“And she made it her mission to make me her boyfriend.” There was a tenderness in his voice I didn’t like. “We were different in so many ways, opposites really. But underneath the shallow socialite, there was a loyal girl with a kind heart. Which I broke.” He sighed heavily. “We were together all through university. I’d stayed at her parents’ place during the summer, she’d stayed at mine. But the closer we got to graduation, the more she was talking about us getting engaged and moving to London to work, and I knew that it wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to travel, aye, but I think I already knew deep in my heart that I wanted to work the farm. And Saskia wasn’t made to be a farmer’s wife. So, I broke up with her.”

Emotion clogged my throat. When I’d asked Roane to tell me about his past relationships, I honestly hadn’t thought I’d feel so possessive . . . and so ludicrously upset by what he’d had with this Saskia person.

It was silly.

She was an ex for a reason.

“She must have been devastated,” I managed, my voice a little hoarse.

“She might have been but not anymore. She’s engaged to a television producer in London.”

“Was she it or was there anyone else?”

“The last was Chloe. We split two years ago after dating awhile. She wanted to travel, and I wanted to stay put.”

It sounded like neither of the last two relationships had ended because they’d stopped loving each other.

And I had to know. I had to know how he felt about them before I let myself get in any deeper here. I lifted my head to look at him. “Did you love them? Do you still?”

Roane studied the ceiling as he replied, “When I was with them, I thought I did.”

What did that mean? “But you don’t think so now?”

His gaze returned to mine, and my breath caught at the raw emotion in them. His voice was gruff as he replied, “Now I know I didn’t, Evie.”

Nineteen

Without saying those three little words, Roane had just implied them. I was sure of that. Even more so when he rolled into me to make love to me once again.

When his phone rang just as we were snuggling in the aftermath, I insisted he answer, knowing it could be some important issue about the farm. Whoever it was on the end of the line, whatever it was they wanted from him, Roane asked them to “deal with it.”

“I might as well take the rest of the day off,” he said, grinning as he got out of bed. “Now.” He turned to reach for my wrist. “We shower.”