Chapter Six #2
Nick didn’t risk looking in Cash’s direction in case Rory had been right.
He didn’t want to make Cash uncomfortable in his own home, which was why Nick should move to his own suite.
Fuck that. Patsy trotted beside him down the long hall toward the front door.
Once outside, she dashed down the broad porch steps to the grassy lawn.
Nick headed to an Adirondack chair on the side of the house to get a better view of the mountains.
A throw blanket rested over the back, and he covered himself up.
He should’ve put on shoes and a long-sleeved shirt to ward against the chill, but Nick was too comfortable to care just then.
He sipped his coffee and set it on the matching table next to him.
Patsy finished her business and ran to him as if he were a long-lost friend.
Cash often took the dog with him to Denver if he planned to stay for more than a night or two, so Nick had been around her a lot.
She’d always been affectionate toward him, but she was even more so on her home turf.
Dogs were exceptionally sensitive, so maybe she sensed his injuries—physically and emotionally.
Whatever the reason, he was grateful for her presence when he sank his fingers into her soft fur.
The sun rose opposite of the mountains and set behind them.
Nick stroked Patsy from head to tail while watching the shadows shift on the mountain range as the sun rose higher in the sky.
It was the most peaceful he’d felt in a very long time, so it didn’t surprise him when Cash gently woke him sometime later.
Nick blinked the world into focus, and damn, it was a beautiful day. Blue skies, fluffy clouds, and his Saint squatting down by his chair. “There you are.”
Those three words held a special meaning between them. Cash reached up to brush the hair off Nick’s forehead. Such a simple gesture, but Nick felt it everywhere. “You still want that ranch tour or would you rather—”
Nick threw the blanket back so fast that Cash had to stand up to avoid getting hit in the face. Patsy barked and pranced. “You heard the lady,” he told Cash. “This day is too beautiful to spend it sleeping.” Judging by the sun’s position, Nick had been out for a while.
Cash chuckled, then leaned down to pick up a wicker picnic basket. “You head inside to get socks and shoes, and I’ll get the side-by-side out. Harry and Rory made us enough food to last us a week out on the range.”
Nick just bet they did. And he suspected Rory had loaded the basket with presumed aphrodisiacs.
There had better be something besides oysters in there, or Nick would find a way to wring his little neck with one hand.
He wondered if he’d run into his meddlesome brother and his sidekick when he walked through the house, but Nick didn’t see anyone.
His shoes weren’t in Cash’s bedroom with the rest of his clothes from yesterday, so he detoured to the library after grabbing a pair of socks.
He located his battered Hey Dudes by the sofa.
Nick had hiking boots and tennis shoes in his car, but his favorite casual loafers didn’t tie.
He doubted Cash would take him hiking in his current condition, so he sat down and put on his socks and shoes.
He’d spent the last year in the Bureau second-guessing himself, and it felt good to decide and go with it.
Cash and Patsy were waiting for him by the porch in a black-and-silver side-by-side.
The utility vehicle had all the power of an ATV but came with a roll cage, a hard plastic canopy, doors, and seat belts.
Cash had stashed the picnic basket in the small bed and buckled Patsy into one of the rear seats.
She let out a little Chewbacca-like growl that said hurry the hell up.
“Forgive me, ma’am,” Nick said as he descended the steps. He tipped an imaginary hat toward her.
“She’s no miss,” Cash told him. “She’s HRH Patsy Ann, Queen of Redemption Ridge.” As if to prove his point, Patsy offered a paw when he reached the UTV.
Nick wrapped his hand around her foot and bowed over it. “Long live the queen.”
Cash snorted. “Don’t encourage her.” He stepped on the gas pedal and revved the engine. “Hop in.”
Nick climbed in beside Cash and shut the door. Cash took off as soon as Nick snapped his seat belt into place.
“Aren’t you going to show me the barns?” Nick yelled over the engine as they zipped past the buildings.
“On the way back,” Cash replied. He headed for a well-worn path that disappeared into the woods.
Nick decided not to ask any more questions and just enjoy the ride.
The temperature was a good twenty degrees cooler under the dense canopy of trees.
Dappled sunshine filtered in, but it was still pretty dark on the path.
It was clear to Nick that Cash traveled this way often because he took each veer or turn smoothly without letting off the gas.
Nick closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the rest, enjoying the smells of the forest and the breeze against his face.
Laughter rumbled from Cash, and Nick opened his eyes.
“You and Patsy were wearing the same expression,” Cash said.
Nick really wanted to kiss the smile on his lips, but Patsy let out two quick barks. “You wore it better, my queen,” he assured the dog.
Cash smiled at Nick right as they traded the forest for sunshine and blue skies again.
Nick couldn’t tell if Cash’s smile was blinding or the sun just appeared brighter in contrast to the shaded trees.
He only knew Cash looked more relaxed than he’d seen in a long time.
He couldn’t help but recall their previous encounters over the past year or two.
Though their conversations and interactions were the same, there’d been an underlying current of tension.
Nick just hadn’t realized it until the strain was gone.
I’m not too late. He returned Cash’s smile as butterflies fluttered in his stomach and his heart skipped a beat.
The moment didn’t last long because Cash needed to focus on driving. Nick tucked the memory some place safe. He wanted that image to be the last thing he saw when he took his final breath. Oh fuck. I’m acting like Rory.
He didn’t have time for much wallowing as they began a descent to a meadow of sunflowers below.
The engine shifted and whined as the vehicle slowed for the steeper angle.
The vehicle came equipped with both an oh-shit handle and a fuck-this bar on the dashboard.
Nick trusted Cash implicitly and didn’t reach for either.
If this was a favorite spot, Cash would’ve traversed it regularly.
He’d never put Nick or Patsy in danger by gunning it down the side of a mountain or at least a very steep hill.
Faith in Cash and the stunning view below made Nick forget about his temporary concern.
Tall stalks of flowers stretched on for acres, their iconic yellow and brown heads facing the sun and swaying in the breeze. A shimmering stream of water ribboned along the edge of the fields and disappeared out of sight.
“Wow!” Nick exclaimed. The word was a bit underwhelming for the emotion it was supposed to convey. Perhaps the punch was in the delivery.
“I know,” Cash replied. “This has always been my favorite view, but it’s even prettier since Ivan planted a field of Rory’s favorite flowers.”
Nope. Nick did not need to have a talk with Ivan. His intentions were crystal clear.
“You’ve got a pensive look on your face,” Cash hollered over the engine. “You know Ivan is crazy about your brother. You don’t have to worry about Ivan hurting him.”
Nick looked at him and smiled. “I know that. I was just thinking of ways I could enrich your life too.”
Cash let off the gas when they reached the bottom of the hill, and they coasted for a bit. He pressed the brake and studied Nick with the most intense expression he’d ever seen. “You breathe, Nicky. That’s how you enrich my life.”
While the sentiment was sweet, Nick vowed to up his freaking game. “I’d lean forward and kiss you, but I’m not sure if—”
Cash closed the distance and kissed him. Nick didn’t even have a chance to close his eyes before Cash withdrew.
“—it’s allowed,” Nick finished.
Patsy barked three times. “That means yes,” Cash said.
Nick grinned. “Then come back over here.”
Cash chuckled and shook his head. “We need to do some talking first.”
With a deep sigh, Nick accepted defeat. “Feed me first.” All he’d accomplished so far was getting dressed, eating, and taking a nap, but Nick felt like he’d run a marathon.
“Happy to oblige.” Cash drove a little farther, stopping near the stream. He killed the engine, and Nick got swept up marveling at Mother Nature. The burbling water, sunshine on his face, and breeze in his hair made him forget how hungry he was until Cash announced lunch was ready.
Nick snapped his head toward Cash’s voice and was stunned to find he’d already laid out a blanket and unpacked the food.
Nick had barely been aware of him leaving the side-by-side.
That must’ve been some daydreaming. Cash ambled over with a concerned look on his face. Nick wanted the smiles back instead.
“Sorry I didn’t help. I was daydreaming.”
“Don’t apologize for breathing it all in.” Cash leaned across him to unfasten his seat belt, and Nick took advantage of his proximity to nuzzle his nose against Cash’s neck. They stayed that way for a few seconds before Cash eased back with the seat belt in hand. “Let me feed you, then we’ll talk.”
“And then?” Nick prompted.
“We’ll see.”
The conversation seemed more significant than any test Nick had taken in his life, and he was not about to fail.
Charles Snyder hadn’t come into his life until Nick was ten years old, but the business mogul had made a lasting impression.
Cash opened the door for him, and Nick swung his legs out.
They walked toward the blanket, where Patsy patiently waited for them.
When Nick sat down, she belly crawled over to him and pressed her warm body against his.
He stroked her fur just as he’d done that morning. The same sense of calm washed over him.
“First my clothes and now my dog,” Cash said when he sat across from them.
Nick wanted Cash closer but thought it might be wiser to keep the food between them.
“I didn’t consciously plan to steal your clothes that weekend,” Nick said. “I’d borrowed them for the one time we left your apartment, and I just never gave them back.” Nick remembered they’d sought a certain food that they couldn’t get delivered.
“Ah, the bagel run,” Cash said. “I remember the errand but not what you wore.”
“My tuxedo from the charity event would’ve drawn a lot of attention,” Nick replied. “Funny, I remember what I wore but not where we went.” An example of the way they completed each other.
“I’m curious about how they ended up with you in Virginia twelve years later. You said all this stuff came from your trip to Quantico, right?”
If Nick was to get what he wanted—Cash—then he would have to bare his truths.
A part of him wanted to point out that Cash had promised to feed him first, and Nick didn’t have any food in his hand.
But this conversation was twelve years late already.
“Yes, I had them with me in Virginia, but I should probably start at the beginning. I took your clothes with me when I left your apartment in Denver. I intended to get them back to you but couldn’t part with them.
” Heat spread up his neck. Nick knew his face was turning pink, but he held Cash’s gaze.
“They’ve been with me on every trip I’ve taken and have become a security blanket.
I put them on when I’m stressed, lonely, or just need to feel connected to you.
” Nick inhaled a shaky breath and dug deeper.
He wanted to give Cash a verbal field of sunflowers.
“Seeing those clothes in the suitcase this morning was the epiphany I needed. You wanted me to be sure, and the evidence was right there in front of me. No what-ifs or maybes. I’ve been yours since we met. ”
Cash’s lips parted, and his eyes drifted closed for a few moments. “But your career is in Denver.”
Nick knew his time with the FBI had come to a close; he just hadn’t severed the connection permanently.
He had a few months of salary he could collect while he figured out his future…
with Cash. Nick offered a wry smile and shook his head.
“Listen, I haven’t figured out all the answers on my first day off, just the most important one.
Maybe I would’ve solved all the mysteries of the universe if I hadn’t fallen asleep on your porch. ”
Cash’s nostrils flared as he breathed in deeply. “Are you sure, Nicky? I can’t lose you.”
“I’m positive, and you couldn’t shake me if you tried.” Nick cocked his head to the side and said, “Now feed me or kiss me.”