Kate seemed to size her up, to decide how to respond. She took her time finishing another bite and taking a drink of her water. “Our parents died when we were young. Really bad car accident. Dad died instantly. Mom was in intensive care for a week, but she didn’t make it.”
“That’s so horrible. I’m sorry.” She had dreamed what it would be like to have both parents in her life, but to lose them at the same time . . .
“Grams told Wade that our mom died of a broken heart. He was five, but I don’t think that ever left him. Then our grandpa passed last year, and Grams has had a really hard time with it. Wade’s been there to hold her when she falls apart, and I think it’s got him afraid.” Kate pointed her fork at Trish. “You’re not allowed to tell him I told you any of this.”
Trish promised not to say a word.
“Wade’s also seen me fall apart several times since Ty has been gone. It’s stressful enough that he’s in a war zone, but add in all these extra hormones . . .”
“I’d give anything tohavea family.” Trish poked around at her pancake, her appetite not quite what it was. “I can’t imagine what it must be like, to lose them.”
“Well, this week, you’re part ofourfamily.” Kate raised her water glass in toast. “We’re happy to have you here. Happier that you’re forcing Wade out of his comfort zone, even if itisat Grams’ insistence.”
Betsy’s BootBoutique sat across the street from Mable’s. Kate must’ve seen Trish eyeing their sign with longing when they left Mable’s, because she insisted they go inside. “But Shadow—”
“Betsy loves Shadow. Always has treats behind the counter for her.” Shadow’s tail wagged in eager confirmation as they crossed the street. “Are you prepared to spend the money?” Kate asked. “These aren’t your typical fashion boots. They’re made with the intent to be worn. Worked in.”
Trish nodded. She’d fallen in love with the boots Kate loaned her, but she’d have to give them back. “I really miss being around horses. I think a good pair of boots might serve as a reminder not to put off finding a way to be around them more.” Someday, she might have one of her own.
Kate clapped her hands together, a bright smile on her face. “Let’s get you going. You’ll be a cowgirl in no time. I have the perfect pair in mind!”
Chapter 12
Wade
Wade had spentthe better part of the morning hiding away in his cabin, refinishing kitchen cabinet doors. He’d made a couple of checks on the herds and knocked out a few chores, but Allen and Chet weren’t counting on his help today or tomorrow. In fact, Grams had lined up some high school kid to help out, freeing him up.
The fear of her wrath for skipping out on his chaperone duties this morning kept him safely tucked inside his cabin. That, and the thought of encountering Trish so soon after that kiss . . . He just couldn’t. He’d already bribed Kate to take her into town for breakfast and buy him the morning.
His gray-striped cat squeezed in through the window he’d left cracked open and plodded onto the floor. Squirrel scanned the room for Shadow, but with the dog missing, found his way to Wade. “Hey there, buddy,” Wade said to the cat. “Brought you some milk.”
Shadow, the traitor, had followed Wade upstairs as he carried a passed-out Trish to her bed the previous night. Before he slipped off her boots, his dog curled up on the end of Trish’s bed and fell asleep. This morning, he left her there.
With wood conditioner drying on the last two cabinet doors, Wade slipped off his latex gloves. He retrieved a plastic bowl he’d filled with milk before anyone in the house awoke.
Sleep had all but eluded Wade last night. Though he’d been exhausted from a long day, he tossed and turned at the memory of Trish in his arms, and her soft snoring. It was oddly perfect, and that bothered him more than anything. Even more than the riveting kiss they shared. One he should never have let happen.
As Squirrel lapped up the milk, Wade stepped back against the window to assess his progress on the kitchen area, desperate for a distraction to his troubled thoughts. The cabin had started as one open room. Wade moved into what was once a cramped kitchenette and reached for the can of stain under the sink. With the additional cabinet he’d added, along with the island able to serve four, the space felt expanded. Open.
Wade stared out at the rest of the room.
He was glad to be rid of the two sets of bunks and the worn-out olive couch that had sat beneath the big window for as long as he could remember. “Need to get something new,” he told Squirrel. The cat flicked his tail but didn’t offer any ideas on how to fill the empty living space. He bet Trish would have some opinions. But Wade quickly pushed that thought aside. “Maybe a pull-out couch?” Wade had broken down the frame of the bunks, using most of it as kindling. The shoddy couch had been hauled to the dump.
Removing the lid from the can of stain, Wade pulled on another pair of latex gloves.
Though he planned for it to be just him, he didn’t like the idea of sleeping in his living room and kitchen. “What do you think, Squirrel? Do I need to build another room?” Squirrel just blinked at him. He’d never taken on a project as massive as an addition. Wade had a buddy in town who might be willing to help him. But if Uncle Bill somehow convinced Grams she needed the money, an addition would be a foolish dream at best.
Dipping his brush into the stain, Wade spent the rest of the morning coating the doors and the insides of the cabinets while his cat took to lounging in the sun.
He stopped only when he ran out of stain. The work had been good to keep away the rampant thoughts about the alluring writer. If he avoided the house for a couple of days and kept busy on his cabin, maybe things could quiet back down to the way they used to be.
Wade laughed out loud at that stupidity. Grams would have his hide if he ducked out on his chaperone duties. It’d been years since she’d been out to the cabin in the north pasture, but he’d bet the ranch she’d track him down by sundown if he didn’t head back soon.
After cleaning up what he could, he reluctantly decided to head back. Maybe after a quick appearance at the house, he could slip away into town. He needed to run to the hardware store for another can of stain.
“Sorry, Squirrel,” he said to the lounging cat. The poor guy looked positively bored without Shadow to tease. “Gotta run.” Wade picked him up and gave the sleepy Squirrel a good long belly rub; the cat responded by purring—till Wade dropped him onto the front deck.
Wade locked the door behind him. For years, the cabin had never been locked. It was tucked away and not easy to access. It hadn’t been used in almost three years, since the last time wolves were an issue around their property. But now that Wade was fixing it up, he didn’t want anyone breaking in.
