“I’m not worth it.”

“How can you say that?” she demanded, her face flushing. “You are, Bodie.”

Unable to stop himself, he touched her cheek, traced his thumb across her smooth skin. “You only think that because you don’t know the things I’ve done.”

“Those things don’t matter.”

She was wrong.

“What matters are the things you do in the future.”

What he’d do in the future was leave.

She didn’t say the words, but they echoed throughout the truck cab. He drove her home, neither of them saying much.

“Come in?” she invited when he pulled into Hamilton House’s driveway.

Bodie hesitated, then nodded. There were only a few things that needed to be done for him to finish with the suites completely.

“I didn’t mean for you to come in to work,” she told him when he headed toward the hallway leading to the suites. “We could watch a movie or play a game or something.”

“Or I could knock out the rest of the work tonight.”

“In a hurry to finish?”

Stopping, he didn’t turn to look at her, just stood still, taking a deep breath. “Despite what you may think, I will miss you, Sarah.”

She didn’t say anything, didn’t ask him to stay, and for that he was grateful.

Staying wasn’t an option.

For so many reasons. Not the least of which was that Sarah deserved so much better than a messed-up man such as himself.

“I’ll be in the suites.”

A couple of hours later, Bodie glanced around the suite, happy with what he saw. The walls were painted, the trim work and crown molding repaired and painted, the hardwood floors gleamed. The antique tiles of the fireplace were cleaned, newly grouted, and the freshly stained oak looked fantastic.

Walking into the bathroom, he glanced around, checking each item to make sure everything still worked perfectly. Lights, electrical outlets, sink, shower, tub, toilet. All that was lacking were Sarah’s finishing touches.

The suites were ready for furniture and then they’d be ready for guests. He still had a few things he wanted to accomplish, and he’d be her muscle on anything she wanted done the next couple of days.

Then, he’d leave.

“You missed your calling.”

Turning to her, Bodie studied her make-up-free face, her slightly puffy eyes and pink nose and realized that while he’d been admiring his work, she’d been crying. Over him.

Guilt hit him. When he’d told her he was falling for her, he hadn’t meant to hurt her. He’d…he’d just needed to tell her the truth. About the quilt, about him, about how she made him feel.

Like he could step into the sunshine and live.

“You sound like my stepfather,” he told her, watching her closely, trying to read where her thoughts were. “This is what he wants me to do, only in Texas.”