She poured herself a cup of coffee and rejoined Seren out on the porch, lowering herself into a matching rocking chair beside the older woman. Travis had woken before her, and when she’d finally awoke after not enough sleep, the sound of the water running in the shower of the tiny bathroom had alerted her to where he was. She’d slipped out of the loft before he’d emerged from the bathroom, not entirely sure she was ready to face him yet, knowing what she had to do.
She had a plan, but executing it was going to be difficult and painful, for both of them. She hated it.
“Did you sleep alright?” Serenity asked from beside her, the woman’s blue eyes on her, a slight V pushing her brows together in worry. “I know it’s probably a lot smaller than you’re used to—”
“Umm,” Roxy hedged, but sighed. She didn’t want to lie anymore to the woman than she needed to. “I didn’t, actually. I think the last several days have finally caught up to me, and my mind just wouldn’t shut off.”
Seren reached out and squeezed her hand gently. “You’ve had a lot happen, Roxy. It’s okay to not be okay right now. Lean on those that care about you; you’re here now, so you don’t have to do this alone.”
Tears pricked her eyes and she blinked rapidly to fight them back. Seren tutted, waving her hands frantically.
“Oh, please don’t cry,” she whispered, leaning forward in her seat. Grabbing Roxy’s shoulders, she had no choice but to sink into the embrace as the older woman wrapped her in a hug. The kind only a mother can give. “I’m a firm believer in no one cries alone, so if you cry, I cry, too.”
Roxy laughed, taking a deep, steadying breath before letting it out. Squeezing the woman tightly for just a moment longer, she pulled back. “I can’t thank you and your family enough for what you’ve done for me.”
Serenity tucked a stray curl behind Roxy’s ear and she smiled, those blue eyes that were so like her daughters’ shining. “You’re family now, too.”
Roxy nodded, picking up her coffee as Seren leaned back into her chair. Taking a sip of the coffee, she scanned her eyes around the expansive ranch. “It really is so beautiful up here.”
“Springtime has always been my favorite,” Serenity laughed. Pointing toward a wall of purple and white along the far edge of the property, she said, “We bought this property simply because of that stand of lilac trees. They’re stunning in full bloom, like now. They’ll only last another week or so, but when the wind picks up just a little, you can smell them all the way over here. Levi usually brings me fresh sprigs every few days while they last.”
“Travis cut me a few yesterday when we drove through—Mackinaw?” When Seren nodded, letting her know that her question was correct, she continued. “They’re in a glass on the table now.”
“I see the way he watches you,” Serenity said softly. “It’s like you’re the sun, and he just gravitates around you. It’s beautiful to see that kind of devotion.”
Roxy swallowed around a knot in her throat, then picked at a chip in one of the Adirondack chairs with her nail. “It’s not like that for us. He’ll be leaving soon.”
“Oh?” she asked, her brows raising. “It didn’t seem like that was the plan.”
“Umm, well it wasn’t, entirely,” she hedged, shrugging her shoulders. “But he has a life in Texas that I can’t just expect him to walk away from.”
The woman’s blue eyes felt like lasers on her. She felt a blush crawling up her chest. “Yet, you were the one that pushed Freeman to leave Texas to follow where his heart was beating.”
“That’s different,” Roxy whispered, her chest tight. “Free had been in love with Jodi for years, as had Jodi with him… It made sense for him, for them.”
“And it doesn’t make sense for you two?”
“Maybe if we had had more time… But this is asking too much of him. I can’t do that.”
“Does he feel like it’s asking too much?” she asked quietly. “Because I don’t think that’s how he would see it.”
“It’s just not the right time,” Roxy argued, tossing her curls over her shoulder as she took another drink of her coffee. “He needs to go back to Texas, to get away from all of this, to make sure he’s not making a rash decision. Once he’s back home, he’ll see.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Roxy watched as the woman leaned back in her chair, rocking slowly. After a few minutes of tense silence, she glanced over.
“Is there by any chance a computer or laptop I could use just for a few minutes? And a printer?” Roxy asked.
“Of course, in the office,” Serenity said, pushing herself to stand. Roxy followed through the house to a spacious, bookshelf lined office. “Everything is wifi connected, so it’s all ready for whatever you need.”
“Thank you, I won’t be long,” Roxy said, nodding. When Serenity had left her alone, she sat down in the comfiest office chair she’d ever sat in, and got to work.
Forty-Two
Travis was alone in the loft when he emerged from his shower, towel wrapped around his waist. He walked over to the window and could just see Roxy sitting on the porch with Serenity. He smiled, watching them together. She would be okay here. Safe with this wonderful family. With him.
By the time he’d towel dried and dressed, the two women had disappeared from the porch. Down the loft steps, he was just glancing around when he heard hoofbeats. Turning, he grinned when Freeman and Levi rounded another large boarding barn, both on horseback.
They trotted closer to him, stopping several yards away, their horses prancing in place. Dust stirred at their feet. “Morning.”
