After we finished our coffees, he raised a brow at me. “So, obviously, you joined him yesterday for the volunteer work. How did that go?”
“Amazing.” I boggled at how brave he’d been. “He is so good at working with these kids.”
Emery nodded to himself. “I can see that. He’s amazing with Stevie.”
“He’s also vulnerable with them, and that was a side of him I hadn’t seen before.”
“Not to sound like a broken record, but this is still Rowdy we’re talking about, right?”
He nudged me, and I nudged him back.
“It’s not easy for him to do—definitely not something he fell into naturally—but he shared things to make the kids in the class feel not so alone.”
“That’s actually harder, isn’t it?”
“I think so. More to the point, it was effective.”
“And that kid was there? The big one?”
I nodded. “Jaxon. I sat next to him, and we ended up having a pretty deep conversation. Found out a lot about what he and his mom—Sadie—are going through. And...I’m with Rowdy on this one. We need to help them get out of that situation.”
“I was just talking to Woody this morning, and he thinks Kit has another opening that might work even better.”
“That would be awesome,” I said, worrying a hangnail.
“What’s this face?” he asked.
“I saw where they live.”
“It’s bad, right?”
I clenched my jaw. “Sadie and Jaxon are hanging on by their fingernails. And the car she’s driving...” I cursed. “It’s the worst.”
“What are you thinking?”
I lifted a shoulder, unsure. I was happy to open my checkbook, but from our brief encounter, I suspected they’d prefer the kind of help that allowed them to take care of themselves.
Emery snapped his fingers. “Woody and I have talked about upgrading some of the equipment for the sanctuary, including Rowdy’s truck.” He held up his hand. “Not because it’s a shitty truck or anything, but it’s smaller than what he really needs,especially for hauling feed and other supplies. Do you think they’d want his Ranger?”
I let out a relieved breath. “I think so. It’ll be a damn sight more comfortable for Jaxon, and it’ll give Sadie something reliable.”
Emery scratched his chin for a second, thinking it through. “I think Woody would be on board with that idea. It moves up our timetable a little, but it was already gonna happen.”
“And you know I’ll pitch in.”
Emery rinsed out his mug and set it on the counter. “I’ve got to take Stevie to pick out a new saddle. But I’ll keep thinking on it, and I’ll talk to Woody.”
“Thanks, friend,” I said, smiling.
“You’re welcome, friend,” he said, his expression sincere. “I’m happy for you.”
23
ROWDY
Disappointment colored Woody’s features.“I’m guessing that you don’t give a shit that Kess is Emery’s best friend and that adding him to your extensive list of one-night stands the second he moved onto the property was a selfish, shitty move.”
His judgment stung as bad as a killer bee sting, and shame flooded my guts. Woody was as loyal as they came, and even though neither of us thought he’d ever be a family man, he was as protective of Emery’s and Stevie’s peace and happiness as he’d always been of mine.
