I kissed the top of her head, about to allow myself to fall back to sleep, when a noise outside the bedroom reached my ears.Fuck, someone was in the house, and I didn’t have my gun.My safe was going to be the next thing I moved in.I should have already installed one beside the bed.With the level of security around the farm, the chances of someone breaking in were low.That didn’t mean zero.And then there was the possibility that someone on staff could also be a danger.
Careful not to wake Grier, I quietly slid from the bed and crossed to the door.Once there, I paused to listen.Light footsteps.A muted curse that was too soft to be male.I opened the door and stepped out, taking the invader by surprise.
A scream pierced the silence at the same time something slammed into my shoulder.Pain exploded through me, knocking the air from my lungs.Groaning, I turned and grabbed the bat before I could be hit again.
“What the?—”
“Who the fuck?—”
The lights were suddenly on, and it took a moment for my sight to adjust.Behind me, Grier was breathing hard, a bat of her own already lifted.But then she blinked.Once.Then again before dropping the bat and slamming her hands down on her hips.
I was thankful she’d put on one of my shirts after our shower earlier, and I’d actually grabbed a pair of boxer briefs before sliding back into bed with her.
Remi Thornton stood only feet away, her blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, her violet-blue eyes blending into a unique periwinkle and wide as saucers.They raked over me before she rolled them with a huff.“This is unexpected.”
“You should work on your swing,” I told her, rubbing at the spot on my arm where she’d landed a blow.“I’m disappointed that Luca Thornton’s daughter can’t hit harder.”
“My goal was to maim, not murder,” Remi said with a shrug.
Grunting a response, I put more distance between us, cautiously checking the surrounding area for other weapons.Remi was hard to predict, going from unsuspecting angel to full-on devil with a flick of her lashes.
“What are you doing here?”Grier demanded, a small wobble in her voice.
Remi’s face softened as she looked at her best friend.“I came as soon as Mom told me what happened to Waffles.My little fur nephew is sick, and I came to shower him with attention and adoration while he recovers.And I figured you needed some moral support or some sappy bullshit, because your heart is so soft and squishy.”
Tears flooded Grier’s eyes as she threw her arms around the other girl.“I missed you so much, Bug.”
Grier
Waffles was upand walking when I made it to the barn later that morning.He moved slowly, but his tail swished happily as he walked up to me.I dropped to my knees, hugging my boy.Pressing my face into his neck, I finally accepted that he was really going to be okay.
He butted his nose to my shoulder, and I pulled back.“No more adventures for you, sir.You stay on the farm from now on.I don’t care how much you miss me.”
His snort was definitely an argument.
I gave him a stern glare.“None of that.There will be no more risks.If I lost you, I don’t know what I would do.”
Another snort that I interpreted as “But, Mom!”
“Enough arguing.Let’s get our day started.”Standing, I dusted off my jeans and got an update from Leo.Waffles was doing better than he’d expected, and all his blood work looked good.He still needed to get regular labs to make sure that didn’t change.Thankfully, Leo didn’t anticipate anything drastic.
As requested, Leo had invited the two owners of the cats who had eaten some of the rodenticide to bring their pets to him.They both accepted his help, and the cats were in the lab getting treatment.My only wish was that we could have also saved the dog.
Forcing back tears at the thought of the little guy, I focused on work that would keep me busy on the farm.By lunchtime, I had parked my booty in the mini Highland cow pasture and was meticulously grooming any who wanted extra love.Which tended to be all of them.
Waffles stretched out on his side napping while I brushed the hair of Marshmallow, the oldest Highlander in the herd.She was solid white, making her look more like a fluffy cloud with eyes and a nose.Love Bug had named her when the cow first arrived.Marshmallow had been rescued from a hoarder who liked to collect animals but didn’t possess the funds to care for them.When she came to the farm, she was sick from malnutrition and a plethora of other illnesses.None of the cows had had enough space to move, let alone enough grass to eat.She’d barely been a hundred pounds when the authorities had stepped in.
We’d kept her quarantined for two months before she could leave the barn.Since she’d been released into the pasture, she’d been living her best life.
“I knew I’d find you out here.”Love Bug dropped onto the blanket beside me and stole my water bottle.Wiping sweat from her face, she scowled up at the sky.“You always cuddle the Highlanders when you’re sad.”
I stared at her for a long moment, absorbing the presence of my best friend.She shouldn’t be home, not yet, at least.Her goals were within reach, and she was doing amazing things all on her own, without the help of her dad’s name.
Love looked tired.Her eyes, that beautiful shade of purple swirled together with blue, weren’t as bright as they should have been.I couldn’t remember a time when they’d ever been so dim.In a pair of yoga pants and a sports bra, she’d obviously been out for a run, which she only did when she was trying to get out of her own head.
“What happened?”I asked when she kept her gaze on the sky.
She stayed silent for a bit, her jaw clenching and unclenching.When she finally looked at me, I felt her pain in my chest as if it lived inside me as much as it did her.“I’m not ready to talk about it.But when I am, I promise you will be the first person I come to.Right now, I…” She swallowed hard.“I’m still absorbing, I guess.”
