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“You got it.” She rubs my back.
Jolie is easy to get along with. She’s warm, inclusive, and made me feel at home on Starlight Ranch right from the get-go. Now, I see another side to her I respect. Where my emotions started to get the better of me with Romeo, Jolie kept herself steady, had confidence in her ability to pull him through… maybe that’s what it’s like being from a family like the Hunters. Maybe when you have a safety net, you’re more likely to jump.
“When is the sleigh arriving?” Jolie asks. “I’m so damn excited.”
“Tomorrow.”
Dash looms in the corner, listening, cross-armed. He hasn’t said a word. Not even hello. Neither have I, but I will. For some reason it feels a little like it’s the morning after, some sort of walk of shame, like something happened last night that didn’t.
Jolie and I talk more about the winter activities, the new menu at the hotel restaurant, and her coming to hang out with me and Lily at the weekend. My sister is coming to Starlight Canyon. Something I failed to tell Dash.
Dash lets a huff out of his nose—well, it isn’t audible, but I see it leave his body—just before he goes to whisk past me out the stall door.
I’m not going to let things get weird. I grab his arm lightly. “Morning.” I say brightly, but also like, hey, you gonna say hi or what?
Then again, it’s not like he usually says good morning to me. Maybe I’m the one being weird expecting it.
He rolls his lips. “Morning.” He pauses for a moment like he might say more but then just tips his hat to me and Jolie, all ready to leave again.
“Oh, just a minute… I need to tell you something. My sister is coming at the weekend. I wanted to let you know. We aren’t loud or anything so we won’t keep you up. But I just wanted to make sure you keep your shorts on.” It’s meant to be a joke, but it’s one that reminds me of his steel buns again. Goddamn, what I wouldn’t have given for him to turn around and see the front view.
His jaw works, and even under his stubble, his muscles clench visibly. It’s so hard to read this man sometimes. He always appears to be resisting the world around him. And usually, his answer is silence, just like this time. He simply nods and leaves. Never have I met such a quiet person who also leaves a room so much more silent when they depart.
Jolie crouches and packs up her kit bag. “Well, I better get a few winks before going on my rounds at the Danes’.”
“Sure. Thanks again…” I bite my lip. “Hey, can I ask you a question?”
She stands and slings the bag over her shoulder. “Course. What’s up?”
“Has Dashiell Hunter always been this grumpy?”
She laughs lightly. “Is he giving you a hard time? I’ll have a discreet word with him if you want me to.”
“No. Not at all. He’s fine. Trust me, I’ve dealt with major assholes over the years.”
She rolls her eyes. “I can only imagine. Some ranchers are fucking pigs.”
“Yeah… Dash isn’t… I was just wondering why he’s, so…”
Jolie’s smile goes stiff. She watches me consider my words, then finally, her smile fades slightly. Her eyebrows pinch in thought while she internally collects memories of little Dash. “My brother has never been bright and bubbly. But…” She looks like she’s going to start telling me a story then thinks better of it. “He’s been through a lot.”
The way she says it, I know I shouldn’t ask more.
But she offers another crumb. “He’s the serious type. Always been a brooder. Moody. But some people carry around more than others, you know? I’m sure it’s hard to see it when you don’t know him well, but his attitude is actually easy to forgive. He’s one of those people in life who takes time to know just how much he cares. He never says it, but he cares a lot. He’s not as scary as people think he is.” She gives me a half hug, her bag slinging down over her arm.
I help lift it back over her shoulder.
She blows a fallen strand off her forehead. “Let me know if I need to give him a kick in the ass, though.”
That’s all I get? Geez. The Hunters sure know how to build up the mystery.
“Yeah. I’ll be fine. We’re… fine.”I was just hoping to get some girl-to-girl gossip, but thanks for nothing.“See you at the weekend.”
“Yeah, can’t wait to meet your sister.”
“Me, too.”
When she leaves, I go to stall number one and start the morning checks Dash taught me to do. And here I am, thinking about him all over again. Was last night a one-off? Was I imagining it being awkward this morning? Why did he go funny when I asked about his favorite place? And… how can I get us in the kitchen together again?
