Free Her Minnesota Man (A Christian Romance Novel) by Brenda Coulter Page B

wasn't, since he didn't believe in God.
    "Laney, I am not selling the house."
    "I know there's no reason for you to keep it." The property he'd inherited from his father had no claim on Jeb's heart. "And I know you think it's too much work for me." Her voice had begun to wobble, so she drew a steadying breath. "But if you sell it, you might never come back to Owatonna."
    "Why wouldn't I   .   .   ." His words trailed off as his mystified expression gave way to surprise. "You think that house is what brought me back to Owatonna?"
    "Jeb, I don't know what to think." All she knew was that spending time with her no longer seemed to be a priority in his life. "I hardly know you anymore."
    "You know me," he insisted in a voice that was oceans deep.
    "Not anymore." She shook her head and then couldn't seem to stop shaking it. "I don't know anything anymore."
    "Come here."
    He pulled her into an awkward sideways hug. The rigid arm of the otherwise fluffy chair dug into her ribs and she felt a painful twinge in her shoulder, but she was too upset to protest.
    "That house isn't my home," he murmured into her hair. " You are."
    Oh, really? She lifted her face to glare at him. He had some nerve, pretending nothing had changed when everything had changed.
    "You haven't seen me in more than a year," she accused. "And not counting last night, when was the last time you called? Do you even remember?"
    "Yes, I remember!" he snapped. Letting her go, he sat back on his heels and rubbed his forehead as though his head ached. Then he closed his eyes and repeated the words in a dejected, barely audible tone, "Believe me, I remember."
    An awful suspicion settled over Laney. "You've been staying away on purpose?"
    He winced and averted his face. It was all the confirmation she needed.
    She had to tilt her head to recapture his gaze. "Don't I deserve an explanation?"
    He just stared back at her, pleading with his eyes for her to let it go, but she couldn't do that. If he wouldn't tell her what was wrong, how were they ever going to fix it?
    "Jeb, please ."
    Finally, he nodded. But when he again turned his face away from her, she was gripped by a foreboding that made her want to cover her ears and protect herself from hearing the explanation she'd demanded.
    "You call me your best friend," he said slowly. "But that doesn't quite explain what's between us, does it? Do you really think a husband will accept that?" He rose to his feet and rubbed his forehead again. "Laney, we're not kids anymore. Our relationship has to change."
    "No!" Her voice broke on the word, but somehow she got the rest out. "Besides, you just said I was your h-home."
    "I shouldn't have said it. Things aren't that simple anymore." A bitter smile bent his lips. "We're all grown up, Laney. And this—" He spread his arms in a vague gesture that suggested he, too, was frustrated. "This is how life works. Kids grow up and move on."
    "Well, sometimes life stinks," she muttered.
    "Yeah." He walked over to the window. Bracing his hands on the sill, he slumped forward, his shoulders rounding as his chin sank toward his chest. "Sometimes it does."
    Observing his defeated posture, Laney silently berated herself. Her happiness wasn't Jeb's responsibility; he had his own dreams to follow. It wasn't right to make him feel guilty for leaving her behind.
    He raised his head and fixed a hard gaze on something outside the window. "My calendar's clear for the immediate future," he said. "I'll stay for a while and do my best to help you get settled. But when I go, Laney, I won't be back for a long time, and I won't be calling you much, either." Sliding his hands from the sill, he turned to face her. "Tell me you can accept that."
    Laney opened her mouth to protest, but then thought better of it. She'd save this fight for later, when she wasn't so annoyed with him and she'd worked out the best way to make him understand that if he had just called her once in a while, his emotions wouldn't have