She shoved the footrest out of the way. “I should probably clear some of this crap out of here.” She set her cup down and shook her arms out. “I’ve been feeling a little claustrophobic.” Sinking onto the couch, she sat forward. “How’ve you been? You weathered the storm okay, I see. You look good.”
I might’ve trimmed my scruff, keeping my beard short rather than bordering on full mountain man. I didn’t want to get back to that place. I liked having protection on my face in the winter, but covering the network of lines along my jaw at the base of the larger scar was no longer much of a motivation.
When a woman like Summer said she wanted to date a guy, in public, then that guy lost a few fucks about his looks. “The storm was fine. Nothing unusual. Do you guys need some help moving snow?”
Mom opened her mouth, closed it again. “Oh, uh, I don’t know. Adam usually gets right on it, you know.”
“He also likes his cleanup.”
Fondness passed through her expression and she clasped her hands. “You and Eli would get so irritated about that.” She glanced at me, all nerves, rubbing herhands together like she was cold, but she wore a giant sweater and was drinking hot coffee.
“Eli secretly enjoyed it, but he played up how much he hated getting dragged out to push snow from one pile to another because I was always bitching about it.” I had wanted to get out and play, and it hadn’t mattered that I was an adult. That just meant I had bigger toys to enjoy the new snow with. Making a bigger path to the shop and barn hadn’t been a priority.
The idea didn’t bother me so badly anymore.
“Eli did like helping your father.” Her smile wavered, and this time when she looked at me, she smothered whatever she was thinking.
“What?”
“Hmm?” The hand-rubbing started again.
“You looked like you wanted to say something.” When she opened her mouth, probably to brush it off again, I pushed. “It’s okay. I can take it. I promise.”
She blew out a breath and studied me. Her motherly concern drifted over my face, lingering on the scar, and then to my shoulders, down to where the cane rested across my thighs. She jerked, like she’d caught herself staring and lifted her gaze back up to mine.
I kept my features neutral. I had some idea what she was thinking—would she upset me and I’d never come to visit again? Had she insulted me by silently acknowledging my scars?
“When the snow melts, we’re putting the house up for sale.” She waved her hand around toward the picture window. “The whole ranch, actually. We’d like to sell and move into town.”
Stunned, I didn’t reply. My childhood home was getting sold?
When was the last time I’d thought of this place as home? But I had assumed this house would always be here. It would, just not with my parents in it.
My stomach churned. “Why?”
Anguish filled Mom’s eyes. “Well... It’s too much.”
Too much. Dad was getting older, and his days of having two sons to help him were long gone. I hadn’t been around. Sure, I had my injuries, but how much had I really tried? “It’s a lot. But there’s no way for you to keep our family home intact?”
Her expression fell. Inwardly, I winced. We’d lost so much and now the place where we had all the memories of Eli would be gone.
“It’s nothing but work these days, Jonah. I’m tired. Your dad wants to slow down.” She swallowed. “And Eli’s gone. Our memories are ours.” Her gaze turned earnest. “I’d love to see this place make good memories again. You know Rhys Kinkade?”
“I know him.” He had been several years behind me in school and was now a single father in town.
“We’ve already talked to him. He wants to expand, and he doesn’t have the acreage.”
“And he can afford it?”
“He’d have to finance, but he also wouldn’t need to build up his inventory. We’d include everything in the outbuildings in the sale.”
My parents would have to move less equipment and they’d get a nice nest egg for a much-deserved retirement. How fucking convenient. “Sounds like a win-win.”
“Yeah.” Her smile was faint. “I feel like we’re all overdue for that.”
She got me there. I was pissy about them movingwhen they just wanted to move on in life. I had. I’d used my injuries to do it.
Shame curdled in my gut. I wished there was something happier I could share with her, instead of sitting here, sulking in their living room.
