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PROLOGUE
LEADEN SILENCE CRACKLED down the line, turning the ar and co a hard plinth beneath the suddenly tense muscles of her bottom
‘Hunter? I said I’ you’
‘Missing you too, Bren’
The tension didn’t back off It ramped up That was not the voice her fiancé used with her At least that hat he would be if they actually openly acknowledged they were getting ot around to choosing a ring to validate their enduring love for each other
But Hunter see to do with them
‘Tellin Kamloops How’re your parents?’ she asked
Again, that aard silence They didn’t do silences—usually had too much to say to each other
‘Hunter? You’re scaring me’
‘Hold on, will you?’
In the background she heard a door open, then shut, followed by footsteps on a wooden floor Was he on the deck? Winter in the Okanagan wasn’t even close to tropical What he had to tell herhe didn’t want his family to overhear
Was his father in a worse state than his mother had indicated yesterday? All he’d said was that she had been in hysterics when she’d rung, saying the faently for his father’s sake He’d left Vancouver within three hours, an overnight bag and his laptop over his shoulder, despair in his eyes and a one-way air ticket in his hand He hadn’t driven as snow had been forecast near the Rockies
‘Bren, I was going to ring you later tonight Everything’s in turhtened her
What was going on?
Talk to me
But if she demanded information from him, he’d shut down Shut down? It seemed he was already under lock and key She looked around the farown up in, her gaze not alighting on any one object forfaster by the minute
Finally she had to say soo spare ‘Do you want me to come across for the weekend?’
‘Bren, I don’t knohere to start Dad’s—’
She heard hian deep in her stomach
‘The business is on the verge of bankruptcy I don’t know if it can be saved The insurance coe done last year The sa with one into the paperwork yet, but people areat fault’
‘Can’t the insurance coo to the power provider for the s worked, but anything to delay whatever was about to slam-dunk her
‘Insurance co to take it, and to hell hat Dad’s been paying them over the years’
The bitterness in Hunter’s voice shocked her But he was loyal to his parents so the
ir troubles would be his, regardless of his own aspirations Just like her and her faed to follow her dreams
‘I guess I’ for more, that’s all’ A fairer outcome for Hunter’s faht noouldn’t go amiss
‘There’s a lot to do here’
Here it coun aimed directly at her chest More specifically, her heart
‘Dad’s worried he’s failed again It’s like he doesn’t knohat to focus on to get things sorted’
Brenna sed hard There was , I’m so sorry What can I do? For you?’
The sound of a long indrawn breath had her fingers gripping the phone, her thighs tight
She hurried to add, ‘I’ll coht to be with you I’ll pack more of your clothes too Let me knohat else you need I can fill the car till there’s no rooers crossed the storh by then’
‘No, Brenna You can’t co you can do here’
‘I can support you—be with you I love you You know that’
‘Yes, I do’
Was that resentment in his quietly spoken words?
‘Hunter?’ Now her toes were tucking under and her knees were pushing together There was ice in the air, yet the heat purees
He was dragging in a lungful of air Then, ‘The only thing I want you to do for ear and send it across I a to Vancouver’
‘But what about your job? Your study?’ Me? ‘Vancouver’s your happy place You’ve said so a hundred ti I’ll do whatever it takes to help you through this’
‘I have to move back to the orchard It’s the only chance there is to et through this’
Did he ain?
‘It’s not the first time I’ve had to step up for them’
‘What do you mean?’