‘But you have been thinking about it?’ January persisted.
‘Yes,’ her sister sighed. ‘And now that you’ve lost your job, and we have an offer on the farm, anyway… It all seems to be leading to one thing. Maybe this is what we’re supposed to do
. I don’t know, January. I just don’t know.’ She gave a weary shake of her head.
January knew that she would personally hate having to tell Max that they had changed their mind about accepting Jude Marshall’s offer, would hate even more the look of triumph that would be on his face once he had been told. But, at the same time, May deserved her chance at success, didn’t she…?
‘Let’s see what March thinks about it all, hmm?’ January prompted, although she was pretty sure March would be of the same mind as herself.
As sisters they had always looked out for each other, but May had always been the mainstay of the family, the one who took the most responsibility; it was only fair that she be given the chance to do something totally for herself.
Having Max arrive at the farm later that afternoon, to inform them that he was returning to America in the morning, along with a recommendation to Jude Marshall that he work his plans for the health and country club around the Calendar farm, was not something either she or May could have envisaged!
But he was intelligent enough to realize that neither January nor May was exactly thrilled by the news, looking at them both with narrowed eyes as the three of them stood in the warm kitchen. ‘That was what you wanted, wasn’t it?’ he rasped.
‘It was, yes,’ May was the one to answer guardedly.
‘January?’ Max bit out tautly, blue gaze compelling.
She met that gaze reluctantly, very aware of how disturbingly attractive he looked in the dark business suit and white shirt he was wearing today. Even more aware of the things she had said to him the previous evening—and the huge backdown they were probably about to make.
But it was for May, wasn’t it…?
‘It was what we wanted, yes,’ she confirmed slowly.
His gaze narrowed. ‘But you have since changed your mind?’ he guessed shrewdly.
January looked pleadingly at May, knowing she couldn’t do this. She just couldn’t!
‘We’re—thinking about it, yes,’ her sister told Max dismissively.
Max looked at the two of them disbelievingly, shaking his head, obviously completely baffled by this seeming about-face on their part.
As well he might be, January acknowledged with an inward wince.
Women, would he ever understand them? Max wondered dazedly as he looked at January and May.
He hadn’t slept at all the previous night, had gone over and over in his mind the things January had said to him, punishing himself for his own determination never to let anyone into his life, never to care about anyone enough for them to be able to hurt him.
Because January had hurt him the night before. Had hurt him more than he had ever been hurt before.
Finally, he had known that the only thing left for him to do was to go back to America, to explain the situation to Jude, and let him take over from there, if he cared to. One thing Max was very sure of: he couldn’t do this any more…
And now, it seemed, the Calendar sisters had changed their mind about selling, after all!
Without being invited to do so—he would probably wait all day if he expected any politeness from January!—he sat down abruptly in one of the kitchen chairs. ‘Would someone mind telling me what is going on?’ he prompted wearily—and not only from lack of sleep.
‘Here, have some coffee.’ May poured some from the pot into a mug and placed it in front of him.
A double whisky would probably have been more beneficial, Max decided with a grimace, but sipped the hot coffee anyway. ‘Well?’ he finally prompted when neither sister seemed inclined to add anything.
‘I only said we’re thinking about it, Max,’ May reminded impatiently. ‘Circumstances have changed—’
‘So January informed me, only too volubly, last night!’ He nodded tersely.
May shot January a sharply questioning look, January answering with a warning shake of her head.
‘January being temporarily out of a job wasn’t the circumstances you were talking about,’ Max realized slowly, gaze narrowing speculatively. ‘Care to tell me about it?’ he prompted lightly.