"I'm tired. Can we talk tomorrow?"
"Please, Megan. I need a minute."
With a deep breath, she opened the door. A sad and scared look confronted her. "Is Faith okay?" she asked.
"Yes. She's on crutches with her knee and ankle bandaged. In a few days she'll be running around."
"Good. Now I can kill you."
"Why?"
"You offered Clay a job." Her voice held bitterness and contempt.
"He's a great handy man and I could use his help."
She shook her head. "Brett, he stole from you."
"People change."
"Not Clay," she said, closing the door before Brett said another word. "This situation is going from bad to worse. I actually had hope for myself, and now Clay's back and I don't know which way is up." She rested against the door and exhaled. The tension remained. "I'll avoid Clay. There's no other solution." Before she could rest for the evening, she needed to apologize to Brett. No one knew her deep feelings for Colby, therefore how could she blame Brett for making a business decision.
On the way to the house, Megan practiced her apology. Seeing Brett leaned over the porch railing, a sad puppy dog look on his face pushed the words aside. "Hey," she said.
"Hi." A tear glistened in his eye.
"Brett?" Before her hand touched his arm, he pulled her into a bear hug and cried. They held each other, neither saying a word. He pulled away and sniffled. "I thought I had lost her. Bridget ran into camp screaming, and horrible thoughts raced through my mind. She mentioned Faith and my worst fears came to the forefront. Why had I brought her here? Why did I let her take them out there alone?"
Megan snickered. "This is her home, Brett. She knows these woods, as well as Gray Cloud. She had an accident. A minor accident."
He wiped his eyes and nose with his red bandana. "How do I keep her from harm?"
"Love her. Respect her. Know when danger is lurking. Listen to your heart, it will tell you when you need to protect her. Until then, let her live her life as she lets you live yours. Don't let your paranoia keep her locked away. She'll grow to resent you, and you'll lose the woman you love." Megan paused, letting Brett focus on the words.
"Tell me something. What first attracted you to her?" she asked.