Page 51

When was the last time I wasoutsideon a Thursday? With other people? I honestly can’t remember.

The sound of the kids neighing startles Happy. She pulls back from the bottle, kicking her hooves. Someone gasps.

Cash doesn’t flinch. He continues to gently run his hand over the horse’s back, murmuring, “It’s all right, Happy. They’re just here to say hello. It’s all right. Can you take the bottle again for me? There we go. That’s it. Great job, Happy. I can already see you growing big and strong.”

“Horse whisperer,” John B says, smiling as he shakes his head.

The veterinarian is not wrong. I just…don’t get it. This show of tenderness is at odds with the rough way Cash practically tossed me up into the saddle the other day.

The rough way hespoketo me. Makes me think he’s trying really hard to be an asshole when I’m around.

Also makes me think he has a softer, gentler side. One that would make him excellent in bed.

Squashing that thought, I wonder instead if Cash is just plain exhausted. Maybe he’s fed up, being saddled with so much responsibility.

And, yeah, maybe he’s a little scared. He just lost hismentor. Lost the ranch he thought he’d inherit. I imagine Cash is the kind of guy to always have a plan, same as he always has an answer for every question and problem that comes up.

What’s his plan now that he’s not going to inherit Lucky Ranch? And the brothers that depend on him, what are they going to do?

Not my problem.

But I feel bad enough for Cash that I want to help him out. He showed his ass the other day, but he did apologize to me this morning.

He did love my dad. As much as it hurts knowing they were closer than Dad and I ever were, that’s not Cash’s fault. It’s mine. And Dad’s. Cash Rivers shouldn’t have to pay for that.

Watching him nurse this sweet little foal, I wonder why he feels like he needs to pay for what happened to him and his brothers. I get that they needed a father figure when they were younger. But now that they’re all grown—I mean, Sawyer has a kid of his own—why is Cash still lighting himself on fire to keep everyone else warm?

Why doesn’t he let anyone give him the help he so clearly needs? No wonder he’s grumpy.

It’s why I offered to bring the snacks for the kids. It’s also why I grabbed Cash that extra sandwich from the fridge. He was so soaked in sweat earlier, it looked like he’d been caught in a rainstorm. I imagine that kind of physical labor makes you hungry, especially when breakfast is at four thirty in the morning.

I turn to Wyatt. We’re just far enough away that Cash can’t hear us if we keep our voices low. That’s what I hope, anyway. “Is Cash always like this? With the horses?”

“He’s like this with every living thing. Except humans. Adult ones, anyway.”

“What’s that about?”

Wyatt twists his lips to the side. “Your guess is as good as mine, Miss Luck.”

“Mollie.”

“Right.” Wyatt smiles. “Day going okay so far?”

I look at Cash. Look down at Ella. “Honestly? It’s going way better than I anticipated. Life on the ranch isn’t…as isolating as I thought it would be?”

“It’s not always like this, you know.” His eyes twinkle. “Hot cowboys in the vicinity, cute babies everywhere, homemade lemonade available by the gallon to cool you off…”

My turn to smile. “You forget I was stranded on top of a cliff the other day with that guy and only one horse to get us the, like, eight miles home.” I tip my head toward Cash. “I’m well aware today is special.”

“It was more like a mile. But I get your point.”

“It sure as hell felt like eight. More than that.”

Wyatt’s smile fades as he looks at his older brother. “Can I show you around today? Make up for it? I can introduce you to our ranch hands.”

I owe Wheeler a call. Mom, too, and my good friend Jen, who recently shared the news that she’s expecting her first baby with her husband, Abel. Goody also made me promise I’d take a look at the payroll documents she left with me this morning.

Long story short, I really should go back to the house and get shit done.