5. Kash
CHAPTER FIVE
kash
Anticipation is crawling under my skin, and the reason for that is something I refuse to examine too closely as we approach the sprawling town square—a literal square block with sidewalks, grass, tall trees, and a bubbling fountain in the center.
String lights are woven through the branches overhead, casting a warm glow over what has to be half of the town’s residents.
It's the heart of Darling, and it’s been years since I’ve even thought about this place.
More honestly, I’ve done my damndest to forget it.
There are tables set up with different activities for the kids—face painting, a cotton candy making station, arts & crafts, and easy-to-win games that will have families taking home a new pet goldfish that will barely survive a week.
Set up around the perimeter are the adult booths with alcohol, food, and tables where parents can keep an eye on their kids as they have the time of their lives.
I loved this festival when I was young, but the reason for that is like a gnawing ache in my heart.
Juliette and I would run around for hours eating anything we could get our hands on until we were sick to our stomachs.
Then we’d find a free swath of grass and lie there, staring up at the stars and talking about nothing and everything until we were ready to do it all again.
Those memories sit heavy in my chest. I knew coming back to Darling was going to dredge up a fuck-ton of emotions, but I had assumed it would be more of the hate and less of the yearning.
Fuck. I hate being wrong.
“Do you think she’ll be here tonight?” Wyatt asks beside me, and I’m ashamed to admit I couldn’t tell you a word of what he’s said during the entire walk here.
“Juliette?”
The thought of running into her and Pack Latham is not exactly pleasant.
He shoots me an exasperated look from beneath his cowboy hat. “I knew you weren’t paying attention to me. You’re still stuck on that shit-tastic dinner last night.”
“I most definitely am not .”
“Sure,” he drawls, straightening his white dress shirt. He’s already got the top two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. “You’re not thinking about Miss Hoity Toity at all .”
I conveniently ignore the additional spike of nerves that shoots through me at the mere mention of the woman I’m desperate to forget. “Nope. Not even a little bit.”
“Good. Then maybe you can help me charm JJ Wilde.”
My eyes dart over to him. “She’s still here?”
“I have no idea. That’s why I asked you. Think she was here visiting the Circle Cross Training Center?”
“How the hell would I know? Though I can’t see what a small company like that could do for a rodeo champion.”
“No matter. For our sake, I’m hoping she’s still in town because there is something about that woman that makes me want to do really stupid shit to garner even a second of her attention.”
“Well, rein that in. The last thing we need is some high-profile Omega that will bring unwanted attention to this pack. We’re too close to our end goal now to fuck it up.”
Wyatt’s sigh is deep, and I feel a little guilty for having to be the voice of reason that bursts his little puppy-love bubble, but fuck it. They don’t call me the buzzkill for nothing.
“You’re right. But dammit, bro. This might be our one shot at her. She’s fuckin’ stunning, and her little girl is adorable.”
“First of all, you already know Beck’s feelings about Omegas in general. He would rather pine after his mystery girl from four years ago than even think about courtin’ someone else. Secondly, what the hell do the three of us know about children, let alone a little girl?”
“Something tells me she’d have us wrapped around her finger, and we’d love every hellish second of it.”
I shake my head. “Doubtful.”
It’s not that I don’t like kids. I’ve just never had much opportunity to be around many.
Our families are small—Beck and Wyatt’s pack lives in a tiny town in Texas that makes Darling look like a big city—and none of our friends have children.
To be honest, I don’t know how to act around anyone under the age of teen .
Wyatt scans the growing crowd. “Where the hell is Beck, anyway? Wasn’t he supposed to meet us here?”
“He texted about thirty minutes ago and said he was going to be a little longer than expected. The fire chief is givin’ him a full tour of the station and going over the benefits and incentives they offer volunteer paramedics. He’s already tryin’ to convince him to sign on the dotted line.”
“Dude, we don’t even have an address yet. Or a definitive move date.”
“Beck is nothing if not practical. You know he doesn’t like being idle.”
“But seriously. How quickly do you think we can make the move? As much as I love the Ford estate, I’m ready to dive into the ranch and start making the necessary adjustments to set up the healing center. The closing will take time once we put in the official offer, right?”
Adjusting the Stetson on my head, I avoid his questioning stare.
“Okay. Out with it. What did you do?”
“What do you mean?” I glance over, his narrowed eyes clashing with mine.
“Playin’ dumb. If that isn’t telling, I don’t know what is,” he scoffs.
“I just ran into Jason, my real estate buddy, in town earlier today. That’s all.”
“And...”
I never squirm, but something about being chastised by my younger packmate is making me fidgety. “I may have given him the green light to have the contract drawn up and submitted. Full cash offer.”
Wyatt blinks. “Have we been shoved through a portal to an alternate dimension?”
I roll my eyes.
“That’s the only possible explanation for this sudden change in personality.
You’re the man who always takes his time to consider every possible scenario, then rethinks it over and over again until I’m ready to stick hot pokers in my eyes.
For you to suddenly jump five steps ahead without consulting us about every pro and con imaginable?
I would expect that out of Beck. But you?
Never in a million years.” He studies me, head tilted and fingers running over the stubble on his jaw. “You want her.”
“Want who?” But I know exactly who he’s talking’ about, and I feel the burn in my gut.
“Miss Too Good For You.”
“Fuck no, I don’t. This has been the plan all along.”
“Yeah. Sure.” A smug smirk appears on his face. “You keep lyin’ to yourself about your feelings for Miss Gold Digger. Just makes me want to meet her even more if she’s got you this twisted up inside.”
“Fuck off.”
His laughter makes me want to throat punch him, and I consider doing just that until a tiny voice interrupts us.
“Those are potty words, and Mama says I can’t say them until I’m as big as her.”
When I look down, the little girl staring up at me has bright blue eyes and long, curly blonde hair tucked under a tan cowboy hat.
Her jean jacket is covered in little gemstones that match the jeweled patterns on her blue jeans.
But it’s the suede studded cowboy boots that catch my attention because the gems are in the shape of the initials CC .
Wyatt kneels in front of the little spitfire with a grin. “Hey there, Charlotte. Fancy seeing you again.”
“Hi, Mr. Wyatt. Who’s he?” She points at me with a calculating look that’s way too serious for a kid this young.
Wyatt motions toward me with his thumb. “This is Kash Ford. Kash, meet Charlotte.”
Little eyes narrow until she’s practically squinting. “Ford?”
I nod. “Yup. I?—”
“We don’t speak to Fords. ‘Cept for Papa Hudson that is.”
Papa Hudson?
Wyatt snorts. “Appears your reputation precedes you, my friend.”
“Oh? And why is that?” I ask, genuinely confused.
“My mama says they can’t be trusted.”
“And who is your mama?” I ask, though I can make an educated guess based on Wyatt’s reaction to the three-foot little handful.
“JJ Wilde.”
My head cocks to the side. “Your mama knows my grandfather?”
When she nods, her blonde curls bounce around her face. “Yup. They go way back.”
Strange. I don’t remember grandfather mentioning any ties to the rodeo queen.
“Well, I promise I’m as trustworthy as Papa Hudson. In fact, we’re staying at his estate while we’re in town.”
For a second, she just stares at me as if considering my mettle. “Mr. Wyatt, do you trust him?”
Putting his hand over his heart, Wyatt bites back a chuckle. “With my life, Lady Charlotte.”
Her chin bobs. “Okay then, Mr. Kash. I trust you too.”
Amused despite myself, the corner of my mouth quirks up. “Thank you, Charlotte.”
“You’re welcome.” She slips her tiny little hand into mine and begins to tug me through the crowd. “Now you can help me find my mama. She said not to wander, but I didn’t listen real well. She won’t be so mad if I have grown-ups with me.”
Wyatt shoots me a wide smile as he falls into step with us. “Told you,” he murmurs, lifting his pinky as he mouths, Wrapped around it.
I ignore him. “Where did you last see your mama?”
She scoffs, the sound more adorable than it has any right to be, as she continues to pull me through the crowds and around tables. “With them .”
“Who’s them ?” Wyatt asks.
“The pack who makes googly eyes at her.”
That catches his attention. “Does she make googly eyes back?”
“No. She smiles real wide like this…” She pauses, smiling so big it reminds me of that shark from that fish movie. Then her little brows furrow so deep I start to get a little concerned she’s having a stroke or something. “But they don’t like me, so I don’t like them.”
“Why do you say they don’t like you?” I ask, angry on her behalf.
Anyone who doesn’t immediately fall just a little bit in love with this adorable, albeit rambunctious little girl has to have a heart of stone.
“I’m too loud and have too much energy.”
“You’re…what? Three? Four?” Wyatt asks.
“Almost three and a half,” she says proudly.
“For a three-year-old, you are amazingly mature and well-spoken.”
She considers Wyatt for a second. “Thank you. Mama says so too.”
“Kash! Wyatt!”