Chapter 11
Breakfast had been a fun affair. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, and the delicious food didn’t hurt either.
They hadn’t taken a hike right after breakfast though.
Instead, they’d spent all morning at the barn with the animals.
Melba the cow was adorable, even Grover had to admit.
She loved to rub her head on any human who came near.
She was super inquisitive as well. Wanting to know what they were doing at all times.
The goats were a bit more obnoxious, but because Sierra seemed to love them, Grover put up with them trying to chew on his shirt. There were barn cats Sierra wanted to snuggle, and even though the horses intimidated her because of their size, she still spent quite a while with them too.
They also had a long chat with Tonka. He was a former Coastie dog handler, but didn’t talk much about his time in the military.
Grover got the impression that something had gone terribly wrong when he got out, but he didn’t ask.
The man now spent his time working with the animals at the ranch, which seemed to visibly calm him.
By the time they left the barn, it was lunchtime.
“How about we grab something and have a picnic?” Grover asked Sierra.
“That sounds wonderful.”
They went to the kitchen and made sandwiches.
Even that was fun. Sierra teased him about making a sandwich big enough for three people and he made fun of her for putting ranch on hers, instead of the usual condiments, like mayo or mustard.
The owners of The Refuge had thought of everything, and in the pantry they found picnic backpacks that could hold silverware and cups, as well as the food.
They set out not too long later, following a trail Spike had told them about. He said it had the best views and wasn’t too strenuous. Grover handed Sierra a granola bar to tide her over until they found a good place to stop and eat.
It felt good to have no agenda. To have absolutely no schedule.
Grover loved being in the military and wouldn’t trade his Delta brothers for anything in the world, but being in the Army meant his life was very regimented.
PT, meetings, sticking to a schedule, it was what made the huge bureaucracy work.
Being out here in the fresh air, with no timetable, was freeing.
Grover walked behind Sierra and did his best to keep his gaze off her ass. It was difficult, because even after all she’d been through, she still had a butt that was meant to be admired. To try to take his mind off how attractive he found her, Grover asked, “So…the girls have been texting you?”
She laughed. “That was subtle.”
“Wasn’t meant to be. I’m not asking you to break any confidences, I’m just curious.”
“It’s funny,” Sierra said. “The first time I got a text from one of them, I was expecting it to be you. I was confused for a second because it didn’t make sense that anyone else would text.
It was Gillian. She said she was glad I was all right, then said, ‘welcome to the crazy.’ I was even more confused. ”
Grover chuckled. “Things can be pretty crazy, that’s for sure.
Especially when we all get together. It used to be just a bunch of bros hanging out, having a drink and shooting the shit.
Now we cook, change diapers, talk about princesses with Bria, fall all over ourselves to let Logan ‘win’ at kickball, and have discussions about the things the doctors don’t tell you about childbirth before you go in to have a baby. ”
Sierra laughed. “And you love it.”
“I do,” Grover admitted. “The dynamic of our team has changed, but I honestly think it’s for the better. And it’s all because of the women. What else did they say?”
“Are you scared?” she joked.
“A little bit, yeah,” Grover admitted.
“They’ve all been really nice. It kind of floors me how open and welcoming they’ve been.”
“That’s just who they are,” Grover said.
“Yeah. Devyn’s been hilarious. And I should probably warn you, she’s in full-on ‘set up my brother’ mode.”
“Shit,” Grover swore. “I’ll talk to her and tell her to knock it off.”
“It’s fine,” Sierra told him. “It’s been somewhat enlightening to hear all her stories about you.”
“I’m gonna kill her,” Grover muttered.
Sierra giggled, and the sound was carefree and happy. And Grover freaking loved it.
“It’s all good stuff,” she reassured him.
“Like the time she was getting harassed on the school bus and you stood up for her. You got suspended, but those bullies never said anything to her again. Or when she was sick in the hospital and you participated in an Easter egg hunt and brought her all of the plastic eggs you found. She said you guys spent an hour opening them all on her hospital bed. And of course, the lengths you went to in order to help your brother after his gambling thing.”
“Yeah…his gambling thing,” Grover said in disgust. He knew he’d forgive Spencer eventually for all that he’d put their sister through, but he wasn’t quite there yet.
Sierra stopped and turned toward him. She put her hand on his arm. “She loves you.”
“I know. And I love Devyn too. But I don’t need her help when it comes to women,” Grover complained.
Sierra raised an eyebrow, then turned and continued down the trail. “What about Sally Jensen?” she called back.
Grover groaned. “Oh Lord, please tell me she didn’t tell you about that.”
“How would I know her name if she didn’t?”
“In my defense, I was eighteen and a senior. Young and dumb.”
“I saw the picture,” Sierra told him, glancing back with a smile.
Grover stopped in the middle of the trail and bowed his head. “I really am gonna kill her.”
Sierra giggled again, and Grover couldn’t resist drinking in the woman in front of him. She looked so relaxed and happy, and he ached to do what he could to keep her that way for the rest of their lives.
She walked back to where he’d stopped and glanced up at him. “If it makes you feel any better, it wasn’t a very nice thing of Sally to do. And…you were pretty damn handsome, even at eighteen.”
“Right. So, the backstory is that she told me she was attracted to guys with a sense of humor. I was trying to be funny.”
“By dying your pubic and chest hair blue?” Sierra asked, doing her best not to burst out laughing.
Grover sighed. “Yeah. And she laughed all right. And, I might point out, my, er…enhancements…didn’t seem to make her any less eager to have sex with me.
It wasn’t until I was asleep that she took those pictures and showed them to all her friends.
Luckily, she cropped out my cock when she posted my naked chest all over the school.
My nickname took on a whole new meaning for the rest of that school year. ”
Sierra lost the hold she had on her laugh, and she literally bent over double as she cracked up. Grover didn’t give a shit that she was laughing at his humiliation. He was simply soaking in the sound. At that moment, she didn’t have a care in the world.
When she had herself under control, he asked, “So…I should’ve chosen pink?”
That set her off again.
Grover had to reach out and grab hold of her arm to keep her upright.
“Oh my God, my stomach hurts,” Sierra complained, still chuckling.
“You’re so damn pretty,” Grover said quietly, the words tumbling over his lips without thought.
Sierra blushed, shaking her head in disbelief.
“You are,” he insisted.
“I’m sure,” she said, running a self-conscious hand over the fuzz on her head.
Grover grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it.
“Your hair doesn’t make you any more or less pretty.
Neither do the clothes you’re wearing or how much you weigh.
You’re beautiful to me because of who you are inside.
Because when you laugh, you do so freely and without reservation.
Because of your smile. Because you didn’t ask my sister why in the hell she was messaging a complete stranger. ”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Sierra insisted.
“I know. Which is all a part of why you’re so damn pretty.”
Sierra rolled her eyes, but Grover noticed that she didn’t take her hand out of his.
He eyed the trail and realized it was wide enough that they could walk side by side.
So he started forward once more, with Sierra next to him this time.
“Moving away from embarrassing stories about me…what else did the girls say?” he asked.
“Riley sent me about four thousand pictures of Logan, Bria, and Amalia. She told me how Logan wants to be a professional baseball player, and how Bria wants to be a princess. She somehow got me to agree to babysit when and if I come to Texas. She’s kinda sneaky, isn’t she?”
Grover chuckled. “Yup. She seems so innocent and quiet, then the next thing you know, she and Oz are sneaking off to have sexy times while you’re holding a baby and staring down at their other two adorable kids.”
“She did say that Oz wants more kids.”
“Oh yeah, he’s made no secret of that. Bought a huge-ass house that he’s determined to fill,” Grover said, smiling.
“Aspen’s been giving me nutritional and medical advice,” Sierra went on.
“Just telling me things I can do to help my body adjust to normal food and regular activity again. Kinley hasn’t messaged quite as much, but she’s still been super sweet, telling me how happy she is that you found me, that she can’t wait to meet me.
She did warn me that Gillian would try to throw some huge party to welcome me to Texas. ”