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“Shh, there now, all better.”
My bottom ached. The roughness of his jeans felt like sandpaper on my sensitive skin. He handed me Bananas, placing the monkey’s arms over my shoulders and the weight instantly calmed me.
“Tell me why you were so angry.”
I told him about all the times Harmony had told me about her escapades and how I had lived vicariously through her experiences. “If they are all lies, so are mine.” The truth hit me like a thunderbolt. Nothing in my life was real. Silent tears spilled, disappearing into Banana’s soft fur as he clung to me as if to offer comfort.
“Veronica, let me assure you that your experiences are not a lie. You were unaware Harmony was relaying scenes from books she read or real-life embellishments. Your experiences came from a place of innocence. That is not a lie, darlin, it was real to you.”
I snuggled into his chest, allowing his warmth to be my comfort. It wasn’t long before the weight from Bananas and the security Jacob provided lulled me to sleep.
Chapter 6
Jacob
After placingVeronica back in the truck, I reclined her seat until she was almost horizontal and covered her with a blanket, tucking in the sides to help keep her stable while I drove. I added Bananas and placed his long arms around her in a hug. She looked so young and innocent, especially with the stuffy and the pink fluffy blanket she insisted we have at the ready in case she got sleepy.
She only had time for a short cat nap before I woke her as we pulled up to the gate. “Ronnie, wake up, we’ve arrived.”
She made cute kitten sounds as she stretched and opened her eyes. She put her seat up and blinked several times at her surroundings.
“This is it? I don’t see anything.” Her wide, rounded eyes reminded me of an owl as they blinked my way.
“We’re at the gates. I thought you would want to see everything on our way in.”
“Mmm, then can we have breakfast and hot chocolate? I’m really hungry.”
I shook my head in amusement. “The hot chocolate is not going to be a problem, but it’s actually closer to dinner time so I’m not going to promise you breakfast. But, I’ll see what I can do, kitten.”
“Kitten?”
“You remind me of one. Also, an owl but calling you owl makes me think of the one inWinnie the Poohand as you are neither old nor male, I think kitten serves much better.”
I opened the gate and rolled the truck through. Crossing the threshold, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. The one-day trip had been challenging. I’d left the Ranch well before dawn in order to take a red-eye flight to New York. Being back in the Big Apple and seeing Ronnie after all these years provoked many emotions, ones I’d not yet had time to examine. There were questions as well that needed answering, and now that I was back home, because home is what Rawhide had become, I felt the welcoming embrace of the land.
As we took the long drive, I pointed out what the buildings were and, for those hidden by more forested areas, explained what was there.
“Where does Harmony live?”
“On the adjacent property called Rawhide Ridge. I’ll take you there next, but if you want to eat, we had best go to the cafeteria, as they are the only ones who might still be able to fulfill your desire for breakfast.”
Chef Connor didn’t disappoint. After I introduced Veronica to him, he asked her what she’d like to eat. He didn’t seem at all surprised when she requested waffles. Her smile was wide when he set down a plate of golden-brown waffles piled high with strawberries and whip cream topped with chocolate sprinkles for her, and bacon and eggs and hash browns for me. After we finished the last bites, we took our leave and headed over to the Remington household.
I thought of texting to announce our arrival as it was getting a bit late, but I knew it wasn’t too late as Gray had his last day of classes to teach tomorrow before taking time off for the wedding. Besides the wedding, Valentine’s Day would be here the day of the wedding, and while not a holiday, we highly celebrated it at Rawhide.
We’d just passed through the entrance of the gated housing community when Veronica scared me with a loud squeal of delight.
“That’s it,” she squealed again. I swore my ear drums were bleeding. Ronnie bounced in her seat as we neared the Remington house, which was definitely excitement worthy. Gray had built an exterior similar to Derek’s, which he’d fallen in love with the first time visiting him and Sadie for dinner.
“How did you know which one was theirs?”
“Oh, I’ve seen pictures, of course. Harmony sent me tons while they were building and then a ton more when they decorated. But that’s new.” She was gazing at the massive tent off to the side.
“That’s for the wedding.”
“Oh, it’s big.”
“Meh, not that big. Once the tables and chairs are added, as well as the platform for the head table and additional tables for the food, it will seem cozy. We were going to use the Ranch, but it made more sense with Valentines coming up for us to move it to a more private setting.”
