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Blair was having trouble not laughing. Ethan was hovering directly over Mia’s shoulder, closely watching her every move.
“Does it look bad?” he asked.
Mia shook her head. “Not really, although, Blair, you’re probably going to have a little scar here when it’s all done.” She looked at Ethan. “Now, please sit down. The doctor will be here soon.”
A few seconds later, an older woman entered the room. After looking at Blair’s cut, she and Mia got to work. Blair tensed as they began working on her forehead. Although the doctor was gentle, Blair couldn’t seem to relax. Ethan must have noticed her tension because he stood on the other side of the table and patted her hand until Mia shooed him away again. His gesture touched her more than she could say.
“I thought only the actors playing Prince Charming got hurt—first Justin, then Kyle. Blair, you’d think as the director you would’ve been safe. What happened?” Mia asked.
Blair briefly explained how she’d fallen through the railing on the back porch.
“So Prince Charming came to the rescue again. Good thing Ethan is staying at Justin’s place so he could drive you here,” Mia said.
“How did you know?” Ethan asked.
Mia laughed. “Um, Falling Star is a small town. Everyone knows everything. Plus, Ella told me. I saw her last week.” She gave Blair a pointed look. “Everyone seems to find it very interesting, too. Especially since you’re a handy guy to have around in case of emergency.”
An awkward silence fell on the room. Blair would have given anything to know what Ethan was thinking.
“Truthfully, I’m probably about as handy as an ant at a picnic—more an annoyance than a help,” he said.
Although Mia laughed at his comment, something in Ethan’s voice struck Blair as odd. Surely he couldn’t believe that he wasn’t a help to her. She wanted to look at him, but she couldn’t move. Did Ethan really think he could have somehow prevented the accident?
Well, he couldn’t have, although she was glad he’d been there tonight. Of course, soon he wouldn’t be. Even if she agreed to his idea of a long-distance relationship, she’d rarely see him. What had he said? That he could come to Falling Star once a month for a visit. They could date. But could she make do with that, with only seeing him occasionally?
Truthfully, she wasn’t certain. All she knew was she wanted to get out of this hospital quickly. She didn’t want to spend the last few hours she might have with Ethan in the emergency room.
After a few minutes, the doctor announced she was done. “There you go. Three brand-new stitches to show the neighbors.”
With that, the doctor hurried off. Mia stayed behind, finishing paperwork. “Everyone is going to want to see the wound when they hear how Ethan was around to rescue yet another damsel in distress.”
Anxious to leave, Blair asked, “Am I set to go?”
Mia quickly gave her a list of instructions on caring for the wound. Then she turned and shook Ethan’s hand.
“It’s been a pleasure meeting you,” Mia told him. “Looks like Blair picked the right man to play Prince Charming.”
With a quick smile at Blair and a promise to call her later, Mia left the room. Blair looked at Ethan but could tell nothing from his expression.
When everything was finally done, Blair said, “Let’s get out of here.” She started to climb off the examination table, and Ethan came over and helped her down. For just a second, she felt a tiny bit wobbly, but the sensation quickly passed. She thought about going upstairs to check on Justin, but since it was late, she’d wait until tomorrow.
On the way to his truck, she smiled at Ethan, her heart in her throat. “Well, this has been an interesting evening. Between the problems during the performance and spending the rest of the night in the emergency room, we didn’t have much of a chance to enjoy our last night together.”
Ethan opened the passenger door and helped her into the truck, then climbed into the driver’s seat. She felt her love for him tug at her heart. As far as she could tell, the best way to deal with this problem was head-on.
Turning slightly in her seat, she studied him. “My fall is not your fault, so stop blaming yourself.”
He turned his head to look at her. “What makes you think I’m blaming myself?”
His response surprised her. “You’re not?”
He started the truck, then kept his attention fixed on the road. “I guess not, but I think I could have done things differently.”
“Like what? I saw you working on the railing, but I leaned against it anyway. I fell. It was my fault. End of subject. But you can do something differently now—you can decide not to ruin the remaining hours we have left by punishing yourself,” she said, wishing she could see his expression clearly, but the truck was dark, with only the faint light from the dash.
He didn’t respond to her words. Instead, he asked, “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I feel like the klutz of the century, but other than that, I’m fine.” She reached over and laid her hand on his arm. “I really am fine, Ethan, so you can stop frowning. I hate to tell you this, but that wasn’t the first time I’ve fallen, and it won’t be the last. A few measly stitches are no big deal.”
“But what if I hadn’t been there to help you?” he asked as he pulled into the driveway, turning off the engine.
“Then I would have found a different way to the hospital.” With a smile, she added, “But just for the record, you were much more help than an ant at a picnic.”
**
ETHAN LEANED BACK IN his seat and studied Blair. She was smiling at him, trying to convince him she was okay. Intellectually, he knew she was fine, but he felt like the walls were closing in on him. He’d lived this scene before when he let Shelley down. He didn’t want to do the same thing to Blair.
He had to do what was right, not what he wanted.
“I’ve thought it over some more, and I don’t think we should keep seeing each other after I leave,” he said, feeling pain as he spoke those words but knowing that he was doing the right thing.
Blair’s smile faded, and she sighed. “Can we talk about this tomorrow? I’m not really up to it right now.”
He loved Blair, and he wasn’t about to let her settle for less than her dream of a family and a life in Falling Star. Unfortunately, that was all he had to offer.
But she was tired, and she was right—they could talk this over in the morning.
The conversation could wait.
**
BLAIR WOKE WITH A START, her heart pounding with fear. For a second, she was consumed by a wave of panic. Then slowly, the reality of her room seeped through, and she started to calm down. She couldn’t remember what she’d been dreaming, but based on how frightened she’d been, she could guess.
Ethan. In a few hours he would be gone from her life. Blair sighed and sat up, drawing her knees under her. When they got home from the hospital, he said he didn’t think they should see each other after he left. She could probably change his mind, but how could she see Ethan only once a month . . . or even less?
Sure, she could do it for a while. But what about a year from now? Or two? Ethan had made it clear he didn’t intend to settle down in Falling Star. That meant having a long-distance relationship with him would only be postponing the inevitable. Sooner or later, she’d have to let him go.
Maybe he was right. Maybe they should just forget the whole idea and end things now. Love for him filled her, but was love enough? It didn’t give her the right to ask him to change his mind. And to be honest, she didn’t want to settle for less than a man who wanted the same things she did.
For too many years, she’d dreamed of belonging somewhere, surrounded by people who cared about her. Blair knew her brother and even her father cared about her in their own way, but those relationships were different. She wanted love. She wanted a man to be part of her life.
Ethan was right. A long-distance relationship wouldn’t work. Sure, at first, she’d look forward to his visits. But eventually, seeing the man she loved only a few days out of each year would only remind her of what she was missing. She couldn’t live like that.
After getting out of bed, Blair dressed and walked to the kitchen slowly, refusing to give in to the threatening tears. She would not cry today. Tears might make Ethan feel guilty, which was the last thing she wanted to do. No, she had to be an adult about this. Sometimes certain people just weren’t meant to be together. As painful as it was, she knew she wasn’t meant to be with Ethan.
She had to accept that fact. Wishing life could be different didn’t make it so. And love didn’t give you the right to destroy the dreams and plans of the other person. The kind of love Blair believed in was supportive, nurturing. Not destructive.
Someday, she’d find the right man, and they’d build a life together. But that day wouldn’t be today. And that man wouldn’t be Ethan. Sure, she knew he cared about her. He might even love her. But he wasn’t right for her.
Blair tacked a smile firmly on her face and headed across the backyard to Justin’s apartment. Ethan unlocked the door following her knock. He was talking on the phone. He smiled at her as she entered the apartment. His smile had a sadness to it that was no doubt reflected in her own. He waved her over to his side and inspected the bandage on her forehead while he listened to the person on the other end of the phone.
“I figure I should be there tomorrow,” he said into the receiver. “Yeah. I’m looking forward to it, too. I appreciate this opportunity.”
Listening to his words, Blair refused to be depressed. She should be happy for Ethan. This contract was a real coup for him. Still, it was an effort to stand there, listening to him tell the person on the other end how anxious he was to get to the ranch. Oh, she knew he didn’t mean the words personally. He wasn’t running away from her, not the way Marshall had. He was going toward his future.
So she forced herself to tuck the hurt into a little corner of her heart, somewhere far away where it wouldn’t spoil her last day with this man.
After Ethan finished his conversation and hung up the phone, he studied her, his expression serious. “I think we need to talk about us.”
Knowing he was right, Blair went over to the kitchen table and sat, steeling herself. “Sure. Let’s talk.”
Ethan grabbed his coffee cup off the counter. Nodding toward the pot, he asked, “Want some? I can’t believe you can have a decent conversation in the morning without caffeine.”
She was already way too jittery, so she shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Ethan settled in the chair across from her, his gaze fixed for several long moments on his coffee mug. When he finally looked up at her, he wore the same sad expression he’d had when she first entered the kitchen.
Leaning toward her, he said, “Did I ever tell you my father was the mayor of Massey Falls, the town where I grew up?”
Blair shook her head. “No.”
“Well, he was. Every time an election rolled around, Dad would be elected again. Once or twice, someone ran against him, but most of the time, no one even tried. My father was incredibly popular with the people in town. He’d been the quarterback in high school, married the prom queen, opened a local business, and helped pump money into the community.”
“A hometown hero?”
“Oh, yeah, for a while. Until his first couple of marriages fell apart. Then the folks in town weren’t too crazy about him. The same thing happened with my mom. Her friends sort of drifted away. But no matter what my mom and dad did, all their relationships seemed doomed. But that didn’t stop either of them from pushing Shelley at me.”
A clearer picture of his childhood formed in Blair’s mind. “Why?”
His laughter was hollow. “I’m not really sure. But they thought it would be a great idea if we got married. I guess like the rest of the town, they expected us to fall in love. Maybe in their own way they thought the town would accept them again if I married Shelley. I felt kind of guilty when things didn’t work out.”
“I think most children feel the need to live up to the expectations of their parents,” Blair said softly.
“I know. They do. And so did I, for a while. But after we called off the engagement, I learned how quickly people can turn against you when you don’t live up to those expectations.”
“The people in town?” she asked, knowing where this conversation was leading and dreading it.
“Yeah. But what really bothered me was even though my parents had wanted me to marry Shelley, they didn’t seem at all surprised when our engagement ended. I think they knew all along I had the same rotten luck the two of them had when it came to love.”
Blair felt sad that he thought he had bad luck. “You don’t really believe that, do you? Their broken marriages aren’t about luck.”
Ethan rubbed his hand over his chin. “I’m not so sure, Blair. I really believe some people just don’t have what it takes to make love last.”
Blair felt tears gather in her eyes. “Oh, Ethan. Don’t you think you can work at love to make it last?”
“I’ve never seen much evidence of that.”
Blair sighed, unsure how to prove him wrong. “You can’t go through life thinking you’re incapable of making a relationship work. If you do, you’ll always be alone.”
Uncertainty showed clearly in Ethan’s eyes. “Blair, the reason I told you this was so you would understand why I can’t stay in Falling Star with you. This small-town lifestyle isn’t for me.” He smiled wanly. “Not that you’ve asked me to stay.”
His quiet voice pierced straight to her heart. “I’d ask you if I thought you could,” she said softly.
“And I’d ask you to come with me if I thought you could, but you couldn’t, could you, Blair? You couldn’t spend your life moving from town to town.”
He was right. That sort of life would eat at her very soul. She wanted to be someplace where she belonged. She couldn’t simply drift around. Not even for Ethan.
“I couldn’t do it,” she admitted to him. “I loved growing up in this town, and now that I’m back, I realize this is the place where I belong. I can’t simply walk away. I wish I could. You have no idea how I wish I could. But I know I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“I know, honey. I understand, and I’d never want to make you unhappy. I wish I were a different man, one who could offer you the life you want. The life you deserve. But it’s just not in me.”
Blair tried to memorize this moment. Without saying the words, Ethan had just admitted he loved her. Just as she’d admitted the same to him. Blair had learned in the last few days that love was so much more than what you did for the other person; it was also what you didn’t do. The choices you didn’t force them to make showed how much you loved them.
Holding back her tears, Blair moved to his side of the table and gave him a soft kiss. Normally, their kisses were about desire and caring, but not this time. The kiss they shared this time was about saying goodbye.