Chapter 33
Marshall’s eyes widened and he clenched his teeth as he stared at the phone screen. He had spent the better part of the day working, and now, his home was overrun. His territory was being invaded.
Colette: How are you doing? Want me to come over?
Oh hell no. They had a sweet, budding romance developing between them, and the last thing Colette needed was this.
First, a death on the ranch.
Now, his entire family was here.
Marshall: Not now. My family has arrived and it’s… a lot
Marshall gritted his teeth and looked up from the sofa, where he had tucked himself into a corner and watched as his family milled about the kitchen.
“The fridge is empty.” His mother clucked her tongue as she investigated the stock of food Marshall kept…or didn’t keep.
“I eat leftovers from Betsy that’s been working just fine, Mom,” he said, attempting to keep a slight whine from his tone.
“I gave her the day off today, because of everything that has happened.” The arrival of his parents, Rowena and Fletcher King, seemed to make him revert to being a child all over again.
“What’s the matter, Marshall? You don’t keep the kitchen stocked as though an army of ten people could drop by at any moment?” Simone said with a snort, twirling a glass of wine in between her fingers on the counter.
Rowena gave her a playful pat on the shoulder, laughing. “Watch that smart mouth, young lady.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll watch it for her,” Roger mumbled, walking behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. Simone leaned back, eyes closing.
The chaos of everyone being here at once was going to be torture.
He thought Jack dying was going to be the difficult part, but having everyone prying into his relatively private existence on the ranch was…
also challenging. His family visited before, of course, but it wasn’t usually everyone at once.
Tragedy had brought them together when all he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and disappear.
Swigging the last of his whiskey, Marshall stood, pressing his hands onto his thighs.
He yawned loudly. “I’m going to head to bed.”
“We’ll go grocery shopping tomorrow. I’ll try to rope Edna into catering.
She accommodates last-minute orders. We’re going to have to be ready for the wake,” Rowena King said, a despairing sigh coming from her mouth as she pressed a hand to her cheek.
“I need to go to bed too. It’s way past my bedtime.
” Collecting the glasses from everyone in the kitchen, she lined them up carefully by the sink and opened the dishwasher.
“Leave it for tomorrow, Rowe.” Fletcher King’s deep voice spoke behind her. Marshall walked up to his father and patted him on the back.
“It’s good to see you, Dad. I’m only sorry to have you here under these circumstances,” Marshall said, walking over to his mother to kiss her on the cheek. “Goodnight, Mom.”
His mother wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a squeeze. She pulled back and brushed her thumb along the edge of his beard.
“You’ll have to shave for the funeral, Marshall. This beard is dreadful.” She pursed her lips as she studied him. “It’s so…rustic.”
Marshall rolled his eyes. “I’m a beard guy, Mom. Get used to it.”
Rowena gasped, taken aback by his tone. “Goodnight, my brave boy,” she said with a sad smirk and a shake of her head. “I’ll never get used to ranch Marshall. So gruff.”
He rolled his eyes and walked toward the stairs, giving Simone and Roger finger guns as he passed them.
Rosebud Ranch had become his fortress of solitude, and having this many people in his space was challenging.
Rosie would descend on them tomorrow, her own tornado of excitement blowing through.
The good thing was, his sister would provide a distraction for his mother, who was constantly worrying about her daughter settling down and finding her place in the world.
If Rosie was one thing, it was flighty. She was a woman with itchy feet, always looking for the next animal to save or charity to support.
The amount of endeavors his sister took on made his head spin.
The entire family was relieved when she found a job at a veterinary clinic in the city and stayed for more than six months.
The click of Hank’s nails on the stairs behind him reassured him that this was only temporary, and the ranch house would return to being a bachelor pad soon enough. Just Marshall, Hank, and Pablo.
And maybe Colette.
Did he still classify as a bachelor if he was seeing Colette?
Maybe not. Even if it was temporary, whatever was going on between them certainly didn’t have a one-and-done feeling to it.
Everything was fresh and new, and surely the excitement would wear off, hopefully in time for her to say goodbye at the end of her contract in a few months.
Though pain gripped his chest when he thought of it, it was the only way he would survive her leaving.
Since she had arrived, a new energy bubbled inside his chest, akin to the sensation of seeing the first crocus in spring or the tiny buds on the trees, ushering in the transformation of their landscape for the new season.
No woman had ever made him come to life like she did, as though their hearts held secrets that their minds weren’t yet aware of.
Even the simple action of running his hand through her silky curls filled him with a sweet, unfamiliar sensation he both feared and craved.
Welcoming the silence of the upper floor hallway, he trudged to his bedroom with Hank on his heels.
Marshall wondered where Pablo had gone off to, since the cat always hid the moment unfamiliar people entered the home.
The cat was very selective about who he spent his time with, and Marshall was one of the lucky few who were graced with his attention.
He entered his bedroom and turned on the light, peeking under the bed to see two bright green eyes staring back at him.
Pablo was not impressed by this new development.
“It’s only until after the funeral,” Marshall offered, to which the cat turned his head, snubbing him. With a shake of his head, Marshall removed his clothing and took a quick shower. He needed to think. To process.
Glancing at himself in the mirror, he could see why his mom thought he looked like shit.
There were bags under his eyes from his long night with Colette, and his body was worn out from cleaning up and making the horses comfortable after the police investigation.
Luckily, all hands had been on deck, and everybody on staff worked late making sure the animals were safe, fed, and calm.
His family arrived late, as his workday was ending.
Since finding Jack yesterday morning, Marshall barely had time to breathe.
All he wanted to do was bury his face in Colette’s neck and inhale.
Escape was not an option at this time.
Jack’s death had basically pressed pause on whatever was going on with Colette. There was a funeral to plan, his usual work around the ranch, with the load of Jack’s jobs piled on top of his, and getting to the bottom of what had happened to his friend.
Marshall made a mental note to check on Edith again, see how he could help her now.
Without Jack to take care of her, she was alone and dealing with her cancer treatments on top of that.
He shook his head, wiping his hands on the nearby hand towel.
Life wasn’t fair. As soon as a ray of sunshine appeared in his life, a cloud came to block it.
The old Marshall would have shrugged and moved on.
There would be no lingering ache to be with her, no hunger for warmth or need to kiss that smile or taste that joy again.
A heavy sigh shuddered through his chest as he lifted the covers and slid between the icy cold sheets.
Even with the familiar sounds coming from his loudly sleeping dog, Marshall wondered how he would sleep the same without being able to pull her close.
Closing his eyes, he imagined himself turning over and reaching for Colette. Burying his face in the nape of her neck and inhaling the fruity smell of her shampoo. He was haunted by the soft, lilting laugh he was missing and the calm acceptance with which she surrounded him.
Marshall shivered from the chill.
It made no sense to need someone after only one night.
This must be his body reacting to the events of the day.
Part of the mourning process, nothing more.
His body longing for comfort. Reaching a hand to touch the other side of the bed, he looked forward to this coming week being over so he could pick up where he left off with Colette, if he could wait that long.
He wasn’t sure he could wait that long.