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She nodded and wiped the last tears away just as Cade and Justin walked into the kitchen.
“I was just about to come looking for you guys,” I said, stepping between them and Janessa in case she needed another couple of seconds to get herself together. “Janessa says you have some new foals, Justin?”
His eyes narrowed for a split-second, then he nodded. “We do. Cade and I were just down there checking on them, but then it started to rain and…” He paused, giving me another hard look. “We figured we should get back up here.”
Next to him, Cade grinned. I had to fight back my own smile. I couldn’t blame the old guy for being protective. He clearly loved his niece, and he had good reason to be suspicious of my intentions.
“Supper is almost ready,” Janessa said, stepping around me with that smile perfectly in place again. “You guys have time to wash your hands, and then we can start eating.”
“Good food and good company.” Cade was still grinning as he looked back and forth between my face and Janessa’s. I wondered what he was thinking. He probably wouldn’t have believed that she’d been crying and I’d been on the verge of tears myself just a few seconds before. “Sounds like a perfect night to me.”
“And the rain,” Janessa added. “It’s hard not to be happy with the smell of fried chicken and spring rain in the air.”
She was right. They both were.
After our talk, I felt closer to Janessa than I would have thought possible. Grief was a shitty thing to have in common, but it was really good at bringing people closer together.
And everything else about the night so far—the food, the scents, the sound of rain on the porch outside?
Yeah, I had to agree that it was pretty damn perfect.
The rain seemed to be coming down faster by the minute as we finished the delicious meal that Janessa had prepared. It had started out as a gentle, soothing background noise, but now… it sounded like Mother Nature was just pissed off.
“I didn’t think we were supposed to get this kind of weather tonight,” I said, giving Cade a quizzical look. “It’s gonna make for a long drive home.”
Had he even checked the forecast before driving us a hundred miles in the wrong direction?
Yeah, stupid question.
I could tell from the look on his face that he hadn’t anticipated a storm like this, but it would serve him right for—once again, for the millionth time—jumping into something without taking a second to think it through.
As long as we didn’t end up in a ditch on the way back home, it would just be another day in Cade’s life.
“You guys can’t drive in this,” Janessa said, her blue eyes going wide with worry as she looked from me to Cade. “Please don’t tell me you’re even thinking about leaving right now. Not in this rain.”
Cade spoke up first. “I don’t think we’re talking about leaving right this second, but we’ll be okay. We’ve driven in worse weather than this plenty of times.”
He wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean it would be an easy-breezy trip home. And it didn’t seem to do much to reassure Janessa, either.
“Uncle Justin?” She looked across the table with pleading eyes. “You know we can’t let them leave while it’s so nasty outside. They’re our guests.”
I could see the conflict playing out on the older man’s face. He had a good heart and good manners, and he obviously didn’t want to say no to his niece. But he clearly didn’t relish the thought of me and Cade spending too much more time here in his house.
“You guys probably shouldn’t drive home in this weather,” Justin grumbled, his eyes shifting from me to Cade and back again. “And if it gets too late, we can probably just put you up in the bunk—”
“In the guest bedrooms,” Janessa interrupted him, making his scowl grow even deeper—a feat I hadn’t thought possible before now. “The bunkhouse has mice and a leaky roof, and we have plenty of room right here.”
She smiled sweetly, but there was a defiant tone in her voice that was a little impressive if I was being completely honest. Impressive and… fuck, it was sexy, too.
When Justin didn’t challenge her, her smile grew even wider. “Good,” she continued. “That’s settled, then. You’ll both stay here tonight.”
I gave Cade a questioning look, but he just shrugged and grinned. “I guess I’ll call our foreman and tell him we won’t be back until the morning.”
“Perfect,” Janessa said, clasping her hands together. “Are you guys ready for dessert, then? We have apple pie and ice cream. And maybe some coffee?”
“Sounds amazing,” I said, my eyes following every move she made as she stood up and turned back toward the kitchen. Across the table, Cade’s eyes were also glued to her curvy figure as she walked away.
“You guys had better get some rest soon,” Justin said, giving us both a hard look. “I’m sure you’ll want to get back home first thing in the morning.”
