“Ah,” I murmur, nodding my head.
I get it. Kyle hasn’t said he needs a nurse; my mother just thinks he does.
“Don’t ‘Ah’ me!” she says with a huff. “I just found your solution to your girl-leaving problem,” Mama says, raising a brow.
“I’ll see you later,” I say with a chuckle.
I kiss my mother goodbye, unable to shake her suggestion. Does Kyle reallyneed a nurse? Would that be enough for Mikayla? Is that the kind of nurse she wants to be? I frown because I don’t know the answer to any of these questions.
I pull up to my driveway and get out of my car, grabbing the groceries first. I don’t want Mikayla to know about the surprise. Well… at least not yet, anyway.
The house is quiet as I enter. I remove my shoes before I look at my watch. It’s almost eleven o’clock. I walk into the kitchen and notice the note is gone.
I drop the bags on the counter, then make my way to my room. I frown when I don’t see Mikayla. She made my bed, though. Which does something to my heart.
I turn around and make my way to Mikayla’s room. But she isn’t there either. Now I’m officially worried. Where the hell is she? I walk quickly to my front door, get my boots on, and make my way out the door.
I walk toward the ranch, the only place I can think of where she might be. The lovely sound of giggling dances along the wind and my heart lodges in my throat at the sight before me. Then the unmistakable cry of a pained scream ricochets through the trees. I dart as fast as I can toward Mikayla.
Chapter Twenty
Mikayla
Two Hours Earlier
I stretch my arms above my head as I wake, blinking the sleep from my eyes. I reach over beside me, but the bedsheets are cold.
I wince as I sit up, my body sore from the night before, my inner thighs hurt, muscles I’m not used to feeling, aching.
With the sheet around my chest, I look around the room, but there’s no sign of Caine. The house is quiet.
I feel myself frowning. I’m not sure how to feel about this. Should I be worried?Should I be insulted? Does he regret what happened? If he felt compelled to leave his own house first thing in the morning to avoid me… my stomach flips at the thought.
I shake my head. But that doesn’t make sense either. It’s not like we were drunk and lost control. No, we just lost control.
My eyes close as visions from the night before play like a film in my mind. My skin begins to tingle, and my chesttightens when I recall the feel of his lips on my body, the touch of his hands on my skin, and the intensity of his eyes.
The unmistakable sound of my phone vibrating gets my attention. I reach over and see it’s my mother calling. I ignorethe call but notice several texts from her.
Stranger? I look at the messages again, and my stomach does an odd flip. Did Caine answer my phone?
Shit! I should have just blocked her. And why is she telling me about Cody? I thought her fucking him was her doing me a favor?
Making my way to my room, I dress in black camo leggings and a sports bra. I may as well go explore the ranch today. I didn’t do anything yesterday other than cook and clean.
I realize my mom’s demands are now ingrained in me because I actually cleaned the entire house. It’s not lost on me how weird that is, but I felt compelled. I walk back into Caine’s room and make the bed, of course I do.
I brush my teeth and pee before walking back to my room. I grab a hoodie and yank on my socks before I grab my shoes and walk to the front door. I plop them on the ground, then I walk to the kitchen for a quick drink of water when I see a piece of paper on the counter.
I smile and laugh at his note. Ha! Well, that explains it.I guess she knows I’m not dead;I think to myself as I toss the note in the recycle bin. I quickly down a glass of water, grab my phone, earphones and head out the door.
It’s officially fall. I smile as I look around. This isn’t the climate I expect when I think of Texas. I turn to the left, where I see a path. It’s surrounded by trees. This is definitely nothing like the Seattle area. But it’s not hot out either.
I open my phone map app and check my location so I don’t get lost.
Okay, so I’m not actually in Crystal Falls. I’m apparently in Bristol, Texas. I laugh ‘cause I totally understand why Caine said we were in Crystal Falls. I do the same thing when people ask where I’m from. I tell people I’m from Seattle, but I grew up on Mercer Island. No one has heard of Mercer Island.
As I walk the trail, I notice how lush the property is, and the air feels warm but crisp. I zip up my hoodie and stop short when I see Patrick.
