Page 61 of Never Left You

Once Boone was medicated and resting in his stable, Lachlan and I made our way into the main house where hopefully coffee would be waiting for us. I had been walking Boone for three hours, and my leg was sore. Pain shot in all directions. I’ll admit I didn’t think about my leg when I offered to take over the walk; my only thought was Abi.

“Why the hell,” Lachlan started once we stepped into the house, “did you text me at four in the morning?”

“Because I was awake, thought you would be.” I rubbed the back of my neck, forcing my body to keep moving. “It’s a good thing I just came. Abi needed the rest.”

“I was passed out on the couch after walking that horse for hours, or I would have responded. Abi’s probably upstairs since she didn’t get much sleep either.”

“Wrong.” We heard Abi’s voice float from the kitchen, “I’m in here…with coffee.”

I passed through the threshold of the kitchen, seeing Abi dressed comfortably in sweats and a baggy sweater, her hair in a messy bun. The bags under her eyes were still visible, and she still looked tired, but the smile she gave me lit up the room.

“Here.” She poured me a cup of coffee, handing it to me with care. “You must be as tired as I am.”

“What about me?” Lachlan grumbled.

“Get your own damn coffee,” she replied flatly.

Lachlan’s eyes widened and twitched as his gaze met his cousin. “Damn Cash, she must be changing her mind when it comes to you.”

“I just have my big girl pants on.” Abi lifted the mug to her lips and gave Lachlan a sneer, but the look she gave me was anything but. It was…endearing. And it made my heart jump. “Now, if you excuse me, I’m going to go…” She paused, blinking a few times before she looked over at me. “To the stables.”

“The stables?” Lachlan called as she left the kitchen. “He’s fine. You don’t need to go in there.”

Gripping my cup, I gave Lachlan one last glance and left, catching Abi just in time before the door closed behind her.

“You should go to bed.” I caught up to her quick enough, my strides longer than hers. I found myself at her side faster than expected. But still, I would run after her.

“I spend almost every morning with Luna,” she said. “I’m sure Boone is okay, and Rhett assured me he’d muck out all the stalls, but—” She paused. “Luna needs this time just as much as I do.”

Staying silent, I stepped next to her, taking a sip of my coffee.

“And you’re following me why?” she asked, turning to look at me, that small smile on her lips.

“You need time with Luna, I need time with you.”

She hummed. “Okay, I won’t mind the company. I may fall asleep, so…”

“That’s totally fine. You can even use my shoulder as a pillow.”

Walking into the stables, Abi did a quick check on Boone, happy to see him resting, before turning to Luna’s stall. She opened it and let me pass before she did. Luna stood in the center, her ears perking up when she saw Abi walking into the stall.

“Ah, Rhett’s been here.” She took in the cleaned stall, fresh hay on the sides and water in the trough. One less stall for her to muck. “Wanna grab that blanket for me? We can sit on the hay.”

The blanket she motioned to was hanging over the gate. I grabbed it and laid it on the floor, moving my body to lean against the wall. Abi was scratching under Luna’s ear, the mare happy to have all the attention in the world. She kissed her nose, both of them looking more peaceful than anything, before Abi came to sit next to me. Our shoulders touched as she settled, taking the last sip from her mug.

“Thank you again,” she finally said, “for taking over for me.”

I nodded. “Did you get any rest?”

“A little, then I helped Kyla with Stetson and couldn’t go back to sleep. So, I watched from the living room. I saw the vet come and knew you’d want coffee.”

“You made a fresh pot of coffee just for me?” I leaned slightly, looking over at her, faking shock.

She nudged me. “Don’t start expecting it.” She giggled.

A giggle. Abi giggled. It was a sleepy giggle, one that pulled at the corners of my lips. How can I hear that sound again?

“Never.” I nudged her back. “Thank you.”

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