“Actually…” he began, wondering how she was going to react to his news, wondering if she’d think he’d overstepped. Maybe he had overstepped? His mother had certainly thought he was crazy when he’d told her of his plans. She’d also wished him luck and been excited at the prospect of being a grandmother, which had surprised him. “Actually, I’m your closest neighbor.”
Darby’s mouth opened, and she gawked at him as if he were crazy, too. “You are?”
The whole Phillips clan and her friends glared at him. Apparently Darby’s less than enthusiastic greeting had clued them in that all was not well in paradise.
“I bought the place next to yours. The land was originally part of this place, but was subdivided into a separate parcel when you bought the house.”
Why was he telling her that? Of course she knew the land had been subdivided. God, he was nervous.
“You bought the rest of my land?”
He nodded, noting she’d called the land hers, hoping before all was said and done she’d call him hers, too.
Her eyes shone blue as the cloudless sky, piercing him with regrets that he’d let her walk away from him. “Why?”
“Um, I think it’s time for us to head home,” Rosy said, linking her elbow with her husband’s and giving the others in the room a look that said for them to leave, too.
Darby turned, stared blankly at her sister-in-law and the others in the room. Clearly she’d forgotten they weren’t alone.
“Me, too,” Mandy said, walking over and giving Darby a quick hug. “Call me later to let me know what time you want me to come over and help finish this up. Bye, Blake. Trey, you ready?”
Mandy and Trey left. But, despite their womenfolk tugging on their arms, Darby’s brothers didn’t budge—just glared at Blake.
Did they know Darby was pregnant with his baby?
They’d been friendly enough outside, but that had been before Darby’s obvious surprise at seeing him. They’d thought she’d been expecting him. What had she told her family?
Did they all know what an idiot he’d been? That he’d let her leave Knoxville without telling her how he felt? That he’d let her leave without fighting for her—even after she’d given him her heart?
Literally.
Darby didn’t move, and neither did her brothers.
Blake met each of her brothers’ gazes, then hers. “Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”
Glaring, Jim crossed his arms. “Nothing you have to say to my sister that you can’t say to us.”
“It’s okay, guys,” Darby said, stepping forward and waving them off. “Y’all go on home. I’ll be by Mom and Dad’s later for dinner. I’ll see you there.”
“We finished the deck—was just coming in to get you to inspect it,” Ralph said, his gaze not leaving Blake.
Darby nodded. “I’ll walk out with you guys and take a quick look before y’all leave.” She glanced toward Blake, her expression unreadable. “Blake can wait here.”
He watched through the large window as she walked to the boat dock with her family, noting that her brothers glanced back toward the house repeatedly, and that Rosy kept a tight hold on her husband’s arm.
When the group finally left, Darby didn’t come back inside. Instead she sat down on the dock. With her arms wrapped around her legs, her chin resting on her knees, she stared out at the lake as if the weight of the world was upon her.
Blake figured he was that weight.
What was Blake doing here? What did it mean that he’d bought the rest of the Donahue estate? She’d known he had some family money, but surely not enough to afford all that property connected to the lake and her place? The price had been astronomical.
What did she want his buying the rest of her land to mean?
Ha, that was a trick question.
She wanted it to mean he loved her and had come to sweep her off her feet and marry her.
But if he proposed, did that really mean he loved her? Or just that he’d been hit by a wave of guilt, or responsibility or whatever, and wanted to give their