Savage Redemption (3rd in Savage Series)

Chapter Twelve

Lily was cleaning the breakfast dishes and watching Allie who was sitting at the table staring down at her hands. Lily wondered what kind of inner battle was going on inside her younger sisters head as she would slide her ring off and then slip it back on over and over.

Every time the ring left Allie's finger Lily would feel her hopes rise and then when the ring would slide back down Lily would feel her heart fall into her stomach. Two days Allie had been distracted and while she hadn't told anyone what she was thinking so hard about it hadn't been too hard to figure out.

Finally after yet another off and then on again motion of the ring Lily blew out an irritated breath and threw down her dish rag.

"Enough already!" she exclaimed. "Either take it off or leave it on." Allie looked up at her with confusion.

"What?" she asked.

"Your ring." Allie sighed and looked back down at the tablecloth.

"I don't love Gavin. Not in the way a woman should love her husband. I don't get butterflies or have trouble breathing when he's around…. And he doesn't want a cabin in the woods. He wants me to live in some fancy house with maids and all those things and that just isn't me."

"Then don't marry him." Lily replied simply.

"But I don't want to hurt him." Allie said helplessly.

"It will hurt him worse if he marries a woman that doesn't love him." Lily replied gently. Allie nodded.

"I'll give him his ring back." Lily breathed a sigh of relief. She had not wanted her sister to marry Gavin. He was a nice enough man but she had known her sister would be miserable as his wife.

"What's wrong with Jack lately?" Allie exclaimed suddenly. Lily gave up on getting the dishes cleaned and sat down at the table across from Allie.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"He won't even talk to me the last two days. He always acts like he's busy."

"He is busy." Lily replied. Allie looked over at her sister and shook her head.

"Not that busy. He's avoiding me. Why would he avoid me?"

"Because he loves you but you are engaged to another man and he is trying to respect that and keep his distance from you." Lily replied firmly.

"Lily, I really need to talk to him. We haven't really talked yet since he got back and there are things I want to say to him." Lily sighed.

"Men don't like to talk about things and will do just about anything to avoid it all together. You need to figure out what you want from Jack before you talk to him though."

"I love him, Lily, but I'm scared." Allie replied and then she stood up and smoothed out her skirt. "I'm going to go into town right now and give Gavin back his ring."

"You can't go alone." Lily replied matter of factly. Allie rolled her eyes.

"I'll be fine. I'll take Janna with me." she promised.

"Oh yes that will make you so much safer." Lily said dryly.

"Please Lily, I want to do this alone."

"Fine. But if Hawke finds out you went alone I am telling him you snuck out."

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Allie rode into town on her palomino mare Buttercup and hitched her up at the bank. She fought the nerves in her stomach as she walked up the steps and through the wide oak doors.