Page 44 of Captivated

Then Nate berated himself for his suspicious mind.If they’re offering equine therapy, it stands to reason there’d be a therapist somewhere around here.

Sol hadn’t moved from his spot, and silence stretched out between them, awkward and heavy.

“So do I get to come over?”

It half-crossed Nate’s mind to call Zeeb and ask him about Sol. That was when it hit him.

He valued Zeeb’s opinion. No, more than that—he trusted it.

Nate gave a single nod. “I’ve just made coffee if you want a cup.”

Sol grinned. “I never refuse an offer of coffee.” He stepped carefully onto the stones and crossed the creek in three long strides. When he reached the cabin, he stopped at the bottomstep and glanced at the meadow. “Great view. I bet you get elk through here sometimes.”

Nate wasn’t fooled by the randomness of the comment.He’s giving me my space.

“I haven’t spotted any yet, but I’ve only been here a couple of nights.”

Sol chuckled. “You’d know it if they had. They’re huge and loud as hell. And they couldn’t sneak past to save their lives. They’d make lousy ninjas.”

Nate gave a faint huff through his nose. Not a laugh, but close. The quiet stretched between them again, but this time it wasn’t heavy.

He went into the cabin and returned with another cup. Sol took it, and when he didn’t make a move, Nate gestured to the chairs. “Have a seat.”

Sol smiled. “Thank you. I had a feeling if I sat on the step I’d end up with splinters where I definitely don’t want them.”

Nate joined him, proud of himself for remaining calm, for not running a mile.

Experience had taught him to be wary of therapists and counselors.

“How long have you been at Salvation?” Small talk was better than steering onto more dangerous topics.

Such as Nate, and what he was doing at the ranch.

“Two years.” Sol smiled. “I came here to build a couple of websites for a friend. But when I arrived, I found someone I didn’t expect, from my high school days. We hadn’t seen each other since then, and yeah, we had history.”

“What happened?”

Sol’s eyes sparkled. “We fell in love.”

The light in Sol’s face was wonderful to see. “Was he a guest?”

“No, he’s one of the ranch hands, in charge of the bunkhouse. His name’s Butch, and I’ll introduce you when you meet the other hands.”

Not if—when. Sol’s quiet confidence was inspiring.

His timing, however, was suspect.

“So this really isn’t a house call?”

Sol said nothing for a moment, studying Nate, and the familiar fear washed over him.

Then Sol smiled. “I usually check in with all the guests sometime their first week. I join the guys for breakfast. Zeeb thought you might prefer me dropping by here, instead of making it official.”

Then Zeeb knows Sol is here.Nate relaxed a little.

He shifted slightly in his chair. “That’s… yeah. Better. Thank you.”

“No problem. Like I said, this isn’t a session or anything. Just saying hi.” Sol sipped his coffee and smiled. “Hey, this stuff isn’t bad. You should taste the coffee Paul makes.” He grimaced. “On second thought, don’t.”