Lost Creek Hollow i don't stay unhappy for long.

No part of him understood why he would hate her for asking what she asked. How could he know he was welcome if she didn't? She was not forcing him to go by doing it, but he went quiet, thinking on it for a moment.

He would be leaving Sarah if he did, a friend who sometimes still needed him. But to him, leaving did not mean burning bridges, and a friendship could span territories. He did not need to be close to keep her, though they would not be able to talk as often.

There was really only one equation he would need to sort out, but he knew that he truly did want to follow when the offer was there. His family had held a complicated place in his mind for a while now, and if there was a chance to resolve it, he wished to try.

I need to ask, he said, looking at her. I can't leave them. It didn't cross his mind that her invitation might not have been an open one.