“Are you sure?” I gave him a sceptical look. “It’s a lot of responsibility. It involves helping to clean his stall, feeding him, and grooming him.”
He nodded his head so fast I thought he’d give himself whiplash.
“We can try it. See how you like it.” I spread out the clean bedding in the stall. “After we finish with these stalls, I’ll introduce you to Tank.”
His enthusiasm waned a little after a couple of stalls, but he didn’t quit. I didn’t expect him to enjoy this part of taking care of horses—there was a reason Gabriel and I had tried so hard to win that race yesterday—but I was glad to see him giving it his all.
After we finished cleaning all the water and feed buckets, I led him outside, grabbing an apple from the treat bin as we passed. I whistled for Tank, and he came running to the fence. He knew I’d have something for him. He was our father’s last horse, and we all made sure he was spoiled.
“Hold your hand out flat with the apple on it.” I handed the apple to Jonah and nodded toward the fence.
The boy squared his shoulders and stepped closer to the large, tan horse with dark-brown mane and stockings. Tank’s tail lifted in excitement, but otherwise he stood still—until Jonah raised the apple. Then Tank pricked his ears forward and swooped his head down to grab the fruit, his lips brushing against Jonah’s palm.
“That tickles!” Jonah giggled. Tank moved forward, sniffing at Jonah’s pockets to see if he had anything else. The boy eagerly reached out and touched the horse, petting his neck. Tank gaveup on finding more treats and let Jonah and me give him attention.
After a few minutes, Jonah’s smile faded, and he dropped his hands, shoving them in his pockets. His shoulders were stiff as he kicked at the dirt.
I gave Tank the command to go and crouched down in front of Jonah. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like nothing.” I ducked my head, looking him in the eye. He was blinking back tears. “You can talk to me, Jonah. Or I can go get your aunt.”
He shook his head, desperation filling his eyes. “No. Don’t bother her.”
“I doubt she’d see it as a bother. She loves you.”
“I don’t want her to know.”
I considered the boy in front of me. He was trying, and failing, to stop the tears that fell. I recognized myself in him. When I first arrived at the ranch, I’d wanted to appear strong, but still had to process all the emotions of grief that overwhelmed me when I least expected it. Could I use that experience to help Jonah? It was worth a try.
“I was about your age when I came to the ranch,” I said. “My parents died, and I had no other family. It was tough. I suddenly had two new parents and all these older boys calling me brother. Everyone seemed to have it all together. And I thought I had to as well.”
Jonah was shooting me quick looks, curiosity now edging into his eyes.
“But there were all these feelings that would bubble up inside of me. Desperate to come out. It wasn’t until I realized it didn’t make me weak to have emotions that I learned to deal with them.” I shifted, my legs cramping slightly from holding a crouch for so long. “Our emotions are part of who we are, andsometimes we just need to acknowledge them and let them run their course.”
He was staring at me now, his eyes still wet. Something about those green eyes was familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why. “It’s just…I was so happy. Petting Tank. But then I remembered my mom is gone. And it felt wrong to be happy.”
“Jonah.” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Your mom would want you to be happy. It’s okay to miss her, but it’s also okay to live your life.”
He sniffed, and his voice wobbled. “I don’t want to forget her.”
“You won’t.” I wanted to pull him into my arms and comfort him but wasn’t sure he was ready for that. “I still remember my first parents. My adoptive parents made sure of that, just like I’m sure your Aunt Hannah will do for you. You and she can share stories about your mom. That will keep her alive and in your heart.”
Jonah threw himself at me, and I caught the small boy. He cried, soaking my shirt, but I didn’t mind. I patted his back, holding him while he let it all out. I gave him a gentle squeeze as his sobs slowed to a stop. He pulled back, swiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “Don’t tell Aunt Hannah. I don’t want her to worry.”
I hesitated. Was it right to keep this from my mate? I didn’t want to have secrets, especially concerning her nephew’s well-being.
My gaze cut to the house, and all thoughts flew out of my head as I saw smoke pouring out the kitchen window. “Jonah, stay here.”
He didn’t listen and followed me as I raced across the yard to get to my mate. Panic filled me, my heart beating so hard I thought it would burst from my chest. I couldn’t lose her.
Hannah
I coughed, trying to stay low beneath the smoke as I searched for a fire extinguisher. One minute I was opening the oven to put in the cake, and the next, flames and smoke had burst from it. I couldn’t get close enough to turn the oven off or shut the door.
Crawling, I finally spotted the extinguisher in the pantry. Just as I grabbed it, the back door banged open, and I heard Ethan’s frantic voice. “Hannah? Where are you?”
