Page 13 of Never Left You

“What thehell”—I yelled in his face once we were out of the barn—“is he doing here?”

“Heis paying us to board three horses while his client heals from the fall you saw the other night.Heis paying us to use the arena to train her before she can go back to the circuit.Heis giving the ranch what it needs right now—money.” Lachlan glared at me, making sure his voice raised every time he said ‘he’—as if I needed to be reminded whohewas.

I shook my head. “No, not him.”

“Abi.” He groaned, shaking his head, his arms raising before they came down and hit his thighs in frustration. He chewed his bottom lip, probably so hard he was tasting blood.

“This is who you knew needed a place to board horses? This is who you called yesterday? Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you think just letting him show up was a good idea?”

“Because I was hoping to avoid this.” He waved his hand in between us. “You said the ranch needs money. Cash has more than enough money, and he has a need. We can fulfill that need, so guess what Abi?” His voice grew sharper, louder, and one glance behind his shoulder told me Cash could hear everything we said. “You’re going to put your big girl pants on and get over the fact that he’s here. You used to be friends. He was Sylas’s friend. You shut him out. You made that mistake. You get over it. He has.”

I clenched my teeth at his words, forcing the tears to stay back. Put my ‘big girl’ pants on as he called it. I crossed my arms over my chest and didn’t take my eyes off Lachlan.

The way he saw it, I stopped talking to Cash. I stopped being his friend. He didn’t know what had happened. He didn’t know the last thing I ever heard Cash Callahan say was that Sylas had died. That the injuries were too much for his body to sustain. Then he walked out of the hospital doors. And I never saw or heard from him again.

But not because I hadn’t tried.

Grinding my molars together, I looked at my cousin. I kept my teeth together, not trusting anything that could have come out of my mouth.

“Are your big girl pants on?” he sneered.

I gave him one single nod.

“Good. Now get your ass in the stable and talk to Cash like an adult.” He turned his back and took a few steps but then looked over his shoulder. “No, how about you talk to him like you’re old friends who haven’t seen each other in four years. I have horses to settle.”

He walked away from me, towards Cash, waving his arm in the air as if he was wiping what just happened between us from his mind. I watched as he grabbed Charming’s lead and walk him to the stall next to Stetson’s horse, Marshmallow, and then my gaze went to Cash.

He stood with his thumbs in his belt loops, his hip cocked and chin in the air. His skin was still as flawless as I remembered, maybe a hint of scruff on his chin…but he still looked the same. He still looked like the friend I had grown close to until he was gone. He raised his eyebrows and smiled, no doubt thinking it would erase the last four years of silence.

Biting the inside of my bottom lip, I held his gaze for what felt like forever…

One…two…three….four…

Come on Abi, bull riders make it eight seconds…

I blinked…and turned away from him.

I couldn’t even last the eight seconds.

“Are you going to tell me about the guy in the stables with Lachlan and Rhett?” Kyla asked as I tried to focus on the food in front of me.

I ignored her. It was lunch time, and before I knew it, a few of the ranch hands would be wandering in to get their meal before heading back out to the land. I didn’t want to talk about this. But maybe I did? Should I get it all off my chest? Kyla was the one to talk to about it. I need to get it off my mind and put my energy into feeding the employees. These guys deserve the best bologna sandwiches in the world. And dammit, they would get them. I spread the mayonnaise on one side, and then the mustard. Provolone. Bologna. Lettuce. Tomato. Deliciousness in square form. One down—fifteen perfect bologna sandwiches to go. And that was not making one for Cash. He could make his own damn sandwich.

I rolled my eyes at myself. So much for my big girl pants.

“He looks familiar.” Kyla stood by the sliding door; her arms folded as she watched the three men leave the stables. “I swear I’ve met him before.”

“You couldn’t have,” I finally responded back to her, my focus still on the sandwiches. “That’s Cash Callahan, and he hasn’t been here in a long time.”

“Cash Callahan? He’s a trainer?” Her head shot over to me. “I have met him.”

I furrowed my brow and scoffed. “When?”

“At the rodeo in Utah, I’m sure. He led me over to the winner’s podium. Wyatt didn’t seem too thrilled about him, but he seems nice?” She shrugged a shoulder up.

I raised my gaze and gave a chuckle. “Wyatt is not fond of him.”

“Why not?”

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