That is the entire point.
I try to come up with a response, something that matches what I’m feeling without saying too much, but she text again before I can.
DELTA:
Bring your overconfident self to dinner tonight.
Mama wants you there.
So do I.
That last part hits me right in my heart.
ME:
Dinner.
Tell me what time.
DELTA:
Six.
ME:
I’ll be there.
DELTA:
I know.
I put the phone back in my pocket, and my whole day shifts. Whatever I was carrying, whatever weight I walked into the arena with, it’s lighter now. For a man who didn’t know if he deserved a life anymore, that matters, more than I plan to admit out loud anytime soon.
I put my phone away and shove my gloves into my back pocket. I’m headed toward the feed room when Cash steps through the doorway and he isn’t smiling.
“Got a minute?” he asks.
It isn’t a question. I nod and he waits until the door swings shut and we’re out of earshot, then he crosses his arms and studies me.
“I like you,” he says. “You work hard, don’t complain, and you show up even on the rough days and I respect that.”
I don’t answer, he didn't come over here to compliment me. Cash continues, steady and calm. “Delta is family to me, she’s like a little sister to me and it’s been that way since the day I came to work here and Harlan introduced us. I’ve seen her unstoppable, and I’ve seen her damn near broken.”
I stay still.
“She came back here after her first marriage fell apart and then she lost her father. Twice in a row life cracked her in half and nobody knew how bad it was but me, Paige and Lena.” She didn’t crumble, she rebuilt herself while she built this ranch up in the middle of grief and didn’t let anyone see how bad it hurt.”
He looks me in the eye.
“She’s not someone I will watch get hurt a second time. If you’re here to pass the time, get your confidence back, scratch an itch, or burn off whatever is in your head, walk away now. Don’t lie to her, don’t string her along, don’t use her and don’t touch her again.”
He doesn’t raise his voice.
I meet his stare. “I’m not here to hurt her.”
“Everybody says that before they do,” he replies.
“I mean it.” My throat tightens, but I keep my voice steady. “I care about her. I… I care about her, a lot.” I stop before the word on the tip of my tongue gets out.
