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How could he possibly break-up with her?
How can you not?he wondered. He didn’t know everything about the Winters or Sweet Rose Whiskey, but he knew enough to know there would be serious consequences for him if he disobeyed Wendy Winters. They were old blood in the Lexington area, as was his family.
She was right that horses and whiskey didn’t mix, because he’d never heard of anyone in his family dealing with anything whiskey or distillery related.
A break in the guests leaving gave him an opportunity to turn toward Ginny. “Do you need help cleaning up?”
“I’ve hired people to come in tomorrow,” she said.
Cayden nodded, his emotions storming through his whole being. “I think I might head out then. I’ve got a long drive to get back to the ranch.”
“Oh, sure,” she said. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
“It’s fine,” he practically yelled at her. He needed to calm down, and he forced his voice into a lower volume. “I know the way, and you have guests still.” He bent down and kissed her cheek, noting the way she pressed into his touch and put her hand on his arm. “Thank you for inviting me, Ginny. Have fun on your trip.”
He straightened and adjusted his hat. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.” He grinned at her, his indecision raging through him. Then he turned and crossed the entire library and entered the living room. It was cooler and quieter out here, and he got a few moments of relief as he walked through the semi-darkness to the front door.
Outside, it was even colder, and he took a deep breath of the winter air on the front porch. He went down the steps and waited for his truck, and it wasn’t until he was halfway back to Bluegrass Ranch that he realized he’d left his suit coat on the back of her couch.
He had to go back for that, right?
“Dear Lord,” he said aloud. “What am I supposed to do?” Tonight felt like the first time they’d both been real with each other, and Cayden didn’t want to break-up with her.
He told himself he didn’t have to figure it all out tonight. She was leaving for the Caymans in a couple of days, and she’d be gone a week. He had some time, but he knew all that time would get him was ten sleepless nights.
Chapter Nineteen
Trey stood next to the passenger door of his truck, watching TJ skip toward him. “Look at me skippin’,” he called to Trey.
“Looking good,” Trey said with a smile. He took TJ’s backpack and swung it over the side of the truck and into the back. “How was your art class today?”
“So good,” TJ said, already standing on the running board though the door was still closed. He jumped down and Trey wished he had the energy TJ did.
“Yeah? Did you paint?”
“We got to use the stencils again.” TJ hopped on both feet, and Trey couldn’t help grinning at him.
“Remember we’re goin’ to the zoo today?”
TJ looked up at him, his eyes wide. “Yeah!”
He’d clearly forgotten, but it didn’t matter. TJ didn’t have to keep track of his schedule, and he had no plans for his afternoon anyway. Trey laughed and opened his door, saying, “Come on, bud. Get in. My mom and dad are waiting for us.”
TJ ran over and started climbing into the truck. Trey helped him the last few inches the way he always did, and he told the boy to buckle his seatbelt before he closed the door. As he went around the front of the truck, he hoped he wasn’t making a huge mistake by taking TJ to the zoo with his parents.
His mother and father were simply thrilled, of course, but Trey had his doubts about the “fun” this afternoon would hold. Beth had said TJ loved the zoo, and she was spending the afternoon with her sister as they put up a month’s worth of freezer meals for next time Sally’s husband was out of town.
His parents waited on the bench outside the zoo’s entrance, just as they’d said they would. Trey held TJ’s hand as they crossed the parking lot, his stomach clenching and unclenching with every step he took.
His mother stood the moment she saw them, her nerves apparent from paces away.
“Okay,” Trey said. “There they are. Remember their names?”
“Julie,” TJ said. “And Jeff.”
“That’s right.”
“They have names that both start with J, like me and you have names that start with T.” He beamed up at Trey, and Trey’s heart filled with love for the little boy. Things between him and TJ had gone right back to normal, because children were the most forgiving humans on the planet.
