Jason kissed Lainey’s temple, then stepped back. “I reckon we’d better head back or Pops will insist Galen come looking for us.” They went back inside the house, and Lainey took her time walking through each room, feeling the joy the house had once held inside its walls. She could picture Jason and Galen teasing each other, running in the back door, with their mother reminding them to remove their muddy boots. She could see Mike at the desk in the office, going over ranch accounts, and his wife in the living room, reading a magazine with her feet up at the end of the day.
When Jason opened the front door, Lainey patted the entry wall before she stepped outside. “It was nice to meet you, house.”
Jason gave her a surprised look as he closed the door and locked it. “You feel it, too, don’t you?”
“Feel it?” she asked, feigning confusion even though she knew exactly what he meant.
“The love? The laughter? The years of joy that are held inside the walls.”
Lainey nodded and wrapped her hand around Jason’s arm as they strolled along the walk. “I did. I’m so glad you had such a solid, wonderful childhood, Jason. Not everyone is so blessed.”
“I know, and I’m grateful I had the parents I had, and got to grow up here on the ranch. We had hard times and struggles, but for the most part, there was joy and gratitude and love.”
“It’s wonderful you always had love surrounding you, Jason.” Lainey was truly glad he’d had a good childhood andhad married a woman who loved him. She knew she should keep quiet, but she needed to hear from him why he’d spent so many years alone. “Would you mind telling me what happened to Judy, your mom, and your daughter?”
Jason stared at her for the length of several heartbeats, then slowly nodded as they walked at the pace of racing snails back to the side-by-side.
“Judy, Mom, and Megan, my youngest child, ventured to Boise on a shopping trip. They were killed in a three-car pile-up on the freeway. It was just one of those things that happen that you can’t predict or see coming. Lisa was seventeen at the time, and Shaun was fifteen. I’m grateful they’d stayed here, or I might have lost them all. As it was, I buried my heart when I laid Judy to rest. Yet, I’ve recently discovered there’s still something thumping around here.” He placed a hand to his chest and gave her a tender smile.
“I’m so sorry for your losses, Jason. I …” Lainey felt tears burning the backs of her eyes, and her throat felt thick. “Thank you for telling me.”
“Of course, Lainey. It’s not a secret. It happened a long time ago, and I’ve recently realized it is time to let go of the past and step into the future.”
Lainey wasn’t sure what he thought his future might include, but the way his eyes lingered on her face made her heart skip a beat.
“Come on,” he said, giving her a hand into the side-by-side. Jason stopped to show her a pasture full of horses and another with grazing cattle before they made their way back to the house.
Galen was in the kitchen, defrosting ground beef in the microwave, while Mike peeled boiled eggs.
“Want me to warm up the grill?” Jason asked as he took a step toward the doorway.
“That’d be great. Thanks.” Galen took a large bowl of ground beef out of the microwave when it beeped and began adding spices and a package of ground sausage.
Lainey washed her hands, then looked around the kitchen. “Put me to work. What can I do to help?”
Two hours later, Lainey swung Caitlyn up in her arms as she played tag with her and Carter in the yard after they’d eaten grilled hamburgers, deviled eggs, and a green salad Brylee had brought over, along with a warm berry crisp.
Lainey’s heart swelled so full it felt like it might overflow when Caitlyn threw her little arms around her neck and gave her a tight hug, then kissed her cheek. The child didn’t say much, but her big blue eyes conveyed her feelings quite clearly.
“You are just a sweetheart, Caitlyn,” Lainey said, then spun in a circle, making the child laugh.
“You are a natural with kids, Lainey,” Jason observed from beside her.
Caitlyn’s smile widened, and she held her hands out to Jason. “Hi, Papa!”
“Hi, honey. Are you having fun with Lainey?”
“Yep! She’s fun and nice. She smells good.”
Jason leaned toward Lainey and took an exaggerated sniff, then rolled his eyes like he’d just smelled the best thing on earth. “She sure does smell good.”
“Let’s play!” Caitlyn said, squirming to get down before she raced after her brother, who was giggling as the two ranch dogs barked and chased him. The toddler ran to catch up to Carter, leaving Lainey standing close to Jason.
He settled a hand around Lainey’s shoulders, and she leaned into him, feeling like this was the place she’d always been meant to find.
“Home,” her heart whispered again.
She would have told it to hush if it would have listened.
