“It doesn’t matter.” Brenna got to her knees. That was as far as the horrible weight on her chest would allow.

“It matters a great deal. Be as mad as you want at me,” he said to Mary Kate. “And I’m more sorry than I can say if I hurt you in any way. But what’s here is between me and Brenna and has nothing to do with you.”

She wanted to weep. She wanted to scream and was afraid she’d do both at once. Fighting viciously for one scrap of dignity, Mary Kate lifted her head, stepped back from him. “You didn’t have to make a fool of me. You knew I had feelings. I still do, only now I hate you. I hate both of you.”

She shoved the door open and fled.

“Jesus.” Shawn bent to help Brenna to her feet, laid a hand over the cheek that flamed an angry red. “I’m sorry, so sorry. She didn’t mean what she said.”

“She does. Right now she means it all from the bottom of her heart. I know how it is. I have to go after her.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“No.” A part of her heart ripped as she backed away from him. “I have to do it myself. It would only hurt more to see us together. What was I thinking?” She shut her eyes, pressed her fingers to them. “What was I thinking?”

“You were thinking of me. We were thinking of each other. We’ve a right to that.”

She dropped her hands, opened her eyes. “She thinks she loves you. I should have thought of that as well. I have to go do what I can.”

“While I stay here, doing nothing?”

“She’s my sister,” Brenna said simply, and left.

She ran, but Mary Kate had a good head start and longer legs. By the time Brenna caught sight of her, she was already heading down the slope to the backyard of their house, the big yellow dog hurrying behind like a rear guard.

“Mary Kate, wait!” Brenna kicked into a sprint and caught up at the edge of the yard. “Wait now. You have to let me explain.”

“Explain what? That you’ve been fucking Shawn Gallagher. That was clear enough by the way you waltzed into his kitchen with your hair still wet.”

“It’s not like that.” But wasn’t that exactly how it had started? Brenna thought. Hadn’t it been just like that at the beginning?

“The two of you must’ve had a fine laugh or two at my expense.”

“No, not ever. I never thought—”

“Never thought of me?” Mary Kate rounded on her, shouting so now that the dog slunk off to hide. “That’s fine, then, that makes it just fine. You go off playing whore with a man you know I have feelings for, but you didn’t give me a thought.”

The flash came into Brenna’s eyes. A warning. “You called me that before, and I took it. You knocked me on my ass, and I took that as well. You’ve had your say. Now I’ll have mine.”