I raced over to Cassie, swooped down, and picked her up before Kellie barged into us with a thud. Watching as she cupped Cassie’s face in her palms and kissed her cheeks softly, I saw the damp trails her salty tears had left on her cheeks. Knowing it was the right thing to do, I transferred Cassie to Kellie’s arms before wrapping them both in a hug, wondering if I could keep them there forever.
“Dad, you’re squishing me,” Cassie complained, and Kellie just laughed that same musical laugh which assured me everything would be okay
“Sorry, squirt, but you just aged me ten years.”
“Ten? I’m thinking at least twenty,” Kellie added.
“I’m not a squirt!”
Kellie set Cassie back down on her feet, and we watched her scamper over to Nash who was filling the bucket with feed for Gladiator. Since he hadn’t squished my baby girl, I guess he could have another bucket.
Beside me, Kellie hiccupped.
“She’s safe now,” I assured her.
“This time. But what happens next time?” Kellie asked, looking up at me with watery eyes, and my heart hurt.
“There won’t be a next time. We’ll talk to her and make sure someone’s always watching.”
“There are so many things out here that could hurt her.” Kellie sobbed, and even though I knew she was talking through her fear, it didn’t make it any easier. She might have been wrapped in my arms, but she was pulling away, and what’s worse, she was going to take Cassie with her.
“There are,” I confirmed. There was no point denying it. On the property, there were a million things that could happen, but when you stopped, took a step back, and looked at it, there were in the city as well. “But I survived growing up out here and Cass can too.”
“What if something happens?”
“IFsomething happens, we’ll deal with it. Together.”
“We all will,” Nash interrupted and immediately I looked for Cassie. She was sitting in the middle of the barn banging on the now-empty bucket with a stick.
“I’m really sorry, guys. Cassie said she wanted to feed him, so I grabbed the bucket, and when I turned around, she’d slipped through the bars. I would’ve gone in and got her, but that damn beast hates me, and the last thing I wanted was for her to get hurt,” Nash explained, and I had no doubt he meant it.
“It’s not your fault,” I attempted to assure him, but he wasn’t having it.
“I should’ve paid more attention.”
“Nash, don’t sweat it. Cassie’s a kid. They’re faster than you’d think, even with their little legs.”
“And sneaky too,” Nash added, wiping his brow.
“Oh, you have no idea. Wait until you confiscate the Barbies, then you’ll see how devious they can really be,” Kellie added, and I got the feeling she’d been there, tried that, and barely survived to tell the tale.
“But seriously, she’s fine. We’re all fine. I might need a drink, though,” I stated.
“And you wouldn’t be the only one,” Kellie agreed.
“Then it’s my shout. You guys got dinner plans?” Nash offered as Sawyer walked over to join us.
“We were supposed to go up to the house.”
“Oh. No worries.”
“It’s fine. I’ll talk to Mom. Let’s grill tonight and have a few beers. I know I could certainly use one,” I suggested.
“If you’re sure.” Nash didn’t sound convinced.
“Yeah. We don’t wanna piss off Mama Samuels…”
“Who are you calling Mama Samuels, Sawyer Jensen?”
