“Yeah, so I’ve heard.”
Bucky went to Rey, who opened his arms and let the dog slump over himself. Then he hugged the big pittie closer and Bucky basked in the attention.
“So, New York?” I asked after I put the kitten down and picked up the calico.
“Yup.” His tone was final in a way that told me not to ask more.
“Is Sierra working today?” I asked, despite knowing that if she’d been, she would have been out here tackling me with the dogs already.
“No, she took the day off. The guys, Lake and River, they’re doing their guys’ day out thing.” He smiled slightly against the top of Bucky’s head. “They go shopping and just take time off.”
Even though Sierra had told me Rey had agoraphobia, I asked, “You didn’t go with them?”
“Nah, I’m agoraphobic,” he said in a tone that suggested he was getting used to saying it out loud. “This is the furthest from the house I’ve been so far.”
He’d been here for a couple of months and this was his progress? Well, progress was, in fact, progress.
“Is it the sky?” I hazarded a guess.
His gaze snapped to mine. “Yeah.”
I smiled. “I figured. If you’re from New York, you’re probably used to tall buildings shading everything. All we have here is fields and sky.”
He smiled back at me, and I knew we’d made a connection. He wouldn’t be timid around me from now on.
“The trees help.” He gestured above us.
We were sitting on the grass between the trees and the house. There was pleasant shade here, but it was obvious the shade wasn’t his only reason for picking this location.
I put the calico back and looked at the identical black ones. Rey laughed. “It’s the one closer to you.”
“Thank you,” I said primly, then picked up the one I hadn’t met yet while Rey kept giggling.
* * * *
We’d made quick burgers for dinner, and I was in my bed, trying to acclimate myself to being back. All the new faces were taking some adjusting on my part, but all the guys were great.
Lake was kind of level-headed, while at the same time knowing how to unwind Theo a little, which my friend needed in his life. River seemed bright and caring, and he adored his job at some new doctor’s clinic in town.
And then there was Rey. The kid was really good in the kitchen, and I could see that cooking with him could be a fun change.
Lake had told me that Rey seemed to be taking interest in cooking and horses these days, which apparently was a change from when they’d first met him. I got the impression that Lake and River considered Rey a kid brother.
I pushed myself off my bed and went into the bathroom between my room and Rey’s. I could hear him talking to the kittens and smiled as I did my business and flushed the toilet.
I washed my hands went back into my room, closing the door so it would be ready for Rey to lock from the inside when he used the bathroom.
Before going back to bed, I opened the window to let the nighttime air in. It was late already, and I hoped the air would help me sleep.
* * * *
The silence did allow me to fall asleep, but the sudden sound of something weird woke me up in the middle of the night.
I sat up, disoriented as hell until I smelled the lack of seawater in the air. Right, Twin Star. I heard a dog bark lowly outside and was on my feet before I registered moving.
None of the dogs would bark without good reason and never in that tone. There was a metal banging sound from somewhere not that close, and I pulled on my T-shirt and sweats before going out of my room.
“Cook?” Rey asked quietly from his doorway.
