Cleaning up from breakfast the next morning, Shay was on edge. Knowing she was going to walk away into an unknown future had her nerves singing. Not to mention the fact that after today she would never see Josh again. Even though she was uncertain about his true character, she’d really grown to like him, maybe she’d even started falling for him.

Didn’t matter. She had to go. She couldn’t pretend like there could be a future between the two of them. She didn’t know enough about him, what he was hiding. All she knew was that ever since he’d come for her that first day he’d been nothing but kind to her. Plus he was so attractive, so strong, so…

She had to stop thinking about him like that. She couldn’t let herself get that close to him. Not without revealing her deepest, darkest secret—that she’d just escaped an abusive relationship. If Josh knew that, would it change the way he saw her? She hated that idea. She wanted him to see her as she was, not as the woman she’d been.

No, she had to go. She had to do this on her own, remake herself into the woman she’d been on the way to becoming before Will had stepped into her life. Then she’d be ready for a relationship. Of course Josh would be long out of the picture by then.

Sadness at that realization swept over her, but she had to move forward with her plan despite the difficulty of leaving.

“What do we need to do in the garden today?” Josh asked as he came into the kitchen.

“Just, uh, just water it.” She turned to look at him. “It needs to be watered every day, especially as the weather gets hotter.” Why was she acting like that? It was almost as if she was broadcasting that she wouldn’t be there to do the watering.

“Okay,” he said, his forehead furrowed. “Do you need any help?”

“No.” The syllable came out quickly, so she smiled to soften it. “No, I can handle it.”

He nodded. “Great. I have to make up for skipping work yesterday.”

That was good. That meant he’d be in his office for a long time, giving her a chance to get a good head start before he realized she’d left.

Tossing him a smile, she turned her attention back to washing the dishes and a moment later she heard him walking out of the kitchen. The second she was done in the kitchen she hurried through watering the garden—after all of their work she didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize the seedlings getting a good start.

Satisfied the plants had quenched their thirst, she went into the house and strode briskly to her room. She still had the backpack Josh had given her when he’d kicked her out, so she filled it with the few belongings she’d earned, then she went into the kitchen and put some bottled water, as well as a bit of food, inside.

Zipping up the pack, she looked around the room that had begun to feel like home. Was she sure she wanted to leave?

Biting her lip as indecision rushed through her, she sighed and shook her head. Leaving was for the best.

Her gaze settled on the notepad she’d used when she’d plotted out the garden. The least she could do was leave a note thanking Josh for helping her.

Setting the backpack on the floor, she paused to listen to make sure she was alone, then wrote a brief note.

Josh - Thank you so much for all you’ve done for me. You didn’t know me, yet you helped me when I needed it the most.

It’s time for me to move on, but I couldn’t leave without telling you how much I appreciate your kindness.

Shay hesitated before writing a final line.

Don’t come for me this time. I need to do this on my own.

Shay

She reread the note, then set it in the middle of the table where she was sure Josh would see it. With a final look around, she swung the backpack onto her shoulders and walked to the front door. Opening it a crack, she peered out to make sure Josh wasn’t coming her way, and not seeing him anywhere, she stepped onto the porch, her gaze going to the barn.

With a final sigh, she walked down the porch steps and began the trek to the main road. Grateful for the sturdy shoes Josh had bought her, she was confident that even if she couldn’t hitch a ride she would be able to walk all the way to Burton—a town she had now visited.

Determination flowed through her—determination to get to Reno and find a job, to start her life anew.

Striding along the shoulder of the road, Shay’s mind went to Josh and she wondered what he was doing just then. Had he gone into the house for any reason and found the note? Probably not. It hadn’t even been an hour since she’d left. Most likely he wouldn’t realize she’d left until lunchtime, and if he was busy working, he might not even notice it then.

Adjusting the straps of the backpack on her shoulders, she heard the sound of a car approaching. She surprised herself when she didn’t attempt to get it to stop and pick her up. It drove on by, and she kept walking.

At least she didn’t feel any blisters. Walking in a good pair of sneakers beat walking in flip flops any day. She felt like she could walk for miles—which was funny since that’s exactly what she would be doing.

She didn’t know where she would sleep that night, but she would deal with that when the time came. Optimism surged through her. She could get where she needed to go all on her own. Yes, she already missed Josh—much more than she thought she would—but she loved the feeling of taking charge of her life.

* * *

The morning had been productive. Josh had finished watching the game he’d wanted to study and had hardly thought of Shay the entire time. Well, that wasn’t strictly true. He’d thought of her every five minutes, but hey, that wasn’t the entire time.

Stretching his arms above his head, he smiled as he pictured her working hard in the garden and he had a sudden desire to join her. Why not? He’d earned a break.

Softly chuckling at the idea that working in the garden was the way he wanted to spend his break, he stood before walking out of his office and towards the barn door. Maybe he was ready to tell Shay the truth about who he was. He’d known her less than a week, but that didn’t seem to matter. His attraction to her had been blossoming, and he’d grown to hate lying about the biggest thing in his life.

Smiling, he nodded.

Yes, it was time.