But, dammit, how dare she argue with him about one of his kids? Couldn't she at least have given him credit to know his own field? He had a goddamned doctorate in adolescent psychology, he thought bleakly, and she had accused him of knowing nothing about kids simply because he hadn't fathered any!
Maybe it was best just to let it end this way. He hoped that his friendship with Summer wouldn't be affected after Spring left. He was going to need that friendship now more than he ever had before.
Yes, best to let it end. Before they hurt each other even more than they already had.
He dropped his chin to his chest. Oh, God, Spring. Don't leave me.
* * *
Spring folded the last item of clothing and placed it neatly in her suitcase, then closed the lid and firmly snapped the locks. Another suitcase sat at her feet and beside it a third, borrowed from Summer. She was taking home quite a bit more than she'd arrived with, thanks to those pleasant shopping trips she and her sister had made during her visit. She only wished she'd spent more time with her sister and less time with the man who'd managed to break her heart, she thought sorrowfully, then immediately called herself a liar. No matter how deep the pain of her loss, and it was agonizingly deep, she couldn't bring herself to regret one moment of the time she'd spent with Clay.
"I have one more thing for you to take home with you," Summer announced from the doorway, entering the room with her oddly graceful limp. In her arms she bore a large, battered Winnie the Pooh.
Spring smiled in surprise. "Pooh Bear! Gosh, I haven't seen him in years."
"Still looks great, doesn't he?" Summer asked, fondly eyeing the badly bedraggled stuffed toy. "Considering that he was yours, then mine, then Autumn's, it's a miracle that he's still in one piece. Well, mostly in one piece."
"Yes, he's still missing an ear, thanks to our fiery-tempered baby sister. How did he end up in California?"
"Autumn gave him back to me when I left Arkansas. She didn't want me to be lonely. Now I want you to take him back to Arkansas for the same reason. He's a great friend."
Spring had determined r
ight after her quarrel with Clay that she wouldn't cry in front of her sister, but she found herself forcing back tears at Summer's gesture. "All right, I'll take him," she said softly. "Thanks."
Summer nodded. "Derek's ready to leave for the airport anytime you are. Sure you don't want me to go along?"
"No, you have your class late this afternoon, and there's no need for you to miss it. You've skipped enough classes while I've been here."
"None that really mattered."
"Still, it's better this way. I hate airport goodbyes."
"Me, too," Summer confessed. "You'll call?"
"I'll call. And write."
"You'd better." Summer reached out and hugged her sister fiercely. "I love you, Sis. I'm so glad you came."
"Me, too." Spring returned the hug with equal vehemence. "Your husband is a terrific guy. Summer Anderson. I'm very happy for you both."
"Spring..." Summer hesitated, then spoke bravely. "Why don't you call him?"
Spring immediately shook her head. "No."
"Are you still that angry with him?"
"No." It was true; she wasn't. She knew how deeply he cared about his kids. She still thought she'd been entitled to her own opinion, but she saw Clay's point, too. And, she added sadly, if he'd wanted to talk to her, he would have called. "No, I'm not angry. But it's better this way."
And it was, she tried to convince herself on the way to the airport. The relationship between her and Clay had been ill-fated from the beginning. She'd known from her first glance at him that, though he was attractive and fascinating, he wasn't for her. But, God, it hurt.
"You're really going to hold that bear all the way to Little Rock?" Derek asked doubtfully as Spring prepared to board her plane. She'd checked her other luggage, but she clung to Pooh with gentle determination.
"Yes. We'll be fine, Derek."
"Sure?" His raw, deep voice was gentle, as were his searching pewter-gray eyes.
"Yes, I'm sure."