Harlequin Love Inspired March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Patrice Lewis (best large ereader .txt) 📕

“You don’t have to treat me with kid gloves, Gabe,” he snapped.

“If that’s the case, I’m just going to ask… What’s bugging you?” Gabe asked. “From what you’ve said, you and Ella are just friends.”

“We are, but I can’t pretend I don’t wish something deeper has been brewing between us,” Connor said.

“Don’t be that guy, okay? Just because she had a man visit her, you can’t assume it was romantic,” Gabe said. “Don’t let a misunderstanding get in the way of something terrific.”

Although he was experiencing a little spurt of jealousy, that wasn’t the main issue. The bigger question was why hadn’t Ella told him a friend was flying into Owl Creek. Why were there so many things about her past she seemed to be hiding? Just who was Ella Perez? Gabe’s mention of the mysterious visitor to Owl Creek was the final straw. He’d allowed his feelings for Ella to cloud his judgment. He had suspected something was off with her since the very beginning.

“It’s not just that,” he said, letting out a deep sigh. “There’s a dozen reasons why I couldn’t allow myself to get involved with Ella. I would’ve had to push past every single doubt I had and allowed my heart to rule my head. And trust me, there have been times when I wanted to do just that.”

“We thought you’d put those issues to rest,” Hank said. “I guess we assumed since the two of you were spending a lot of time together that you trusted her. Even in a friendship that’s important.”

“To be honest, the doubts never went away. Maybe I was just fooling myself, thinking it wasn’t necessary to have full disclosure in a friendship. I can’t explain how overwhelming it is. It feels like a tidal wave is crashing over me.” He ran a shaky hand over his face.

“Talk to her,” Gabe said. “Tell her how you feel. Straighten things out before it festers, Connor.”

“I second that,” Hank added. “If you want to squash these reservations, put it all out there. Don’t leave anything unsaid. If she’s as special as you believe, she’ll have answers for you.”

Connor nodded. “Thanks. That’s exactly what I intend to do. And there’s no time like the present.” He gritted his teeth. “I need answers. And I need them now.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Despite Gabe’s and Hank’s attempts to settle his nerves, Connor hadn’t been able to calm down. He hadn’t been able to eat his breakfast and he’d bolted from the diner as soon as the tab was paid. He didn’t even bother calling Ella before showing up at her house. They’d talked last night, and she’d told him she was going to be running some errands, but Connor was just going to take a chance she’d be there. When he pulled up, he spotted her truck outside the house, serving as confirmation that she was inside.

Finding out about her mysterious guest had caused something inside of him to crack wide-open. For the entire time Ella had been in Owl Creek, Connor had questioned her truthfulness. Now it felt like she’d smacked him straight in the face with her evasions.

Was he blowing things out of proportion? He didn’t want to barge into her house spewing accusations. His fervent hope was that she would have a simple answer to his question that would quell all of his uncertainties.

Lord, please give me clarity. I’m so confused right now, and I don’t want to let anger cloud my objective. I need answers from Ella. I want the truth. Please grant me the strength to deal with whatever she might tell me.

When he knocked on the door, Ella answered it with a look of surprise mixed with joy etched on her face. “Connor! I wasn’t expecting you. Come on in,” she said. Ella was treating him like a treasured guest, and it gutted him.

This wasn’t a friendly visit. He’d come here seeking answers, and he wasn’t going to allow her to deflect or steer him away from his purpose.

“Can I get you anything? I made some biscuits earlier and—”

“No,” he said quickly, cutting her off. He needed to talk to her before he lost his nerve. There was something about Ella that always made him feel badly about questioning her. “I’ve already had breakfast at the diner. I need to talk to you about something.”

“All right,” she said. “Why don’t we go to the living room and sit down?”

Connor trailed after her, all the while thinking of what he wanted to say. When Ella sat down on the couch, he resisted the urge to sit next to her. Instead he sat in a high-backed chair across from her.

“Is everything okay? You seem upset.”

He inhaled a calming breath. “I heard something earlier from Gabe. He said you had a visitor fly in from out of town. Is that true?” He was watching her reaction carefully, eager to see her response.

Ella looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She was staring at him with big eyes and picking idly at her long-sleeved shirt. “Yes, it’s true,” she said in a halting voice.

“Who is he?”

“H-he’s a friend.”

His jaw clenched. So why hadn’t she told him? Why had it been such a secret?

He knitted his brows together. “From where? What’s his name?”

“Connor, what’s going on? Why are you grilling me like this?” She wiped her hand across her forehead. She appeared to be nervous. In his heart he’d wanted her to be calm, cool and collected with nothing kept secret.

His heart sank. She was getting defensive and not giving him any of the answers he so desperately needed. Perhaps he was springing this on her, but if she wasn’t keeping him in the dark it shouldn’t be a problem. And it wasn’t just this omission. There had been so many piling up for weeks now. He cared so very deeply about her. Getting to the truth was the only way they might ever have a chance