“So where are you headed?” he asked, changing the line of questioning.
“Back to Jake’s. I’ve got a headache so I was going to lie down for a bit,” I lied. My head was hurting, but it was because my mind was racing.
“Well, I have to go bring in this damn bull. Vet’s coming in the morning so there goes my afternoon.”
“Gladiator still being a pain in the ass?”
“Damn bull hates everyone but Jake.”
“Then why isn’t he…” I trailed off as my muddled brain caught up. “Right. Because we’re here, he’s not…”
“No! No! Don’t even think that. Jake was up before the sun and did his fair share. You being here’s a good thing.”
We arrived at the bottom of the steps leading up to Jake’s place. “Thanks for the chat, Nash,” I forced out, feeling even worse than I had before. I hated that we were interrupting Jake’s work. It was the last thing I wanted to do.
“Kel, you’re making him happy. When he came home, shit, I probably shouldn’t be telling you this,” Nash grumbled, rocking back on his heels. I wish I could see his eyes, but they were hidden behind his dark glasses.
“Keep going,” I encouraged.
“He’s going to kick my ass.”
“No, he won’t,” I promised, knowing if I didn't have enough influence over him, I knew a three-foot ball of energy who did.
“When he came back, he was angry. Angry at his dad. Angry at the world.”
“He was hurting,” I defended, knowing how hard it was to lose someone.
“He was. But he was hurting himself. He worked from sunup to sundown, and he was trying to hold it all together for his mom too. When we were out there putting the fence back together after Gladiator had walked through it or trying to work out why the old tractor wouldn’t start, he was silent. We asked questions, and he replied with grunts. Drunk and dazed and telling him everything he didn’t want to hear, and he started to come back to life. We got answers with actual words.” Nash chuckled while my heart hurt. I hated that Jake had had to go through this. I hated that I hadn’t been there for him. “Then Cassie appeared.”
“Well, she didn’t just appear.”
Nash offered me a smile. “You know what I mean. And the man came back to life.”
“He loves her,” I confirmed, and Nash nodded.
“But she’s not the only one. You’re part of this.”
“I’m Cassie’s mom.” I shrugged.
“You’re more than that,” Nash countered as he kicked at the dirt.
“Maybe,” I replied, rubbing at my temple. “I’ll let you go and deal with Gladiator. Sing out if you need a hand.”
“Take it easy, Kellie.”
“Will do,” I replied automatically as I trudged up the steps, toed off my boots, and disappeared inside.
Alone in Jake’s place, I took my time looking around. Or snooping. I might as well call it what it was. I was snooping. I opened drawers and cupboards looking for a sign he was hiding something, but there was nothing there. Yanking open the refrigerator door, I grabbed a bottle of water before freezing. It was full of Cassie-approved foods. Her favorite juice pouches, yogurts, and even fruits were all stocked. Then there were cans of diet soda and even a bottle of vanilla creamer, something Jake wouldn’t be caught dead drinking.
Closing the refrigerator, I went and laid down on the couch. Even though Jake had told me it was our room now, it didn’t feel right going in there without him. Adjusting the cushion under my head, a cushion that had also appeared from nowhere, I let my eyes fall closed, willing away the building migraine. It’d been so long since I had one that had knocked me on my ass like this, but that didn’t make it any less debilitating. All I could do was close my eyes and hope a quick nap would take the edge off.
“Shh. Mom’s asleep,” I heard a beautiful deep voice murmur, bringing a smile to my lips.
“Can we go see Gladiator now?” I heard Cassie ask in that whiny tone she pulled out when she wanted something and knew the answer was probably going to be no.
“I thought you wanted to go to the bathroom?” Jake reminded her, and I covered my mouth to stifle the giggle.
“Oh, yeah.”
