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“He’d be nicer to you if you were nicer to him,” I said, patting King on the rump before walking toward the far end of the paddock.
“I am nice to him,” George argued, and then said under his breath, “more than I need to be.”
I smiled to myself as I climbed out of the paddock and dusted myself off before walking toward the house. I could see Grant in the kitchen, Day perched on the counter chatting away as Grant cooked dinner.
How lucky was I that I had a man who liked to cook, and cooked well?
I was pretty fucking lucky in a lot of ways recently.
I just hoped… prayed, if I was being honest, that my luck wasn’t about to run out.
“Mama!” Day said excitedly, his eyes wide as I walked through the back door and into the kitchen. “I saw you and King jump over the fence!”
“We all did,” Grant said, giving me a look before turning back to the porkchops he was searing in a skillet. “I didn’t know you could ride like that, and bareback.”
“I’m going to regret it,” I admitted, wincing as the denim of my shorts bit into my chaffed skin.
I was just in time for dinner it seemed, and we all sat down on the back porch to eat since it was a nice, cool night. Day ate all of his food, of course, and promptly fell asleep on the porch swing while Grant and I sat in the rocking chairs and sipped our beers, looking out over the ranch and the star-filled sky.
“I keep thinking something bad is going to happen,” I admitted.
“I know.”
“But nothing bad has happened yet.”
“I know,” Grant repeated, his hand resting on my thigh. “I told you we’d be fine.”
“Where are you big, burly friends?” I teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Grant smirked, shaking his head as he tipped his beer bottle against his lips. “Resting before they start walking the perimeter of the ranch. They’re on the nightshift.”
We cleaned up from dinner and Grant tucked Day into bed on the couch with Jenny. I went upstairs and showered, washing away the day, and got out of the water feeling a little more like myself.
Grant was waiting in bed for me when I came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but one of his big tee shirts, which hung midthigh.
He looked up from his laptop as I slid into bed beside him and promptly closed it, setting it on his bedside table.
I curled into him, resting my head against his chest. He didn’t seem to care that my hair was still damp as he wrapped his arm around me, his fingertips trailing over my back.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m a mess, Grant,” I huffed, biting back the roiling emotions that had been plaguing me all day. “Obviously.”
“I’m sorry,” he said lightly, reaching over to the bedside table to turn off the lamp. The room was blanketed in darkness. The house was totally quiet, and that was a blessing.
Downstairs, Day was safe with Jenny, and outside?
“There are eyes on the entirety of the ranch, Moira. New cameras were installed today, too.”
I felt tears welling in my eyes. I pressed my face against his chest, trying to stifle them against his shirt before they started rolling down my cheeks.
“Why are you doing all of this?”
“Because I—” He paused, swallowing back the words before rolling onto his side to face me, his fingers lifting my chin. “Because I want you to feel safe here. I want you to always feel safe here.” He brushed the damp strands of hair out of my face, tucking them behind my ear. “I think you have to stay for good, Moira. Jenny would be heartbroken if you left and took Day with you.”
I chuckled, sniffling as a smile twitched across my face.
“Where else would I possibly want to be?” I said slowly, brushing the words over his lips.
