his eyes on Leanna’s until she met his gaze. “He’s a bestselling author, so yeah, he’s probably pretty intelligent. He treats you well, from what I’ve heard, and he’s definitely attentive in all the right places. Although I’m pretending that I didn’t actually hear that. You all think he’s handsome, so I take your word on that. He’s not my type, as I like women, but you know, hey, whatever.” He held his palms up toward the sky. “Seriously, Leanna. If what I’m told is right, and you love Kurt the way you said you did the other night, then call him.”
“Call him.” Leanna set her palms on the table and used her most serious voice. “Okay. How would you react if your boyfriend—or girlfriend—committed to living with you, then called and said, Hey, you know that promise? That plan we made? Guess what? I’m really sorry, but I got this great job offer to fulfill my dream, and now you either have to change your entire life for me, or we’re going to see each other on a once-in-a-while basis?” She sat back and crossed her arms. “See? Not exactly loving, is it?”
Bella rolled her eyes. “So you don’t say it that way.” She waved her hand in the air and spoke in a higher tone. “Hey, babe. It’s me. I got a great offer from Daisy Chain that’s too good to pass up, but I’d have to be at the Cape full-time. Maybe we should talk about it? Better?”
“Much,” Amy said. “What about this? I got this great offer, but I don’t want to lose you, either. Maybe we can figure this out together?”
Bella leaned across the table and pointed at Amy. “Even better. Nice addition.”
Leanna shook her head. “Maybe you guys can make the call for me.”
They talked for another twenty minutes, until they’d beaten the subject and hypothetical outcomes to death. Amy took Pepper back to her cottage to give Leanna privacy. Leanna gathered her belongings from Bella’s and from her van, then went into her cottage with her heart in her throat and called Kurt.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
IT HAD BEEN almost two hours since Kurt texted Leanna, and he took that as a good sign that her meeting was going well. It was a cool, sunny day in Colorado, and Kurt was enjoying visiting with his family and the Bradens, even though seeing the Jack and Savannah so in love made him long for Leanna. Now he stood by the split-rail fence at the edge of the yard watching Hal Braden down by the barn with Treat and his horse Hope.
Rex joined him and leaned his elbows on the fence, watching his father. Rex, like all of the men, had shed his suit coat and wore his dress shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His bulging forearms twitched as he wrung his hands together.
“Dad and Hope,” Rex said with a shake of his head. He looked up at Kurt. “I think we see them as a couple.”
“The horse?”
“Yeah. Dad bought that horse for my mom when she first became ill. She loved that horse so much, and after she died, I swear my dad began talking to Hope like my mom’s inside her somewhere.”
Kurt cocked his head in question.
“Yeah, I know,” Rex said. “I always thought Dad was a little off for doing that, but now? I’m not so sure. It sure feels like Mom’s around, especially when I’m near Hope.” Rex leaned his hip against the fence and crossed his arms. He wore his thick black hair longer than his brothers, like Sage preferred to wear his, brushing his collar. His powerful, broad frame reminded Kurt of Hal, and when he narrowed his dark eyes, the resemblance was uncanny.
“Do you miss Leanna?”
Kurt half smiled, half laughed. “Look around.” He glanced at Jack and Savannah, kissing by the buffet table. Jack ran his finger down Savannah’s cheek, and she leaned forward and kissed him. “Hard not to miss her.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Rex said. “When I see love like that, I understand where Dad’s coming from. Have you ever felt that way? Do you feel that way about Leanna?”