ISAAC MACALLISTER'S life revolves around building his business and doing his best to give his daughter Sara a strong sense of family. Over the years he's had to learn how to keep their little family together on his own, but this Christmas Isaac is g...
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"You're seriously going to let her just ... walk away?" The disbelief in James's voice was clear.
"That's not what I said." Isaac clenched his jaw. What did his brother know, anyway? He and Carly were happily married, and James had no idea what it felt like to have the person you'd committed to spending your life with just pack up and leave you. "She has a life that doesn't involve Rivers End. If she stays, it's got to be her choice."
"You're an idiot. Jenna clearly likes it here, and gets along great with Sara. It's obvious you're crazy about her. How is she supposed to know that staying is an option if you don't even bring it up?"
Isaac took his frustration out on the snow, shovelling faster than before. He wasn't an idiot. He knew Jenna was exactly what he and Sara needed in their lives. But it wasn't fair to ask her to give up all her plans and move to Rivers End, just to be with them.
"Drop it, James. I don't want to talk about it."
"Fine, but I still think you're an idiot."
Isaac resisted the urge to bash his brother in the head with the snow shovel. They finished clearing the rest of the driveway in silence.
Isaac had some serious thinking to do. He considered relocating to the city, but quickly dismissed that idea. He couldn't give up the lodge. It was the best way to combine making a living with taking care of Sara, and it was their home. He knew that was why his dad had asked him to come and help out when Lauren had left. He'd needed work with flexible hours, somewhere he could be right there for his little girl. Dad had needed someone with a strong back to take on some of the heavier work around the place.
When his dad had passed away the previous year, Isaac had taken over completely. They were just getting settled into a routine again. No, he couldn't uproot Sara and take her away from the only home she'd ever known.
His brother was right about one thing. He was an idiot if he let Jenna leave without at least telling her how he felt.
*
Jenna found Isaac out back chopping wood while Sara was inside spending some quality time with her aunts and cousin. She crutched her way out to the back porch, and took a moment to watch Isaac and enjoy the way his muscles bunched with each swing of the axe. A mental flash of him chopping wood—without his shirt—had her grinning. It was a bit chilly for that at the moment, but she was willing to bet that come summertime her fantasy would become a reality. And now, there was a chance she'd get to see it in real life.
Jenna was well aware she was making a leap that many would call crazy. Her family would freak out when they discovered she had no intention of coming back to the city. Her mother hated small towns with a passion. But that might just be the perfect solution. She would be free to start her new life with minimal interference, and the bulk of her cash would be tied up in real estate, which would make it impossible for her brother to get his hands on it. The allure of an anonymous place in the city had seemed like a good idea. She liked the idea of renting the condo out even better. Rivers End was already feeling more like home than Vancouver ever had—and she'd lived there for five years.
