Page 6 of Reclaimed Roots

Liam wasn't a bad person. In fact, he was rather sweet. But it didn't change the fact that I didn't love him, and I never would. IknewI should end things with him. He was just another man in a long line of distractions, helping me avoid the one thing I knew with absolute certainty.

I had ruined any chance I'd had with the man who was made for me.

The cold detachment in Jasper's eyes cut me to the core. But what had I expected? After all, I was the one who'd left.

I wrapped my arms around myself, as if that would somehow hold together all the broken pieces inside me.God, I'm a mess.

I was just beginning to feel safe in my solitude when I heard my name from behind me.

"Natalie!" The high-pitched voice grated against my ears. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

Sammy Thompson was as beautiful as ever.

My polite smile felt more like a grimace. "Thank you, Sammy."

Seven years had passed, yet she looked exactly the same asshe had in high school. Her golden hair cascaded in perfect waves, framing her flawlessly made-up face. All that was missing was the cheerleading uniform.

Some things never change.

"It's been so long," Sammy cooed, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "How have you been?"

"I've been?—"

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sure it's been just awful for you. Living in the big city, all alone. But I suppose it was for the best that you left when you did." Sammy's eyes glittered with malicious glee. "After all, if you hadn't run off, Jasper might never have discovered his true feelings."

The implication hit me like a punch to the gut. Jasper and Sammy? Together?

No. No, no, no.

"What do you mean?" I choked out, hating how weak my voice sounded.

Sammy's smile widened, shark-like. "Oh, you know how these things go." She paused and examined her perfectly manicured nails. "I was there to pick up the pieces when you broke his heart. And, well, one thing led to another."

My head spun. The scents of the orchard, so comforting moments ago, now made me want to vomit. I struggled to draw a full breath, my chest constricting painfully.

"Anyway," Sammy continued, clearly relishing my discomfort, "I just wanted to thank you. Your absence was truly a gift. Jasper and I are quite happy."

"Delighted for you," I forced out, a chilly calm settling in.

Sammy leaned in even closer, faux-concern creasing herforehead. "Just remember, Natalie, everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the past is better left where it belongs."

She turned and sashayed away, leaving me reeling.

This can't be happening.

I took a deep breath. Jasper and Sammy were the least of my problems. I was at my father's wake, after all.

I waited for my heart to stop racing then turned back to head into the house.

But my hand froze on the brass handle as Jasper's voice drifted through the gap in the French doors.

"You did what you had to do. The irrigation lines weren't going to pay for themselves."

Irrigation lines? That was a fifty-thousand-dollar project, minimum.The accountant in me automatically started running calculations—depreciation schedules, tax implications, cash flow projections. Even now, I couldn't turn off the part of my brain that organized the world into neat columns of numbers. Like Dad always said,numbers are easy.Numbers are safe. People, on the other hand...

I watched Jasper's reflection lean against the hallway wall. Even through the wavy glass, I could see his shoulders were tight with tension.

Elliot stood before him, arms crossed. His posture radiated that aura of older-brotherly concern that used to make me feel so safe, back when I had any right to consider myself part of the family.

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