Chapter 42
CHAPTER 42
CASSIDY
I watched as Karen hugged each of her friends outside. They were laughing and crying at the same time. It was a girl thing Ginny had told me at breakfast when they did the same thing. Lauren whispered something in Karen’s ear that had her scowling and putting her finger to her lips to shush her.
There was something about the way she clung to each of them. She looked soft and vulnerable. It was one of the things I found myself wanting to protect. She was tough as nails, but I caught a glimpse of that soft side. I couldn’t figure out why seeing her happy made my chest ache like this.
The ladies got into the SUV and rolled down the windows. They stuck their hands out, waving goodbye as they pulled away. Karen stood there and waved back. She looked so lost and alone by herself out there. I walked up to her as she wiped a quick tear from her cheek.
“You’re going to miss them,” I said, stating the obvious.
She sighed. “I am.”
“Goodbyes are hard.”
She laughed and nodded, swiping one last time at her eyes before looking up at me with a sheepish grin. “You could say that. We have a tradition of doing a whole waterworks sendoff whenever we part ways, but this time…” She trailed off, shrugging. “This time, it felt harder, I guess. They’re all going home and I’m staying here.”
“But you’re going to be there soon.”
“Yes, I know, but it’s still sad. I feel a little bit like I’m on an island.”
“You’re not alone,” I said. “You stay here much longer, and you might wish you were on an island.”
She laughed again. “A warm one.”
“Would you like to come into town with me?” I asked, trying not to show how much I wanted her to say yes. “It’ll give you a chance to explore a little more. It’s nothing exciting. Got a few errands to run, and Don’s still icing his knee, so I could use the company.”
She lit up, nodding eagerly. “Absolutely, let’s go.”
“Let me let the others know we’ll be gone.”
“I’ll go get my purse.” Before I could walk to the bunkhouse, Karen reached out and gently touched my arm. “Thank you, Cassidy.”
I nodded. “Anytime, Karen.”
She gave a small smile before turning and walking into the lodge. I was happy to give her something to smile about. I didn’t think she wanted to sit around missing her friends. With them gone, the lodge was going to feel very big and very empty. They were big personalities. Their absence was going to be noticeable for a day or two until we settled back into our regular routines.
Ginny was sitting at the table, her tongue out and her body rigid as she very carefully wrote a name in her new fancy calligraphy.
“Are you trying to catch flies?” I teased.
“Shut up. It’s a thing. My tongue out helps me concentrate.” She looked up from her meticulous work.
I pulled off my jacket and jerked my stained shirt over my head as I walked to my bunk.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m going into town with Karen.” I grabbed my deodorant, slid it on, and then spritzed on some cologne.
“That’s a lot of cologne for a trip into town,” she teased.
“I just want to smell good. You should try it sometime.”
She laughed. “Ass.”
I grabbed a clean shirt and pulled it on, looking at myself in the mirror by the door.
Ginny shot me a glance. “You’re trying too hard.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the support.”
“It’s what I’m here for.” She shrugged and smirked at me before returning her attention back to her work.
I walked out of the bunkhouse and made my way back to the lodge. Karen was standing on the porch, her face turned toward the sun. It was a bright, sunny day, a tease for what spring would be like. She was dressed in jeans and a sweater. Her hair was pulled back in a loose bun with wisps of hair around her face. She looked beautiful. Stunning.
Most of the snow was melted. I hoped it stayed that way, but I knew better. This was Mother Nature’s trick. She let us all think cold, snowy days were behind us, but she always liked to dump a little more on us in February and then again in March just to remind everyone who’s boss.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Yep.”
We walked to my truck. I glanced over at her a couple of times to make sure she was okay. I knew she was sad, but I hoped to keep her distracted. “We have to go to the feed store.”
“We went there the other day when we were in town,” Karen said. “No one told me it’s like a Wal-Mart and a shopping mall in one.”
I chuckled. “It’s a bit of a multi-purpose place. You’d be surprised what kind of stuff people need on a daily basis around here.”
“Oh, I was,” she replied, grinning like she was remembering an inside joke. “I think I saw a snowmobile being sold next to the candy bars.”
“There you go,” I said, laughing now. “It’s about convenience and good business. Not one of those stores would be able to thrive all year round. It just makes sense to have it all rolled up into one.”
“It was an experience I don’t think any of us will forget,” she said. “It was a lot of fun.”
Crap . I hoped I didn’t just make her sadness worse. I didn’t know she had such a heartwarming experience at the feed store with her friends.
“Everyone loves the feed store,” I said, trying to keep the conversation casual. “Did you get a chance to see all the baby chicks they have?”
She nodded, her eyes sparkling at the mention. “Yes! They were so tiny and adorable. They were so loud, too.”
“If you’re around in a month or two, we’ll be getting some chicks. Some of the egg layers are aging out and headed for retirement. We get a new group every year to keep things fresh.”
“Really?”
“Oh yes. It’s a fun day.”
She smiled. “That’s exciting. I can’t wait.”
I hoped that meant she was going to be around.
We took our time at the feed store, something I rarely did. I usually preferred to get in and out. I had shit to do and shopping was not something I enjoyed. But for her, I would do just about anything.
Next we swung by the post office to pick up a few packages for the ranch. Because I wanted to make the most of our day out together, I suggested we grab some coffee and pie at the café.
“It has to be our secret,” I said. “Bodie will never forgive us for cheating on him with café pie.”
She laughed. “I love a good secret.”
We ordered two slices of apple pie ala mode. She stuck with Sprite while I ordered coffee.
“Tell me about your friends,” I said. “Mary Ellen seemed pretty eager to read all the time.”
Karen rolled her eyes, smiling. “Yes, that’s her. She’s actually the sweetest of us all. She’s very quiet, doe-eyed, always the good one. So naturally, she fell for a guy who rides a Harley and has more tattoos than I have sweaters.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Now that’s an image. I bet she surprised everyone with that.”
“Oh, big time, but he’s a good guy. Treats her well. She didn’t have the greatest luck in the boyfriend department. But he came along just when she wasn’t expecting him. It’s her bridal shower I’m going home for.”
“And the others are married?”
“Not all, but they will be. They all found their soulmates. We lived in this big house together. We actually named it the Big House. Lauren met Jameson and moved out. It was bittersweet. We were happy for her. And then Jenny met Ward. I told you about Mary Ellen meeting her guy. And just recently, Rylee fell in love with a man that couldn’t be more different than she is. They all moved out and I was in the Big House alone. When Uncle Don asked me to come help him, I figured I might as well. There was no way I could stay in that house alone. Rylee has turned it into her mixing school.”
“Her what?”
Karen smiled. “Mixology. She’s a bartender. Rather, she was. Now she teaches mixology. She creates some pretty wild cocktails.”
“That’s cool.”
“Yes, I suppose.” She got a distant look in her eyes. “Anyway, when I do go back home, I have to find an apartment. I’m dreading it.”
Or she could just stay.
We finished our pie and headed back to the ranch. When we got back to the lodge, we unloaded the truck and took the packages into Don’s office. He thanked us with a gruff nod and waved us off as he shuffled some paperwork.
Karen looked at me. “Thanks for the day. Really. I needed that. I know you were distracting me. It worked.”
She turned to head upstairs, glancing down at her clothes with a laugh. “I’m going to change and then dig into those boxes of wedding decor. Can you show me where that stuff is? Kenny mentioned he stuck them in a room. I don’t want to wander around opening door after door.”
“Of course,” I said.
We both started walking upstairs. I wasn’t sure why I followed her. She didn’t need me to help her change. I could just wait in the lobby, but for some reason, I was following her. She paused at her door and then turned to look at me. I was about to tell her I would wait downstairs when she grabbed the front of my shirt and tugged me into her room.
The moment I stepped through the doorway, she shut the door softly behind us, her hands still on my shirt. My pulse hammered in my chest as she looked up at me. I saw the desire in her eyes. As much as I wanted her, I didn’t want to do anything she wasn’t interested in. She had been keeping her distance since the last time we were in her room together. I didn’t want to make the same mistake and have her pull away again.
“Karen, what’s going on?” I murmured, not entirely sure what I wanted to say but knowing that I’d follow wherever she led.
She bit her lip, her gaze drifting down to my mouth. “Cassidy,” she whispered, her voice barely above a breath. “I need you.”
That was all I needed to hear. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close. Her hands slid up to my shoulders as I lowered my mouth to hers. It was gentle at first, a tentative exploration, but it quickly deepened into something more urgent, more consuming.
Her taste was sweet, the remnants of her apple pie still lingering. I craved more, more of her lips, more of her body pressing into me. My hand drifted to the small of her back, pulling her even closer, and I explored the softness of her mouth. I had missed this.
She made a soft sound. It was a combination of a sigh and a moan. Her fingers clenched on my shoulders. I could feel the passion igniting. As expected, it was happening fast. I couldn’t turn down the heat when I was alone with her like this with a bed ten feet away.