They were on their way out, walking through the historic hotel’s lobby, when Sophie suddenly clutched his arm. “She’s here,” Sophie whispered, clearly panicked.
“Who?” Joe asked, his gaze sweeping the lobby with the columns, dark paneling, and polished marble floor.
“Sarah.” Sophie’s voice cracked. “My sister is here.”
Everyone had stopped walking, and they were all looking at her. “Is that a bad thing?” he asked, bewildered.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She shook her head, eyes wide and luminous in her starkly pale face. “I can’t do this,” she choked. “I can’t do this here—”
“We’ll just all walk on out,” his mom said. “We’ll just keep going.”
Joe wanted to ask Sophie what was going on, but his mom gave him a sharp look and he took her elbow again and continued escorting her out.
They waited on the curb while valet brought their car around, and Sophie stared out the window, heartsick, during the drive home. It wasn’t until they were back on the ranch that Sophie sought Joe out to speak to him alone.
“Remember how I told you that my fiancé broke off the engagement with me, just days before the wedding?” she said, her voice faint and unsteady.
He nodded, his gaze riveted to her pale face.
She chewed her lip for a moment and then blurted, “Leo ended things with me because he was in love with my sister Sarah. Two months later, Leo and Sarah married on Valentine’s Day.”
No wonder she’d been so heartsick. “That’s why you wanted to get away from your family.”
She nodded. “It wasn’t just Leo I lost. I lost them… all of them. My family embraced Leo. They accepted him into the family as if nothing had happened. I just felt so betrayed. I felt like I had no family.”
“Which is why Montana appealed.”
She nodded again. “I wanted to get away. I wanted to start over. And thanks to you, I have.”
“And your sister is here now.”
“With Leo,” she added, her voice nearly inaudible.
“What?”
“I suspect she’s worried about me. She’s been calling, trying to make amends—”
“And you’re not taking her calls.”
“But why would she bring Leo to Marietta with her? Why would she do that to me?” Tears suddenly filled her eyes. “I don’t want to see her. I don’t know what to say to her. We were close growing up but I’ll never trust her again. Maybe that’s harsh, but it’s how I feel.
“Sarah was my best friend growing up, but I just feel so betrayed.”
“It hasn’t been that long, either. It’s not even been six months since Leo deserted you.”
“Two months since they married.”
Joe could feel his temper stirring, his mood darkening. “Have you and Sarah talked at all?”
Sophie hesitated then shook her head. “Not really. I mean, what are we supposed to say? What can she say? She’s sorry? So, okay, she’s sorry, but Leo wasn’t hers. She was free to fall in love with anyone she wanted… just not my man.”
Her man.
Joe felt as if he’d just been punched in the gut. His pulse quickened, the anger thick, heavy. “I hope you hold Leo equally responsible.”
“Oh, I do. He’s not innocent. Not at all.”
“And now they’ve tracked you down to Montana.”
“It seems so,” she said, blinking back tears. “I wish they hadn’t. I don’t want to see either of them.”
“What if Sarah had come to you on her own? Would you feel differently?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. It’s just all too raw, too soon.” Sophie drew a sharp breath. “I don’t want her pity. I’m sick of pity, and sympathy.”
“How would she even know to come here?”
“I sent a group text last Monday night with a photo of us, saying that I’d found my heart in Montana and we were getting married this coming Sunday.”
“So she’s come for the wedding?”
“A week early? I don’t think so.”
“Then why is she here?”
Her gaze met his, expression deeply troubled. “My gut says they’ve come to stop the wedding.”
“So what do you want to do?” he asked. “Are you going to hide here on the ranch, or face her in town?”
Sophie closed her eyes. “Face her in town.”
“When?”
“Today, I guess? I’ll text her and see if she’s free this afternoon.”
“If she is, do you want me to go with you? Could you use backup?”
“Nothing dramatic is going to happen, but yes, it’d be great to have you there. At least that way I won’t feel outnumbered.”
*
The meeting with Sarah didn’t go the way Sophie planned. For one, they were meeting in a corner of the Graff lobby. For another, Sophie and Sarah had no opportunity to speak alone together. Leo was glued to Sarah’s side, sharing a love seat, holding her hand, or wrapping his hand around the back of her neck, or more annoying, rubbing her neck.
Leo had never once rubbed Sophie’s neck, which was fine, because Sophie didn’t want or need her neck rubbed, but it was just so weird and so uncomfortable seeing Sarah and Leo together that Sophie couldn’t concentrate on the conversation.
“I still don’t know what you’re doing here,” Sophie said when conversation died and she sensed she was supposed to say something.
“Mom was worried about you,” Sarah said. “Everyone’s worried about you—”
“Because I’m getting married?” Sophie interrupted. “I would think everyone would be happy for me seeing how hurt I was.”
“Maybe that’s just it,” Sarah said, darting a nervous glance at Joe who was standing behind Sophie’s chair. “We don’t know Joe, although he seems quite nice, and then we weren’t invited to the wedding.”
“His mom wanted to invite you,” Sophie said tartly, “it was my choice not to.”
Sarah sighed. “How do you think that made our mom feel?”
“Mom wouldn’t have come anyway. She’s terrified of flying, and won’t get on a little plane. And you have to get on a little plane.” Sophie counted to five, and then ten. “And maybe one day you and I will get past this, Sarah. But if you seriously want to get past this, you need to leave Leo home.”
Sarah made a soft gasping sound which made Sophie roll her eyes.
“You are not the injured party here, Sarah—”
“And I’m tired of you being the victim,” Sarah cried. “You didn’t really love Leo. You were marrying him because it was good for your career—”
“Is that how you’ve justified your actions?” Sophie interrupted, rising.
Sarah rose, too. “The point is, I love Leo and I’m happy. And you love Joe and you’re happy. Can’t we please put this behind us? Can’t we try to move forward?”
“Is that what you want?”
“Yes!”
“Then fine. We will move forward. I don’t enjoy being upset with you, and will work on letting the anger go. Please give everyone my love at home. Tell them you met Joe, and I’m happy and all is good. Okay?”