Page 4 of May's Bad Boy: Kody

"You've got Sadie and us."

I look at him, eyes burning. "Yeah. For now."

Shane sits forward, jaw hard. "You're not alone in this. I'll write a statement. Hell, Caitlin will too. And we've got plenty of work here if you need a full-time gig."

"I got insurance lined up. Money's not the issue. It's the image of stability. A judge doesn't want to hear I'm working gigs and living in a bunkhouse."

"You won't be working gigs. You will be a ranch employee renting a cabin on the property."

I don't have the words to tell him how much that means to me, but judging by the look he gives me, he knows.

I take a shaky breath. "I didn't survive prison just to lose her now. She's the only good thing I've got left."

The screen door clicks open, and Aiden steps out fromm clearing the table with a fresh drink in hand. "Y'all getting sentimental out here or solving the world's problems?"

"Both," Shane grunts.

Shifting back in the rocker, I let out a soft snort. "Just trying to figure out how not to lose my daughter."

Aiden settles on the porch rail beside us, face turning serious. "You won't. Not if we've got anything to say about it."

It hits me again. This place. These people. They're not just a pit stop. They're something close to... safe. Real.

We talk for another half hour or so about ranch repairs. They tell me what's been happening around town. Shane gives me a heads-up about a few shady developers sniffing around again, and Aiden shares Paisley's latest culinary adventure.

Eventually, the conversation slows, and I push to my feet with a stretch and a yawn.

"I should head back. Need to finish getting Sadie's stuff settled before bed."

"You're good," Shane says, standing too. "Thanks for the talk."

Aiden tips his drink. "See you in the morning."

I make it halfway to the door when I hear Caitlin's voice call out from the kitchen, high and just a little breathless. "Kody, wait!"

I pause, hand on the screen door.

She comes rushing around the corner, phone still in her hand, hair a little messy, like she's been pacing.

Her eyes are bright. Too bright.

Shane mutters from behind me, "Oh, hell. She's got that look."

Aiden laughs under his breath. "The 'buckle up, boys' look."

Caitlin ignores them and walks straight up to me.

"Okay, don't kill me," she starts, already flushed. "But I heard you guys talking, and I just got off the phone with Courtney... and I might have a completely insane idea."

Shane groans. "You only say that when it's something we'll regret."

She waves him off with a dramatic flourish. "No regrets! Just solutions. Possibly sketchy solutions. But solutions."

She turns back to me, serious now. "There's a woman at the women's shelter. Paige. She's diabetic and needs insurance, and fast. She's kind. Quiet. Great with kids. Her situation's bad and getting worse."

I frown, uncertain where this is going. But I can feel it coming.

Caitlin's eyes narrow just slightly. "You need stability. A family structure on paper. Something the courts can't tear apart."

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