Cash must be ropin’ the dummy.
I ignored the almost rhythmic sound as I unlatched the mare’s stall. She barely lifted her head up from her flake of hay as I walked in and began raking. So different than twenty years ago. She’d been all hellfire and brimstone then—Cash, Bad, and just about everyone else would argue she still was, but we’d come a hell of a long way. I paused a moment, leaning the rake against the stall door and ran a hand down her neck.
It was just like when I was eleven all over again. Coming into her stall, seeking her quiet comfort. I focused my breathing, matching it to the strokes I made down her coat. Working with Bad had taught me many things, but the healing power of horses would always be his greatest lesson.
Chapter fifteen
Sad Songs For Song People
Cheyenne
Iawoke alone. Completelyand utterly alone. No sign of Maverick, or Brandy for that matter. Worry gripped me, twisting my stomach in knots. Where were they?
I couldn’t tell how late or early it was since there weren’t any windows in the room, but itfeltearly. I could have sworn I’d just curled up in Maverick’s arms and then here I was. My lungs burned from all the smoke I’d inhaled last night, but I ignored it as I got up.
I needed to find them. It wasn’t like Brandy to leave me, and with the night Maverick had, I wouldn’t have suspected him being up so early.
I padded out of the room and down the hall, the familiar aroma of bacon, hash browns, and something sweet filling the air. As I turned the corner down the hall, the living room came into view, and directly beyond it, the open dining room and peninsula separating the kitchen. Ryder and Charlie sat at the peninsula, while Cashleaned against the wide door frame between the dining and living room. They all stared on in silence toward the large, open kitchen.
Well, if they weren’t cooking that meant…
My heart slowed a bit as I spotted Maverick’s tall frame before the stove, but the worry and tension coiled tight in my belly still remained.
“Hey,” I said quietly, making my presence known. “Has anyone seen—”
The familiar click-clacking of Brandy’s toenails sliced through the thick silence, and everyone’s gaze shuffled to me. But I was only focused on a single green-eyed gaze. I regarded him for a long moment, searching for any signs of…what exactly I wasn’t sure. Was he more back to himself today or still silent?
He wasn’t in the clothes Cash had lent him last night. He wore his usual getup—starched black wranglers, a black long-sleeve, and a black felt cowboy hat.
I bypassed everyone, weaving my way into the kitchen and around the large center island to come to his side. I hovered next to him, longing to reach out and touch him, but was unsure if it was the right thing to do.
“Hey,” I repeated, my voice gentle as I tried to gauge his expression. “How’re you doin’?”
From this close, I noticed the tension in his shoulders, saw the sadness and lifelessness in his gaze. Another piece of my heart shattered. Looked like whatever progress we’d made last night hadall but vanished. He lifted his shoulders in a weak shrug and nodded at me.
It was surprisingly easy to understand him even without words. “I’m okay. You scared me. I didn’t think you’d be up so early. And when I noticed Brandy gone too… She doesn’t usually leave my side.”
His gaze turned apologetic and he tilted his chin toward the window in the kitchen looking out at the barn.
I frowned. “Are you sayin’ you woke up to go do chores?”
A nod.
I huffed. Of course, he’d go through some harrowing experience and then wake up the next morning like nothing was wrong, back to choring away. Well, not that he was back to normal, but still.
Ryder’s voice pulled my attention. “He was up first, as usual. Had almost the whole damn barn fed and cleaned before we got out there.”
I can’t believe I’d slept through him leaving and not even heard Brandy’s loud steps on the hardwood. I’d never been a light sleeper, but maybe after last night, my body just went into rest mode.
I looked between Ryder and Maverick. Maverick just shrugged and met my gaze once more. He nodded at the food then quirked an eyebrow.
“I’m a little hungry,” I replied.
He nodded and held up a hand.
“Five minutes?” I asked after a moment.
Another nod.
