“And the fire?” he asked.
“There were a few empty gas canisters in the van,” she explained. “It seems like way too much of a coincidence for something like that to have happened on the same night they were there on the road to Warrior Peak, so they’ll most likely be charged with arson, too.”
She paused for a moment before asking quietly, “How bad was the damage to the lodge?”
Nobody had given her a straight answer yet, like they knew she would find a way to blame herself. And of course she did—it was because of her all of this had happened. If she hadn’t come to the sanctuary, the guys would never have tracked her down there. In her mind, she was at fault as much as the men who had started the fire.
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be,” he replied neutrally. “There’s still plenty of work that needs to be done in the paddocks to get them right again, but it will be summer soon. Things will start growing back quicker than you think.”
She smiled at him. That was a relief, and she hoped he was being totally honest with her. Warrior Peak Sanctuary was such a beautiful and peaceful place, she couldn’t stand the thought of it being ruined.
“And what about the horses?” she asked. They had been on her mind ever since she had left.
“They’re okay,” he replied at once. “River and Hannah helped me get them out of the way of the fire. Wheatie was pretty freaked, but I think she’ll calm down when she sees you again.”
“I think you vastly overestimate my horse-wrangling skills.” She laughed, squeezing his hand. She sat up and stretched as much as she could while yawning. She could have slept for a week and not felt rested. After everything she had been through in the last few days, she shouldn’t be surprised about that. She hadn’t expected to come out alive, but now she was here with the man she loved, and she couldn’t imagine anything else that mattered.
“You going to come back to the sanctuary with me?” he asked, and she nodded at once.
“Everything I said last night, I meant it,” she promised him. When he had asked her about their future, it hadn’t taken her long to realize what she wanted. When it came to him—when it came to them—she had to give it a chance. She wanted to findout what lay ahead for the two of them. They could finally let go of all the stress and fear, and find out how they would be as a normal couple.
Well, after all that had happened, she doubted that the two of them would ever be a normal couple. But they could be a happy one. And that was all she cared about.
“I want to go back to the sanctuary with you,” she continued. “And I want to help you in your recovery. You’ve got some of the best people around you to help with that, and I know Xavier and Lawson want to do everything they can to get you back on your feet.”
“Just so I can get to fixing fences again.” Aaron chuckled.
Bailey shook her head. “You should give yourself more credit than that,” she told him. “They really like you there. I know you’ve mostly kept to yourself since you got there, but this could be your chance to open up and get to know people and let them get to know you.”
Aaron nodded. She could see it made sense to him. He had been avoiding putting down roots because he had been scared of his past catching up to him, but he didn’t need to fear that any longer. He could put that all aside now, and just let himself be the person he wanted to be.
“You’re right,” he murmured, skimming his thumb over her knuckles. “I’ve already done a little of that, but I think it’ll be easier with you around.”
“That’s not the only reason I’m staying,” she promised him softly. “I… I really want to try and make things work between us, Aaron. God knows what we’ve got is complicated, but I want to give it a try. When I’m with you, I feel… I feel something I’ve never felt before. I want to see where that takes us.”
“I don’t think it’s complicated at all.” He smiled. “I think it’s completely straightforward. I’m in love with you, and I want tospend every day of the rest of my life proving to you just how much I mean that.”
“Oh, Aaron,” she breathed, and she leaned over to kiss his lips. She was just so overwhelmed with emotion, she hardly knew where to start in sorting through it. But the one at the top of her list, the one that most stood out to her, was sheer and utter gratitude. Gratitude that despite everything that had happened, the path to their future finally seemed clear.
“I love you, Aaron,” she murmured to him. She would never get tired of saying those words to him, she was sure of it. When she looked at him, she just wanted to tell him over and over again.
“I love you too, Bailey,” he replied.
She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the sweetness of this moment linger. She couldn’t wait to get back to Warrior Peak with him, so the two of them could settle into their new life together—whatever that happened to look like. As long as they were together, she didn’t care at all. Whatever she did next, as long as it was with him by her side, she would be happy.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“You want to go feed Wheatie?” Aaron asked Bailey, as she grabbed an apple from the breakfast table. She always picked up a piece of fruit when she wanted to see her favorite horse. She never felt like she could visit the mare without some kind of treat, and the horse was never going to turn her down.
“You read my mind,” she replied, looping her free hand into his arm. “I’m not keeping you from anything?”
“I’m all good,” he replied, slipping an arm around her waist. “I’ve got the day off. Got physical therapy with Carter.”
“Ah, of course,” she said. “How’s it going?”
“I really don’t think I need to be going anymore,” he grumbled slightly. “I’m totally better. It’s been more than six months since I got shot.”
“Yes, well, better to be safe than sorry, right?” she told him.
