Tom tensed, realizing with a considerable amount of discomfort that she was right. His conscience was troubling him. And he had a feeling that a conversation wasn’t going to cure his problem.
‘I did what I thought was right at the time.’
‘Right for her or right for you?’ Bryony put her hands on her hips, her expression disapproving, and Jack frowned.
‘Bry, this really isn’t our business.’
Bryony ignored him, her eyes still on her brother. ‘You drove her away and now you’re expecting her to be pleased to see you again.’
‘I’m not expecting that.’ Tom cursed softly and ran a hand over the back of his neck. ‘And I didn’t drive her away. She left.’
‘Because of you! Because you didn’t want her and she couldn’t live in this small community alongside a man who’d rejected her. Do you know your problem?’ Bryony glared at him. ‘You just can’t bear the fact that there’s a woman in the world who doesn’t think you’re God’s answer to romance. You broke Sally’s heart but you want her to say, “That’s fine, Tom.” Well, it isn’t fine!’
Tom’s eyes narrowed. ‘You’re being emotional about this.’
Bryony gave a growl of feminine frustration. ‘And you’re being ice cold, as usual! Show a modicum of sensitivity here, Tom Hunter! You decided you didn’t want her. End of story.’
It wasn’t the end of the story.
Not by a long way.
It had been so much more complicated than that.
‘You should have told me she was back.’
‘Why would I do that? I assumed it would be of no interest to you.’
Tom gritted his teeth. ‘Sally and I were together for almost three years, for goodness’ sake. Of course I would have been interested in the fact that she was back.’
‘You drove her away, so I assumed her return was a matter of the same indifference to you.’
Tom closed his eyes briefly and muttered something under his breath. ‘Whose side are you on?’
‘Sally’s,’ Bryony replied sweetly. ‘And if you want my opinion, she should have blacked your eye seven years ago when she found you with that—that—tart!’
Jack winced. ‘Sweetheart, you—’
‘Don’t sweetheart me!’ Bryony glared at her husband. ‘Tom behaved horribly to Sally.’
‘I wasn’t with anyone,’ Tom gritted, ‘I went on one date with another woman, that’s all! One date and it was after Sally and I had split up. After we’d agreed to see other people.’
‘You’d agreed to see other people,’ Bryony reminded him coldly. ‘Sally was so devastated she just sat in her flat broken into tiny pieces.’
Tom winced at the description. ‘It was the wrong time for both of us and we were in
an impossible situation, Bry, as you would realize if you took the emotion out of it and looked at it logically.’
‘And if you took the logic out of it and looked at it emotionally, you might stand some chance of sustaining a relationship with a woman!’ Bryony glared at him. ‘You threw away something really special. You’re as bad as Jack!’
‘Hey!’ Jack put a hand on his chest, totally affronted. ‘I married you!’
Bryony breathed out heavily. ‘Only because I told you some home truths,’ she said bluntly. ‘If I’d left it to you, you’d still be dating half of Cumbria. You were so afraid of emotional involvement I virtually had to tie you up and beat you before you’d agree that you loved me.’
Jack gave her a sexy wink. ‘I’m not sure you should be revealing the details of our bedroom antics to your brother, darling.’
Bryony pulled a face. ‘What I’m saying, as you well know, is that both of you have spent the best part of your adult lives avoiding commitment. Of course Sally doesn’t want a conversation with you, Tom. Why would she? You lost that right when you started dating other people.’
Tom sighed. ‘You make it sound like a crime, but we weren’t together any more, Bry.’