Page 41 of Saving the Rain
“Got everything you need?” I grunt across the top of the truck.
All I get is a thinly veiled eye roll in return as he slides in the passenger side, before he mumbles something in the affirmative.
Christ. It’s gonna take every shred of patience I can muster to get through today. The two of us are oil and goddamn water at the best of times. Throw in pain and an anxious mess of overthinking on Kayce’s part, and, well, it leaves the air ready to combust. Tension thick enough to almost rock me back on my heels. I just about need a machete to hack my way through a heavy, weighted wall of agitation rolling off his shoulders as I get behind the wheel.
The drive down the mountain follows much the same pattern.Kayce stays locked inside his head. Stewing in silence and gnawing on his damn lip until I’m sure the thing is going to be bloodied and raw by the time we reach our destination. I just keep my focus on the road.
As we wind our way out of the sleepy little dot amongst the mountains and make the trip to the next town over where the medical center is located, I can tell he’s damn near crawling out of his skin.
I turn the radio up, just to give us something to focus on, other than how palpable his discomfort is. This isn’t my shit to get involved with. All I gotta do is drop him off and pick him up since he hasn’t been given the go-ahead to drive, or do anything using that knee... yet.
After we’ve been driving for what feels like hours, even though it hasn’t been that long in reality, Kayce shifts in his seat and pulls out his phone. From the corner of my eye, I catch him staring at the screen, swiping a raft of notifications away, before threading his hand back through his hair. His fingers stay shoved in the longer strands on top as he stares blankly out the window again.
My throat tightens, and my fingers do the same on the wheel.
It’s none of my business. We’re nothing to each other. As soon as he’s fit, as soon as he’s been given the green light by a doctor to get back to work, I’ll carry on with my life.
A version of events thatdoesn’tinclude Kayce Wilder.
Pullinginto the medical center lot, I park as close to the entrance bay as possible, leaving the engine running.
“I’ll get that list of supplies from town.” There’s rust in my throat as I speak for the first time since leaving the ranch. “Anything you’ve forgotten to tell me that we need to stock up on?”
His blue eyes flare. Glints of mercury thread through his irises when his head snaps up.
“Yeah, sure. It would be because I’veforgottento tell you. Way to always make it my fault, jerk.”
Running my tongue along my teeth for a pause, I narrow my gazeacross the space between us on the bench seat. “Well? Is there anything else?” I do my best to keep my voice level and not get down there to wrestle in the dirt with him like he’s fixing for with that kind of shitty attitude.
“No,” he huffs and shoves at the door, taking a few attempts to get it open.
I’ve already started moving, unbuckling myself before he’s even managed to swing his damaged knee around. I’m in the kind of mood that I should tear strips off him for being such a prick. The younger, angrier me would have rounded on him, but I swallow back the retorts that aren’t going to do anything productive right now.
It’s extremely fucking hard to erase all the ways you were taught to react. To fight back the instinct to lash out, because that’s all I knew for so goddamn long. And being with Kayce like this only serves as a reminder of a time in my life I’d rather forget for good.
As I open my door, I hear his hiss of a curse.
“Don’t,” he barks at me.
“You got some sixth sense going on over there, kid?” I let out a wry, cold laugh. “Like you know what I’m gonna do, or what?”
Kayce writhes around in his seat, getting himself out of the vehicle a little awkwardly. “Don’t go inconveniencing yourself.” His upper lip curls.
“Trust me. The only thing inconvenient here is how goddamn long you’re taking to get your ass out of my truck.”
As I say the words, his nostrils flare. He doesn’t look me in the eye, but grips hold of the door so tight I can make out the pale ridges of his knuckles.
“Of course. Of course, you’re gonna be an asshole about this. Why did I expect anything different?” Kayce shakes his head.
“Seeing as you’re such a ray of goddamn sunshine over there, can you blame me?” I make the move to fetch his crutches from the backseat. Even though we’re close to the front entrance, I don’t know how far he’s gonna have to walk once he’s through those doors and on his own.
“I’m not some little kid you can’t wait to get rid of anymore.” It’s almost like he says it to himself rather than me.
I’m about done with this performance. I’ve got places to be and jobs to get done while he’s with the medical staff. There aren’t enough hours in the day as it is, and we’re wasting daylight and breath having a pointless argument in a parking lot.
Yanking the rear door open, I grab the crutches, and round the back of the truck to meet him on the other side—all before he’s even gotten himself out of the seat. Kayce is only just straightening to stand upright as I move forward, standing virtually eye to eye. His shadowed brow hangs heavy, creases form around his mouth, and there’s no disguising the flinch as his foot hits the asphalt.
“Here.” I shove the crutches in his general direction, nudging his shoulder. “I’ll be back in an hour.”