“Not since we all last spoke,” Roman rubs at the nape of his neck, “He does this from time to time.”
“Yeah,” I grunt, “gets in his own head.”
“Just hope he doesn’t come home early.”
I frown, “Why?”
“I kind of rented out his cabin.” Roman says sheepishly.
“You did what?” I grimace. Remy’s cabin is sacred to him, a space he’s carved out for himself here on the ranch. As the youngest, he’s always felt a little left out, unable to find his place, and that cabin was something he built from the ground up by himself. I’m shocked Roman even entertained the idea of letting someone else use it, let alone going through with it.
“Ada,” he shakes his head, “the bunkhouses are all male.”
Ah, now it makes sense.
“We didn’t have space anywhere else and seemed hardly fair to shove her in with all the guys.”
“I get it, but you’re going to need to explain that to him, not me.”
“He’s gonna be pissed.”
I grunt my agreement.
That’s a problem for another time. I’ll call him again today. I know he’s good; I’ve been catching him on TV, a smile plastered on his face, but I see it in his eyes. The haunted look. It’s been there ever since we proved our father murdered our own mother. We knew it all along, but having the confirmation changes things. Makes fiction reality and sometimes, even when we think we are prepared for it, it still knocks us on our asses.
Remy was young when our mother died, but it hit him hard and emotionally; he shut down. He’s been that way ever since. He ran off to join the rodeo the moment he was old enough. Granted, it’s worked in his favor, with his awards and trophies and titles, but there’s a reason they call himNine Lives.
He rides like he’s got them, and eventually it will catch up with him. It terrifies the shit out of both me and Roman.
But there’s no stopping Remy Knight; the more you push, the harder he’ll dig his heels in. We just have to be there and hope when his decisions catch up to him, they don’t kill him.
“Any updates on the horses?” Roman asks.
“Waiting to hear back from the lawyers, but if all goes well, we can transport them here next week. Darcy will have her work cut out for her.”
Roman nods, “Alright, well keep me updated but I’ve gotta go meet Niamh at the bar. It’s date night.”
I chuckle at the giddy look on his face. He is utterly devoted to his wife, and, much like he told me, happy looks good on him too.
I keep watching the two horses until I hear the sound of tires behind me. Turning, I spot the flash of blonde hair through the windshield of my truck, and then she lifts her hand and waves, a smile splitting her pretty face.
From the back, the doors swing open, and I spot my daughter first, a little backpack bouncing as she sprints and launches herself at me.
I catch her, lifting until I can secure her on my hip.
Caleb walks beside Juni, his mouth moving quickly as they continue whatever conversation they were having in the car. Juni had taken a shift at the bar and then offered to grab the kids since she was already that way. Summer break will be over in a few weeks, and the two of them will go back to school.
“Can I ride Mars?” Rosie asks, blinking at me with her wide eyes.
“Not Loni?” I frown. She loves Mars, but when riding, she’s always preferred the mare.
“No, Mars today,” she confirms. “He’s lonely.”
I chuckle, “How do you figure that? I rode him yesterday.”
“Not today,” she rolls her eyes, “but I’ll do it. And Juni can ride Ginger, and she can take me to the falls.”
Both my kids have been obsessed with the waterfalls that sit in the forest on the ranch ever since they found out Niamh goes swimming out there.
