Page 33 of Never Left You

“Ah, well,” Cash sighed. “You’re wrapped in a blanket and have coffee?” He came in front of me to lean against the railing, crossing his feet in front of him.

“It’s decaf, ” I answered, avoiding his gaze.

Cash let out a laugh. “It’s cold.” He shivered.

“Hence, blanket.” I snuggled into it more. “I am a burrito.”

“A burrito.” Cash snorted another laugh and then cleared his throat. “I saw you today,” he said softly.

I met his gaze, those dark eyes holding those same damn questions.

“With Luna,” he finished.

I nodded, pursing my lips. “I take her out from time to time. She’s old, and doesn’t get ridden much anymore, but we relax.”

Relax. That’s all he needed to know. He didn’t need to know that we took walks a few times a week together. He didn’t need to know that I went to her when I missed Sylas the most. He didn’t need to know that I cried and cried against her more times than I cared to admit. All he needed to know was that we relaxed.

“You looked relaxed. So did she.” He took a deep breath. “She’s notthatold.”

“She’s pushing fifteen.”

He furrowed his brow. “No, she’s not. She was a baby when Sylas took her over.”

I inhaled. I didn’t need to hear his name again today. So, I blinked and took another pull of my coffee. “She was three, maybe four. Lachlan broke her.”

“But she doesn’t ride anymore?”

I shook my head. “Not much, no.”

“Because she doesn’t want to or because you don’t want anyone to?”

“She just doesn’t,” I answered, lifting my chin and aiming a challenging look at him. He had a single eyebrow raised, his chin tilted just right as the glow from the porch caught all his features.

I let out a small huff and avoided his gaze once again. Hoping he got the hint that I didn’t want to talk about Sylas or Luna anymore, I watched as he sat next to me, leaning his elbows on his knees. The air was still, I could practically hear the gears in his brain turning. Was he calculating what to say, which question to ask first? We both had so many things we needed to say to each other, but neither one wanted to make the first move.

A deep part of me wanted to build our friendship back up, not just be cordial like I originally agreed. Maybe knowing he was next to me to talk about anything and everything was the start. He was here, wasn’t he? He was making the effort simply sitting next to me. I was the one who was closing off.

I took a deep breath.

“What color did Lachlan land on?” I asked, breaking the silence that floated between us.

Cash’s head turned and his lips curved into a soft smile. “The burnt red. Your son won that battle.”

“I think you helped. Barns need to be red, not brown.”

“Thank you.” He sat up straight, his palms slapping his thighs. “Not sure what goes through your cousin’s head sometimes.”

I smiled. “He’s trying to turn Hartwell Hills into the same colorless void that his life is.” I joked.

Cash chuckled, reaching up to remove his hat from head. Placing it on the small table in between us, he met my gaze. “He’s doing alright, isn’t he?”

Thinking of my cousin and how far he’s come, I nodded. “He’s better. He’ll never be one hundred percent again, but…he’s ok.”

He chewed on his lips, his gaze staring out into the darkness. “He doesn’t let me in like he used to.”

“That’s Lachlan. He hides from everyone. I have high hopes. He’ll get a happy ending.”

“You think so?”

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