Page 50 of Never Left You

“Please.” I turned Twinkie quickly, coming face to face with him. “Tell me how you think you know me so well that you are positive that I’m wearing a mask, that I’m putting up walls. How Cash, when I haven’t seen you in five years? How can you possibly know?” My voice cracked as I attempted to keep my tone civil when all I wanted to do was scream at him.

His stare was deep, unmoving as he softly said, “Because I do it too.”

My eyes widened. That’s not what I was expecting him to say.

“I wake up every day, and my leg reminds me just how weak I really am. But I put up those walls. I wear that mask every single day, so people don’t see the pain. I laugh, I smile, I ignore that voice in my head. You may think you’re hiding it, but Abs…I see it. I see you. You don’t have to put up walls with me.”

His voice was steady, calm, and smooth as he searched over me, like he had the ability to peer into my soul, grasping at everything that I’ve been feeling. Was he feeling it, too? Impossible. He didn’t have anything to grieve over, he didn’t have any huge decisions to make. He was simply coasting through life, doing exactly what he wanted to do. Whatpaindid he feel?

He called himself weak. Just like it was a huge Band-Aid that he yanked off and opened up for the world to see. Was that only the tip of the iceberg when it came to Cash? If you were to look at Cash Callahan, you would see a cocky rodeo trainer. One whoknew what he was doing. One that knew how to talk the talk and walk the walk of the rodeo. He was confident and strong. Suave and sexy. He had his life together.

But maybe those were walls.

I see you. You don’t have to put up walls with me.

Our eyes were locked.

He saw me.

I wish I could see him.

A neigh in the distance pulled me from his grasp, causing my shoulders to jerk as I moved.

“Look at that,” Cash said, his voice still steady. “Right by the lake.”

And there he was, a white horse with a crooked saddle shaking his head.

Sixteen

Cash

“Youfoundhim!”Stetsoncame running up to us once we got Marshmallow back to the stable, Kyla not far from him. “You really found him!”

“Of course we did. He didn’t go far.” I swung my leg over Nova and let my boots sink into the ground. Before I could turn, I felt Stetson’s arms wrap around my waist, squeezing as tight as he could. Glancing up at Abi, still on Twinkie, I noticed the small grin that brushed her lips.

The ride back after finding Marshmallow had been silent. I probably pushed too many buttons, but I could hear in her voicethere was something else there, that I was spot on with my suspicion there was more to her ‘I do.’ But she needed to know I saw her.

It baffled me that others who lived with her didn’t notice anything. Maybe their attention was all on Lachlan after everything he went through, but Abi was still right there. Hurting. Grieving something that still lingered. There were a number of things it could have been—the ranch, Stetson’s little stint, loneliness in general. But whatever it was, I didn’t want her to hide from it anymore. Especially not from me.

Abi dismounted Twinkie, her smile widening as she saw Stetson’s look once he let go of me.

“He was right by the lake.” She touched her son’s back. “Cash knew exactly where to go.”

“Can we go on a ride?” Stetson looked up at me, hope gleaming in his eyes as he ran to his horse.

Raising my brow, I turned to Abi, as if to say,And he thought he would never ride again. Abi gave me a slight grin, raising her shoulder as her eyes fluttering closed.

“How about”—I gave my attention to Stetson—“We get him cleaned up, out of his saddle, and see how he feels?”

Stetson’s grin widened. “I’ll go get the buckets and hose.”

Taking Marshmallow’s reins from me, he led his horse inside the stable. I watched, turning back to Abi as soon as he made it to the washing stall. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I never broke eye contact with her.

“Are you ok?” The question had zero meaning. I knew she wasn’t. There were so many other ways I could ask how she was, but yet I settled with that.

Her shoulders rose and she inhaled, nodding with her exhale. “I’m great. Thanks for your help.”

She walked away, opening her arms to give Kyla a hug the moment they met up. Rhett gave me a wave as he let his wife andsister in the house. And I was alone, trying to read Abi as she walked away from me.

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