Chapter 12
Twelve
Eliot
Chambers was sipping his coffee at the island. He’d taken the last piece of his wife’s juneberry pie and was sifting through photos I’d gotten sent from Lily.
“And this is Cali’s first day of school,” I said of one with Cali and a backpack that was half her size.
Chambers peered through his readers at my phone screen. “She’s growing like a weed.”
Pride puffed out my chest. I had nothing to do with it, but that girl’s grin on her first day of school made everything feel right. I’d marry a thousand strangers to keep her in that house where she could go to a school with a teacher she adored. “She really is. Lily just sent this today.”
The next photo was an image of Kellan with a sloppy grin in a new pair of overalls his grandma had gotten him. Lily and I messaged back and forth. It was mostly about the kids. I liked seeing them, but I also suspected I was a safe person to message. I didn’t quiz Lily on their health and well-being—or hers—like her family would.
I was dying to know. I had to be sneaky. Almost six weeks had passed since her family had bombarded her. I missed them. I missed her.
I should’ve been back by now. But with the changeover in personnel, training them, and getting everyone through their vacations and time off over the Labor Day weekend, I’d been needed. Jasper would be starting in a couple of weeks, and the ranch would be full of new people. New people made mistakes. I couldn’t go away every weekend.
The problems were nothing new. Each season was like Groundhog Day. I woke up, did chores. Sometimes, I’d iron out a conflict between my employees, many times, they’d tell me about an issue on the ranch. Then we’d fix shit, train animals—sometimes fix them, too, and then do evening chores.
To change things up, I could go to the bar.
“When you going back to see her?” Chambers sipped his coffee like he didn’t just ask a leading question.
I did the same with Lily in our weekly texts. Is Kellan sleeping through the night yet? Translation—how are you sleeping? Some weeks, he was fussy. Others, he let her get some rest.
I stuffed my phone away. “I should’ve gone this weekend.” Lily hadn’t asked. We’d never established if I’d be at her place for holidays, or should I try once a month? Her family had given her space while they figured out their own inheritance plans, and her aunt had been giving them all space. I hadn’t been needed. And maybe Lily needed a little time and distance between us.
We’d gotten too close to playing husband and wife the last time I was there. Dancing in the kitchen. The kiss. I’d gotten carried away. Was she cautious of me? We parted on a good note. I’d hugged Cali and they’d waved at me from the stoop when I drove away.
“How’s everyone else?” Chambers asked innocently when he was really prodding me to go. “Cody and the others?”
“They’re slowly prepping me that they won’t be around for fall work.”
His eyes widened. “None of them?” It wasn’t easy to surprise Chambers.
“Wilder can’t leave Sutton’s side. Since Vienne can’t do all the work on the house she used to, Austen has more on his plate. Cody said the kids really want to come visit, but with Tova pregnant, he won’t be able to put in the long days he used to. Aggie and Ansen have their rescue to cover. My brother-in-law’s family usually looks after their animals, but they’re going on a family trip to Texas.”
The times were changing, but I was staying the same.
“It’s gonna be quiet around here, then.” Chambers scooted around the island to wash out his coffee cup. “It’s Friday. You can make a quick weekend of it.”
I’d get there around Cali’s bedtime. Kellan might already be asleep. What was I thinking? I couldn’t pop up on her doorstep. “We just recovered from me being gone last time.”
He harrumphed but didn’t say anything.
I leaned on the corner of the island near the oven and glowered at his back. “We’re not married for real.” I wasn’t the only one who needed reminding.
He peered over his shoulder. “Not saying nuthin’.”
“You’re saying a whole damn lot, Chambers,” I said dryly.
He lifted a bony shoulder. No one could tell by looking at him that he could haul a fifty-pound bag of feed like it was a sack of feathers. “You like the girl.”
“She’s cool.”
He gave me a look, and for a heartbeat, I missed having a normal dad. A guy who shot me these expressions when he thought I was full of shit.
I wasn’t, for the record. Lily was great. I liked dancing with her more than any partner I’d been with. I didn’t have to come up with forced conversation. She was easy to be around. But that was the thing. It wasn’t hard with her because there was nothing between us. I wouldn’t wedge myself into a life she was trying to build for herself and those kids.
“Must be something exciting keeping you in town for the weekend,” Chambers drawled.
“It’s called work.”
He snorted again and started for the front door. He parked in front of the garage, usually by my pickup, since I used the garage as more of a workshop.
Irritation crawled up my spine. Yes, it was Friday. I’d be working like normal all weekend. But I wasn’t pining away at the house like he thought I was. I’d prove it. “I’ll walk out with you.”
“Going out?”
“Yup.”
Fifteen minutes later, I wanted to go back home. I’d rather play cards in the bunkhouse with the guys than sit alone at the bar with my old math teacher whose wife left him ten years ago because he never left this bar outside of work hours. On my other side, a few stools down, was a lifelong bachelor who’d gotten kicked out more than once for “bumping into” a woman’s ass or boob. Repeatedly.
I took my hat off and scrubbed my face. A beer was slid in front of me. My old math teacher drank the same thing.
Fuck.
A wave of soft floral perfume puffed around me. “Hey, stranger.” An old high school sweetheart of Wilder’s slid onto a stool next to me.
“Hey, Jodi.” I was happy to see a friendly face but also acutely aware of the silicone band on my finger. It wasn’t like she was interested in me, and besides, I didn’t date my brothers’ exes. The rule took out a huge chunk of the dating pool in Buffalo Gully, but I already lived where my brothers didn’t want to. I worked the job they didn’t want. I didn’t need a woman they didn’t want either. Harsh, but there it was.
“Oh my god.” She tapped my ring finger, her fingertip warm. “The rumors are true.”
“Yep.”
“Congrats.” Her eyes glittered as she studied me. She wasn’t enthusiastic.
“Thanks.”
“Did she move to Buffalo Gully?” Confusion mingled with curiosity in her voice. She looked around like she was waiting for a strange woman to shoo her from her seat.
“We’re figuring out the living arrangements.” I wasn’t going to explain our situation. There was no reason I couldn’t, but I was keeping the information close to my chest. Lily was no one’s business.
“How’s Wilder?”
“Living the dream for real.” Did I sound wistful?
“Yeah?” This time, her happiness sounded genuine. “You know I briefly entertained the notion we might get back together.” She laughed. “It was clear that night I ran into both of you here that I thought, nope, he’s not getting over her.”
“Good thing he won her back.”
“Good thing he didn’t win her back to Buffalo Gully. Look at how beneficial it’s been for all of you to get out of town.”
My stomach twisted at the thought of moving Lily to the Knight ranch. Or of isolating her like Sutton had been when she and Wilder lived in town. And seeing her in the house among all my worst memories.
What the hell was I thinking? Lily wasn’t moving. We’d married so she wouldn’t have to.
Jodi grimaced. “It’s worth the drive for me from Sidney every day to help my parents instead of buying the house on the end of their block.”
“I’m pretty sure that place is haunted.”
Her laughter rang through the bar. To other patrons, we might look like we were flirting. I should go home.
The idea sounded better the more I thought about it. “I’m gonna take off. Nice talking to you.”
Disappointment filled her eyes. “I almost didn’t believe you tied the knot.”
Me neither. I wiggled my ring finger. “Like you said, it’s good that I got out of town.”
My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out to look at it. Lily. A jolt of electricity went through me just seeing her name. “Excuse me.” I popped up and went toward the exit. It’d be quieter outside.
“Talk to you later, Eliot,” Jodi called after me.
The call dropped just as I stepped into the cool night air. I frowned at the screen. Lily’s number registered as a missed call. Another call lit the phone, then disconnected. Worry ignited the knots in my gut from earlier.
I called Lily.
A little girl’s voice flowed over the other line. “Hello?”
“Cali?” There was crying in the background. Alarm drowned out the drone of the cars driving by.
“Eliot?”
The burn in my gut grew stronger. “What’s wrong?”
“Mommy’s puking.”
I started for the pickup. The crying on the other end didn’t die down. “She’s sick?”
“I think so. I puked last weekend. So gross.” She dropped her voice to a whisper.
Lily didn’t mention Cali had been sick. “How long has your mommy been throwing up?”
“I dunno. All day, I think.”
For fuck’s sake. Why wouldn’t she call me? “How’s Kellan?”
“He’s in his swing.”
“Is he okay?”
“He’s hungry. His bottle’s on the counter.”
But Cali couldn’t feed him without supervision and Lily was likely in the bathroom. Had she called her family? My gut said no. She’d try to do it all herself.
Lily
The room spun. How could such a tiny bathroom go in circles like this? Should I call Mom?
I should’ve called her this morning when I worried I wouldn’t get Cali to school or Kellan to daycare. I had called in sick from work.
So damn glad I had sick days.
At least I’d gotten Kellan fed and to bed—with Cali’s help.
I should’ve called Mom. This wasn’t a pride issue, it was a safety matter.
Cali was in her bed, probably with her tablet and watching a show. She might fall asleep watching a movie, but I’d have to take the Mom of the Year entry tonight.
A bark sounded in the house.
Shit. The dog was going to wake Kellan up. I pushed away from the wall. Another surge came and I draped myself over the toilet bowl.
Another bark.
He’d have to wait. Another heave racked my body.
How was there anything left?
The barking cut off. Did Cali let the dog out?
Panic tried to take over, but I kept my breaths as even as possible and listened. I didn’t hear doors opening and closing, and Cali wouldn’t be subtle. As long as she stayed in the house.
I hung my head over the toilet bowl. God, I needed a bath. I barely had the energy to drag myself to my bedroom. Cali had brought me a sippy cup full of water and a sleeve of crackers. Just looking at them turned my stomach.
I heard the front door shut and claws skitter on the floor.
“Cali?” My voice was hoarse. I couldn’t yell very loud.
There was no way she controlled that dog. Though he was getting better at listening to her.
I needed to check on her. And Kellan.
I flushed the toilet. One step closer to getting up.
The bathroom door opened. The comforting scent of leather and sandalwood surrounded me as the handsome cowboy filled the opening.
I choked on a sob. Relief or humiliation? I was too sick to tell. “Oh, god, Eliot, what are you doing here?”
“I was about to ask the same thing about Bug.”
Talking about the dog sapped all my energy, but it was better than noticing how the bathroom stunk, how I smelled, and worse, how I must look.
He squatted next to me. “You should’ve called.”
I nodded and closed my eyes. I only caught his long legs in my periphery. I didn’t have to see how devastating he looked. Yet his presence soaked into my bones, unknotting my shoulders and soothing my sore abdominal muscles. Without the stress of wondering how I was going to do it all, my body was readying itself to collapse.
“Eliot?” Tears streamed down my cheeks.
“Yeah?”
“I’m really sick.”
“I know. Cali accidentally called me. You want a hot soak?”
Had it been an accident? Cali had been worried about me. Chalk up another time I should’ve called for help. The tub was full of the kids’ bath toys. The thought of removing those had been exhausting. I nodded. “So bad.”
He moved away, not far, but I missed his heat. Within seconds, the bath was running.
I gasped. “The kids.”
“I peeked in on them when I was walking through. Both are asleep. I shut Cali’s light off, and I’ll get the tablet out of her bed later. Want a bubble bath?”
“Yes.” Anything to replace the smell of sick.
The smell of berry-scented soap filled the air. He dug out a couple of towels and a washcloth. I snuck a look at him through my dank hair. I wasn’t ill enough not to appreciate how fine his ass was in those jeans or the way his muscles flexed through his shirt as he arranged the items on the counter.
He turned, and I didn’t have the energy to pretend I wasn’t staring. He held a second towel in his hands, and his gaze softened. “Need help getting in?”
Yes.
No . This man’s first glimpse of me naked was not going to be when I was a disgusting mess.
First glimpse? Like there was going to be one at all?
“I got it.” I could get out of my sweats and roll into the tub.
He set the towel by the base of the tub. “I’ll come back to check on you. Use this to cover yourself if you don’t want me seeing anything.”
I nodded and then he was gone.