Brant's Return

“Okay. Thanks, May. Will you tell her I called when she gets in?”

“Of course I will.”

“And how’s my father doing?”

“He’s actually had a good couple of days.”

“That’s encouraging to hear.”

She sounded worried again as we said goodbye, and I wished I could do something to make her believe everything was going to be okay, but I couldn’t even convince myself of that.

What a fucking mess. And I’d dragged Isabelle into it. Isabelle, who de

served a life of peace and joy for the rest of her days. I’d just thought . . . ah Christ, I hadn’t thought. I’d wanted her and I’d convinced myself that I could make her happy, never truly stopping to consider her deepest needs. Protection, yes, comfort yes, but also horses and pastures, Kentucky bluegrass and wide-open skies.

And love.

Isabelle needed love. She deserved it. And whether I myself thought it was a risk worth taking or not, Isabelle had decided it was.

I took a chance. I hoped for love, she’d said.

She’d given her heart to me, a man who didn’t come close to deserving it. And if I truly meant to protect her as I’d said, to ensure she lived a life containing the love she wanted, the children, the most selfless thing I could do was to let her go. No! My brain—the logical side of myself—said one thing but my heart screamed another.

My fucking head hurt. I picked up the phone again, dialing my assistant. “Josie?”

“Good morning, sir. How are you?”

“Fine. Josie, I need you to book a flight for me to Kentucky, leaving about noon?”

“Of course, sir. I hope it’s not your father—”

“No. I have some other business to attend to there. My father’s condition hasn’t changed.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll email you your flight itinerary.”

“Great. Thanks, Josie.”

I headed toward the shower. I had no fucking idea what I was going to do. All I knew was that the answers were not here. They were in Kentucky.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Brant

I opened the door to Graystone Hill, finally exhaling the breath I felt I’d been holding since boarding the plane in New York. “Hello?”

“In here,” I heard May call. She appeared in the hall as I was stepping into it from the foyer and her smile was instantaneous. Warm. Welcoming. “Brant!”

“Hi, May.” I gave her a hug and then followed her into the kitchen as she spoke over her shoulder.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming when we talked earlier.”

“I didn’t know. I decided after we spoke.”

“Oh.” She looked off to the side, seeming worried.

“May? What’s wrong?”

“Well, if you’re here then I guess you don’t know that Isabelle isn’t.”