He struggled to sit up straighter. “I don’t want to stay by myself.”
I drew a quiet, sharp breath. “Cade.”
“I’m fine,” he mumbled.
“You’re not fine. You’ve got a fever.”
“I can still tag along.”
I shook my head, hating this conflict. I wished I could call in and bum around with him.
The flash of worry in his green eyes drained the fight out of me. There were hills I would die on. But my son being alone while he was sick wasn’t one of them. I sighed. “Alright. I’ll grab a blanket, and you can sit in the truck or lay in the extra stall if need be. Sound good?”
He nodded, the anxiety flickering away.
Hollie was already cleaning up breakfast when we clamoured up to the porch. Today, her big curls were squished into a braid and little wisps had already slipped free around her face. Her triceps twitched as she scrubbed a stain off the top of the picnic table. She looked up, lightly gasping. “There you are! I was wondering if you two…wait…” She narrowed her eyes at Cade. “Is he sick?”
“Yep.”
Her shoulders fell slack. “Oh no. Nora is too.” Dropping her rag, she swiped her hands over her shorts, drawing my attention to her shapely thighs, and strode over to us. She placed her hand on Cade’s forehead then lightly touched his cheeks. “Poor thing’s burning up. Want some apple juice, sweetie?”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I’ll be right back.” We sat at the bench, and I rubbed Cade’s back. Two minutes later she returned with buttered toast and apple juice for Cade, and a cup of coffee with a sausage biscuit for me.
“Thank you, Hollie. Sorry for being late.”
She sat opposite us. “Don’t worry about that. Nora woke up after midnight with a fever. There must be something going around.”
I took a deep sip of my coffee, relishing in the way it burned my throat a little. “Must be.”
She thought out loud. “I’ll have to come back to the kitchen around 8:15, but Cade’s welcome to stay with me.”
Relief barrelled through my chest. “That would be great.” I looked to Cade. “Wanna stay with Miss Hollie?”
He nodded, silently taking a sip of apple juice.
Leaning on someone felt good. Easy to get used to. “Thank you.”
“Of course! My only concern is Bea getting sick. I’ll be keeping the girls in the bedroom today because Bea cannot afford to have a fever.” She tapped her fingers on the table top. “I could make Cade a pallet on the floor though.”
An idea dawned on me. “Why don’t you bring the girls to my cabin?”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“That way, we’re keeping the sick people out of Bea’s space.” Hollie was right, Bea was sick enough as it was. I didn’t want to imagine what a fever might do to her body. “They can just watch some movies.”
“That’s a good plan.” She looked to Cade. “I’ve got about ten more minutes of prep to do and then I can take you back to the cabin. I’ll try to hurry though, okay?”
Hollie picked up her rag and quickly finished the table then flew into the kitchen. I downed my cup of coffee and crammed mybiscuit, needing to get on with the day’s chores. “I gotta go, buddy. Will you be alright?”
He nodded, his cheek squished against the table top.
I leaned to kiss him on the forehead then made my way into the kitchen. Hollie, standing at the counter mixing something in a bowl, turned when she heard the door open. “I’m almost done,” she called over her shoulder.
I knew I shouldn’t be checking her out from behind, but her figure squeezed into those shorts was nothing short of captivating. Damn, she was so pretty. The idea of her not being in the kitchen come Monday made me feel like I had a fever, too. My chest cracked open at the thought of it.
Man, I wanted her to stay.
