He swung away, right as the door cracked open behind him.
“Gabe.”
He slowly turned back. Carson stepped out, the mug of coffee in his hand steaming and fragrant. Gabe’s stomach rumbled.
“Morning. You sleep?” Carson looked like he’d already been up for hours.
“Yeah. I appreciate the place to crash.”
Carson nodded once. “You’re always welcome here. Figured if you showed up after dark, there was a reason.”
Gabe’s lips tightened. “I took a drive. I didn’t plan where I was going. Just…ended up here. I’m sorry I woke you.”
Carson took a long drink of coffee, then lowered the mug. “I was up most of the night with the baby.”
The baby. God, he’d been away a long time. Carson and Layne had their child. When he left the Black Heart, news of the newlyweds’ growing family had only been a passing conversation in the dining hall. Now it was a whole child.
“Congrats. Boy or girl?”
His face split into a grin. “Boy. Carson Jr. We call him CJ.”
“Damn. That’s awesome.” He held out a hand for Carson to shake, and he clasped it warmly.
“When you buzzed the gate, I figured you needed to be here.”
Be here. The words hung between them, full of meaning. Carson was asking if he’d cracked up again without outright asking him.
Gabe wasn’t too sure of the answer, so he pulled in a deep drag of mountain air and glanced around. “Okay if I stay a little bit?”
Carson didn’t bat an eye at the request, as if vets turned up on his porch every week. “I can use the help. The rest of the Black Heart Security team is on a job in California.”
“I can help anywhere you need me. I’m happy to work.”
“Good. Let me get this first pot of coffee in me and I’ll give you some direction. Meanwhile, you know the way to the dining hall. Grab yourself some breakfast.”
His stomach rumbled again at the thought of the good food they all enjoyed from the best chef the program could find. Gabe dreamed about Chef’s pulled pork sandwiches ever since leaving.
He started to turn away, but stopped. “Mind if I look in on the horses?”
Carson twitched his jaw toward the barn. “Didn’t imagine you’d start anywhere else. Think you might find a friend out there too.”
Gabe gave him a nod of farewell and headed down the steps, crossing the yard in loping strides with no reason to hurry. Working in his brother-in-law’s garage hadn’t come with a lot of pressure, but it had a different rhythm than the Black Heart. Things moved on country time around here.
Thoughts of the garage brought thoughts of his sister, which ended in a fog of guilt. He’d promised to call her when he reached a destination.
His legs carried him toward the pasture and he fixed his gaze on the mountain peak slicing into the pale gray sky when he brought the phone to his ear.
“Gabe?” Her voice came out fast, worried. “Everything okay?”
“I’m fine.” He pushed away the extra twinge of guilt at causing her worry. “Just wanted to let you know I won’t be back for a while.”
There was a pause. “Where are you?”
“At the ranch. The Black Heart.”
“Oh, Gabe.”
Hearing that tone in her voice, he could almost see the shimmer of sadness in Lu’s eyes. She wanted him to be whole. But he wasn’t exactly broken.
