Read Online Resisting Her Rebel Doc by Joanna Neil - Free Book Online

surface. ‘No wonder Beth was so hurt when you finished things with her. You didn’t care too much, though, did you? Not deep down. As far as you were concerned it was just one of those things that happened from time to time. You changed your mind about her, didn’t like getting in too deep, and decided to call a halt. It didn’t matter to you how she felt, did it? You were ready to move on and you weren’t about to look back.’ She stared at him. ‘How could I ever have believed you might have changed?’
    ‘So this is all about me, now, is it?’ His dark brows lifted. ‘I don’t think you can get out of it that easily, Caitlin, by turning everything around. You’re the one who has the problem and the best way you can deal with it is to put on a brave face and go to the wedding.’ His voice softened a little. ‘I’ll be there with you,’ he said coaxingly. ‘Show Matt you’ve found someone else, that it doesn’t matter what he’s done—that you and I are a couple, if that will make you feel any better.’
    She looked at him aghast. ‘You think I can do that with you—pretend that we’re together, that we care about each other?’ She gritted the words out between her teeth. ‘I don’t think so, Brodie. I’m not that much of an actress.’
    To her surprise, he flinched, his head going back a fraction at her sharp retort. Obviously her dart had struck home.
    ‘Is it such an alien concept? I’m sorry you feel that way,’ he said quietly. ‘Finding you after all this time, I was hoping we might be able to put the past behind us and move on, get to know one another all over again. I’ve always had feelings for you, Caitlin, and I thought this might be a chance for us to get together.’
    Still upset, she said tautly, ‘Did you? That’s unfortunate, because it isn’t very likely to happen. We’re all out of fairy godmothers right now.’
    She picked up Jason’s file from the table and walked away from him. For her own peace of mind, she needed to put some distance between them. Her nerves were stretched to the limit. Deep down, though, she knew she’d gone too far, knew she’d said too much.
    As she drove home some time later, she warred with herself over the way she’d behaved, over what she ought to do. Through it all she was still trying to find ways out of the mess she was in. How could she get out of going to this wretched wedding?
    Back at home, it was some time before she could bring herself to admit that maybe Brodie was right. She couldn’t keep running forever, could she?
    She fed the hens and tried to think things through as she scattered corn and dropped a couple of carrots into the rabbit’s run. By now the geese had learned to accept her and were grateful for a bucket of greens and a bowl of food pellets.
    Why was she so convinced she could bury her feelings by pushing them aside, by hiding them away? Matt was marrying someone else. He didn’t love her any more. Perhaps he’d never truly loved her because, if he had, surely this would never have happened? What was it Brodie had said?
Was he looking to get out of the relationship?
Perhaps Matt hadn’t been consciously looking but somewhere a chink had opened up in the wall and opportunity had crept in.
    She went back inside the house. She had to face up to this once and for all: go along to the wedding or berate herself for her weakness for the rest of her days.
    Besides, no matter how bad she felt for Caitlin’s dilemma, her mother would be desperate for pictures... She rolled her eyes, looking briefly heavenward. Then she took a deep breath and went upstairs to get ready. She’d burnt her boats with Brodie but somehow, when she met up with him at the church later on, she would have to do her best to put things right.
    She’d bought her dress especially for the occasion, hoping it might help to boost her confidence. It was knee-length with a ruched bodice and a crossover draped skirt that fell in soft folds over her