Page 23 of Wilder Heart

“No, that’s okay. I’ll go this time,” Cash said. He’d take Wilder with him, maybe draw the man out of his shell a little bit while they were away from the ranch. He kept his walls so firmly in place here, surrounded by his sordid history. Getting away might do him some good.

Clyde gave him the list, looking far too knowing, and Cash quickly made his escape. He spotted Wilder over by Blaze’s paddock, standing on the bottom rung of the fence and holding out an apple for the horse, who trotted up to him right away.

“Hey,” Cash called as he approached, keeping his steps slow and his voice a little softer than usual so he wouldn’t spook Blaze.

Wilder turned. “What’s up, boss?”

Cash waved the grocery list, pinched between fore- and middle fingers. “Got an errand to run. Thought you might like to come with me into town.”

If he didn’t know better, Wilder perked up. “Really? Sounds good.”

“Great. I’ll go get the truck and bring it around.”

Wilder nodded, and Cash strode away, wondering if he’d be able to convince Wilder to pick out a few things for himself at the grocery store. There were probably a lot of foods he hadn’t been able to get his hands on in prison. Were there any favorites he’d missed?

Wilder was waiting when he pulled the truck around the bunkhouse and came to a stop on the driveway. He jogged over, climbed into the passenger seat, and then they were off.

“What’s the plan with Blaze this evening?” Cash asked, because talking about the horse was the easiest way to get Wilder animated about something. It had been a few days since he’d ridden him bareback around the paddock, though Cash had seen him laying the saddle pad on Blaze’s back one day and adding the saddle itself the following day.

“He didn’t like the saddle at first, so I gave him some time to get used to the feel of it. He can handle being walked around the paddock with it on now, though, so I feel good about riding him soon.”

“Fantastic. I’d like to see it when you do. I’d hoped for good things with that horse. He’s got a ton of potential.” Not unlike the man sitting beside him, but he quickly turned his thoughts away from that avenue.

They chatted about the upcoming ride for the rest of the drive. As it stood now, they had the cattle separated into four different fields. Rotating them through each field gave the grass a chance to recover, and before winter came, they would be moving each herd to the four fields that encircled the feed barn. It meant several days of long work herding them from one place to another. They would need all hands on deck, and Lain would most likely come out to help, too. The pregnant heifers would be in the field closest to the house, and birthing should begin not long after they moved them. It was important to have them settled before then. No one wanted to herd newborn calves. Better to have them where they wanted them before the calves dropped.

As they came into Roselake, Wilder looked around at the blossoming little city and said, “Wait, so where are we going? You didn’t say earlier.”

“Clyde says we’re running low on groceries at the bunkhouse.”

Wilder’s head swiveled to face him. “We’re going grocery shopping?”

“That’s right. I thought you might like to come along and help me pick some things out.”

Wilder’s face did something Cash couldn’t interpret. “Oh.”

Cash wished he didn’t have to divide his attention between Wilder and the road. “Is that bad? What is your face doing right now?”

“What? Nothing. My face is fine.” Wilder turned away. “It’s fine. It’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t sound like nothing.”

“It’s nothing,” he insisted. “It was years ago. I’m sure it’s fine.”

Whatwas years ago? Cash wanted to ask, but he bit back the question. Pushing would just make Wilder clam up even more.

The silence was charged as Cash pulled up at the local grocery store. He threw the truck in park and looked at Wilder, who was staring up at the shop’s sign with something like resignation.

“Ready?” Cash asked.

Wilder blew out a breath and unbuckled his seatbelt, not speaking. Cash watched him go around to the front of the truck and stop, staring off into the distance with a pensive look on his face. How did he manage to screw this up before they’d even begun? All he wanted was to get Wilder away from the memories of the ranch for a little while. He didn’t expect thegrocery storeto be a place of contention.

Sighing, he locked the truck and led Wilder inside. He grabbed a shopping cart and tried not to notice the way Wilder’s eyes scanned the store. When they disappeared into the aisles, he loosened up some. The store wasn’t busy at this hour, and no one seemed to pay them any attention. He even gave Wilder the list to distract him.

“Why don’t you pick out a couple of things, too?” he offered. “What’s something you like?”

Wilder tilted his head. “I… haven’t really thought about it.”

“I imagine the food while you were,” he paused as a blue-haired old lady tottered past, “awayleft something to be desired?”

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