Chapter 4
FOUR
Ethan
“I thought we were going to be riding the horses.” Jonah kicked the wheel on the wheelbarrow I was filling with manure and soiled bedding. “This stinks.”
“It does.” I nodded, wrinkling up my nose in exaggeration as I scooped up another pile. “But it’s important to learn how to take care of your horse from start to finish. That includes the not-so-fun stuff.”
“I don’t have a horse. So, why do I need to learn this?”
I leaned on the pitchfork and watched as Jonah scuffed his shoes against the floor. “Well, if you learn to ride and get to liking it, you might get your own horse someday.”
He perked up at my words, but then his shoulders drooped as he shook his head. “Nah. Aunt Hannah can’t afford to buy me a horse. And who knows how long we’ll be here? I can’t take a horse with me.”
I cut off the words of protest that rose at the idea of them leaving.
It wasn’t for me to tell Jonah his aunt was my mate and that I wanted them to stay forever, especially when she had yet to accept me.
“Well, we have an older horse that’s great for learning to ride on.
We don’t have time to exercise him much, and having help would be great.
I thought you might like to do it, but if you aren’t interested in learning to take care of him…
” I let my words trail off, and Jonah pounced on them.
“I can do it!”
“Are you sure?” I gave him a sceptical look. “It’s a lot of responsibility. It involves helping to clean his stall, feeding him, and grooming him.”
He nodded his head so fast I thought he’d give himself whiplash.
“We can try it. See how you like it.” I spread out the clean bedding in the stall. “After we finish with these stalls, I’ll introduce you to Tank.”
His enthusiasm waned a little after a couple of stalls, but he didn’t quit. I didn’t expect him to enjoy this part of taking care of horses—there was a reason Gabriel and I had tried so hard to win that race yesterday—but I was glad to see him giving it his all.
After we finished cleaning all the water and feed buckets, I led him outside, grabbing an apple from the treat bin as we passed. I whistled for Tank, and he came running to the fence. He knew I’d have something for him. He was our father’s last horse, and we all made sure he was spoiled.
“Hold your hand out flat with the apple on it.” I handed the apple to Jonah and nodded toward the fence.
The boy squared his shoulders and stepped closer to the large, tan horse with dark-brown mane and stockings.
Tank’s tail lifted in excitement, but otherwise he stood still—until Jonah raised the apple.
Then Tank pricked his ears forward and swooped his head down to grab the fruit, his lips brushing against Jonah’s palm.
“That tickles!” Jonah giggled. Tank moved forward, sniffing at Jonah’s pockets to see if he had anything else. The boy eagerly reached out and touched the horse, petting his neck. Tank gave up on finding more treats and let Jonah and me give him attention.
After a few minutes, Jonah’s smile faded, and he dropped his hands, shoving them in his pockets. His shoulders were stiff as he kicked at the dirt.
I gave Tank the command to go and crouched down in front of Jonah. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like nothing.” I ducked my head, looking him in the eye. He was blinking back tears. “You can talk to me, Jonah. Or I can go get your aunt.”
He shook his head, desperation filling his eyes. “No. Don’t bother her.”
“I doubt she’d see it as a bother. She loves you.”
“I don’t want her to know.”
I considered the boy in front of me. He was trying, and failing, to stop the tears that fell.
I recognized myself in him. When I first arrived at the ranch, I’d wanted to appear strong, but still had to process all the emotions of grief that overwhelmed me when I least expected it.
Could I use that experience to help Jonah? It was worth a try.
“I was about your age when I came to the ranch,” I said. “My parents died, and I had no other family. It was tough. I suddenly had two new parents and all these older boys calling me brother. Everyone seemed to have it all together. And I thought I had to as well.”
Jonah was shooting me quick looks, curiosity now edging into his eyes.
“But there were all these feelings that would bubble up inside of me. Desperate to come out. It wasn’t until I realized it didn’t make me weak to have emotions that I learned to deal with them.
” I shifted, my legs cramping slightly from holding a crouch for so long.
“Our emotions are part of who we are, and sometimes we just need to acknowledge them and let them run their course.”
He was staring at me now, his eyes still wet. Something about those green eyes was familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why. “It’s just…I was so happy. Petting Tank. But then I remembered my mom is gone. And it felt wrong to be happy.”
“Jonah.” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Your mom would want you to be happy. It’s okay to miss her, but it’s also okay to live your life.”
He sniffed, and his voice wobbled. “I don’t want to forget her.”
“You won’t.” I wanted to pull him into my arms and comfort him but wasn’t sure he was ready for that.
“I still remember my first parents. My adoptive parents made sure of that, just like I’m sure your Aunt Hannah will do for you.
You and she can share stories about your mom.
That will keep her alive and in your heart. ”
Jonah threw himself at me, and I caught the small boy.
He cried, soaking my shirt, but I didn’t mind.
I patted his back, holding him while he let it all out.
I gave him a gentle squeeze as his sobs slowed to a stop.
He pulled back, swiping his eyes with the back of his hand.
“Don’t tell Aunt Hannah. I don’t want her to worry. ”
I hesitated. Was it right to keep this from my mate? I didn’t want to have secrets, especially concerning her nephew’s well-being.
My gaze cut to the house, and all thoughts flew out of my head as I saw smoke pouring out the kitchen window. “Jonah, stay here.”
He didn’t listen and followed me as I raced across the yard to get to my mate. Panic filled me, my heart beating so hard I thought it would burst from my chest. I couldn’t lose her.
Hannah
I coughed, trying to stay low beneath the smoke as I searched for a fire extinguisher. One minute I was opening the oven to put in the cake, and the next, flames and smoke had burst from it. I couldn’t get close enough to turn the oven off or shut the door.
Crawling, I finally spotted the extinguisher in the pantry. Just as I grabbed it, the back door banged open, and I heard Ethan’s frantic voice. “Hannah? Where are you?”
“In here.” My words were raspy as they exited my smoke-roughened throat.
He spotted me dragging the extinguisher out of the pantry and rushed over, taking it from me. He pulled the pin as he turned toward the fire, pulling the handle and sweeping the nozzle back and forth over the base of the flames. Within seconds, the blaze was out.
Ethan tossed the extinguisher to the side and clutched me to him. He was squeezing hard, maybe a little too hard, but I found it comforting. Like I belonged in his arms. After a few minutes, he held me out at arm’s length and ran his gaze over me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” The words were barely audible. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I’m fine.”
“You need water.” He rushed over to the sink and filled a glass for me. “Here, drink this slowly.”
I wasn’t usually a fan of tepid water, but right now it was like ambrosia. As soon as I finished, he grabbed the glass and filled it again. I took a sip before putting the glass down on the table. “Thank you for helping me with the fire.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know.” I surveyed the mess in the kitchen.
The cake pan was lying on the floor and batter spilled over the linoleum.
Residue from the fire extinguisher coated the stove and countertop.
My heart sank. It was only my first day.
“I swear, I just turned the oven on to preheat. When I opened it to put the cake in, the fire started.”
“Hey, don’t worry. It’s not your fault.” He pulled me back into his arms, rubbing my back.
The sound of uneven footsteps pounding across the back porch had me stepping away. Mason entered, his gaze taking in everything in an instant. “Jonah came and got me. Everything okay here?”
“It is now.” Ethan stepped over the extinguisher to move closer to the stove. “Oven’s toast, though.”
“I’m so sorry—”
“It’s just an oven.” Ethan shrugged. “We needed to get a new one, anyway. It was on the list to replace before the dude ranch opens.”
“Let’s haul it out to the workshop.” Mason joined Ethan in front of the stove. He and Ethan exchanged glances. “I’d like to see if I can figure out what happened.”
Ethan nodded. “Good idea.”
They dragged the oven out and between the two of them, lifted it in the air with ease. My jaw dropped at their display of strength; it was easy to forget they were shifters sometimes. Despite Mason’s uneven gait, they easily carried the oven outside and across the yard into an outbuilding.
Jonah rushed to my side, worry clear in his voice. “Are you okay, Aunt Hannah?”
I kneeled down next to him. “I took in a little smoke, so my voice might sound rough, but I’m fine. You did a good job getting Mason.”
“Ethan told me to stay, but I didn’t.” Jonah twisted his shirt in his fingers. “Will he be mad at me?”
“Not at all.” Ethan joined us. “I just wanted you away from the kitchen. It was smart of you to get help.”
I watched Jonah blossom beneath Ethan’s praise. His eyes shone as he stared at the man, a look of near hero worship in his gaze.
“Can you do something else for me?” Ethan asked, his face serious.
Jonah nodded quickly.
“Take your aunt back to the cabin. She needs to get some rest.”
I shook my head. “No, I need to stay and clean up the kitchen.”
“I’ll handle that.” Ethan was firm. “You inhaled a lot of smoke. It’s either go rest, or I take you to the hospital to get checked out.”
Jonah took my hand and tugged me toward the cabin. “Come on, Aunt Hannah. You don’t want to go to the hospital.”
I huffed out a breath. “I’m feeling ganged up on here.”
Ethan grinned. “Jonah and I make a good team. He’ll watch over you for me.”
As I let Jonah guide me back to our place, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Ethan waiting and watching, hands in his pockets. He didn’t turn away until I was slipping through the door.
I hopped in the shower, eager to clean off the smoke that clung to my skin, then pulled on a pair of clean jeans and a T-shirt and headed to the living room. Jonah was waiting for me and directed me to the bedroom. “Ethan said you need to rest.”
I studied Jonah’s stubborn little face. “Did you have fun with Ethan this morning?”
“Yeah! I got to pet a horse named Tank. And I fed him an apple.” His expression lit. “Ethan said I could help take care of Tank and learn to ride on him.”
“Sounds like a blast.”
Jonah screwed up his nose. “Cleaning stalls wasn’t, but Ethan said it’s important to do the not fun stuff too.” He straightened his shoulders and pointed to my bedroom. “Like resting.”
I hid a smile. “I’m going.”
He stood on guard as I opened my door and went inside. Ethan obviously had Jonah’s approval. He hadn’t been around many men growing up and never had a male role model. Ethan was fast taking that place. Maybe it was what Jonah needed right now.
I lay on the bed but couldn’t settle. I was tired but also restless. The excitement of the day still had me on edge. I slipped out of bed, trying to be quiet so Jonah didn’t hear, and kneeled by a box I had yet to unpack. I opened the flaps and recognized Cassie’s things.
On top of the box was her laptop bag. I put it to the side to look at later.
Next were some files from the little desk she had squeezed into her bedroom.
She loved her job and would work late into the night after putting Jonah in bed.
I remembered how before her accident she’d told me she was working on something big, her eyes filled with excitement.
Underneath the folders was a picture of Cassie and Jonah in a frame he made her in school. They both beamed from the photo, their identical green eyes lit with joy. Cassie had kept that photo on her bedside table. Now it could sit on Jonah’s.
My finger caught on a sharp edge, and I sucked in my breath as the frame tumbled from my hands. It crashed onto the floor and the frame split at the bottom corner. “Shoot.”
I scooped it up, and something tumbled from inside the frame: a USB drive.
My brow furrowed. Why did Cassie have a thumb drive hidden in the photo frame? What could possibly be on it?
My bedroom door flew open, and I shoved the drive in my pocket as I turned to face Jonah, who stood in the doorway with his hands on his hips. “You’re supposed to be resting.”
“Sorry, Jonah. I’ll go back to bed.” I waited for him to leave, but he just watched me. With a sigh, I climbed back under the covers.
He lay next to me and leaned his head on my shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay, Aunt Hannah?”
The worry in his voice had me settling into the mattress. If he needed me to rest, I would rest. “I’m fine. I promise.”