“But you’re already here. You might as well stay. Feed your dogs and let them run.”
“Well—”
“It’s a farm, Grant. There’s plenty of space. And half of it is yours, remember?”
“Kallie, come on.” He silenced her with his words, and suddenly she understood.
He’d intended to stay and talk things out, but being here overwhelmed him. She saw it in his eyes, the way he kept glancing at the road. Was he remembering how they’d left things? Or was thinking about Dad so painful that he needed to do it alone? Dad had been more like a father to Grant than his own had ever been.
Kallie glanced at her watch. Half-past four o’clock. She raised her gaze to meet his, hoping she could instill him with courage. “Please, Grant? Can you come inside for just a minute? It shouldn’t take long to figure things out. Then tomorrow, you can be on your way back to Iowa, if you’d like.”
Hands in pockets, he worked his jaw muscles again. The telltale sign he was thinking things through and was uncomfortable with the situation. Kallie wanted to scoff at the irony. Whatever tension he felt right now, she was pretty sure she could top it.
Finally, he conceded. “I guess it would be good to get it done tonight. I have some business in Bitter Creek tomorrow, and then I need to get on the road.”
He freed his dogs from their kennels, allowing them to roam while he followed her to the house. The screen door closed against its frame with a knock as they entered the kitchen, where the aroma of slow cooker chicken thickened the air.
Grant’s gaze wandered. “The place hasn’t changed much, I see.”
“No, it hasn’t.” At least, not the house itself. And she’d stashed away all the baby memorabilia for the time being—until after she knew what Grant was all about.
“I keep thinking Frank’s going to come around the corner, though.”
At Grant’s words, Kallie felt her throat begin to close. If this had been years earlier, she would have sought refuge in his arms. But things were different now. Turning to a cabinet, she took down a coffee mug. “Still like it black?”
“Yep.”
She reached for the fresh carafe of coffee.
“Do you still train Llewellins during the summer?” he asked.
“No, we quit when Dad’s health worsened. All we have left now is Ruby.”
“Oh.” She heard him take a seat at the table.
Honestly, it was fine by her that there weren’t a bunch of dogs on site all summer anymore. It added a lot of extra work—Dad enjoyed it, and for that reason, Kallie had been happy to help. But for her, Ruby was the only Llewellin setter she needed. A loveable couch potato who occasionally wanted to run and explore the fields. Nothing complicated or high-maintenance. And right now with the kids so little, Kallie couldn’t afford any more painstaking tasks.
“I saw you in Bird Dog magazine.”
He chuckled, sounding a little embarrassed. “Yeah, well, you’d better frame that because it’ll become a limited edition. You’re not going to see another one.”
“I’m sure with your growing popularity you’ll get into it again.” Crossing her arms, she leaned a hip against the counter. “Honestly, I’m surprised you came out here, rather than finalizing things over the phone. Your life is busy. And being the first of June, surely you have a whole schedule of training clinics to get to, right?”
Her moxie surprised her. As a general rule, she avoided confrontation at all costs. But having Grant here put her on edge, which apparently caused her to lose control of her words.
He traced his finger along the rim of his mug, taking a second to answer. “I’m on my way to a clinic this weekend, actually. In Wyoming. Figured the farm was on the way.”
“Sure.”
She should have known that’s why he’d stopped by. It was on the way to something else.
Time to get ahold of herself and remember he’d only come to discuss the will. Grant had a successful life outside this place. According to the magazine interview, he’d been living in Iowa all this time as the executive director of a nonprofit rescue dog facility dedicated to helping setters in desperate need. And when he wasn’t at the facility, he was on the road putting on bird dog training clinics. Traveling a lot, and loving every minute of it, the article clearly pointed out. He obviously worked hard living his dream, and becoming so successful in a matter of two years was likely the reason behind his publicity.
And it wasn’t a career sustainable for a family man. Grant wasn’t a family man.
“At any rate,” he continued, “I’ll be out of your hair as quickly as possible. I just wanted to come out here and tell you I’m sorry about Frank and that I’m not going to accept the inheritance.”
Kallie’s brows shot up, her thoughts derailing. “Are you serious? You don’t want your half?”
Grant shrugged and for a second, it looked as if his thoughts warred behind his gaze. “I don’t know what I would do with it. I can’t keep it. I mean, you and me owning the same spread of land…” He trailed off, then seemed to gather his thoughts and head in a different direction. “It’s just not a good idea. You can understand that, right?”
She straightened away from the counter. “I guess I can.”
“Great. Glad that’s settled, then.”
“Yeah, great.”
Settled. Is that what they were?
It sounded so cold, so final. But then, wasn’t that how their relationship was now? And thankfully, he hadn’t claimed his inheritance only to turn around and sell his half. She’d been afraid that would happen—because if anyone bought the land, it would have to be her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to afford to stay here, either. Not that she could afford this land if it went up for sale. Money was already tight, due to Dad’s medical bills and the loan he took out to pay for seeds this year. She still needed to sit down and calculate everything—his assets compared to his outstanding balance.
Coffee mugs in hand, they lingered in silence. Kallie watched Grant as her heart squeezed. All their memories, a few triumphs and many regrets, floated between them. Present yet unacknowledged. Was she supposed to ignore them like they’d never mattered? She’d almost married this man.
One thing was certain. No matter how quick this meeting went with Grant Young, it certainly wasn’t going to be painless.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Hello?” Rachel’s voice carried through the screen.
Kallie’s heart dropped. She rushed to the door. Rachel stood there with a baby car seat carrier placed on either side of her on the porch.
“Rachel,” she hissed, hoping Grant couldn’t hear her—though hiding was futile at this point. “You
