Page 98 of Never Left You

I had Cash.

Cash.

I inhaled, opening my lips to speak, “I’m not sure, but I do know one thing I’m starting to want.”

The next morning, after getting Stetson off to school, I walked with a purpose, determined to find and take something I wanted.

Cash was in the stables getting Nova ready for a ride when I found him. I leaned up against the gate and watched him for a moment before clearing my throat, gaining his full attention. He looked up at me, his smile growing the moment he saw me on the opposite side of the gate. He came towards me with the perfect amount of swag, and I just took him in. Once he was close enough, his lips met mine, and he breathed me in.

“Good morning.” I smiled against his lips once he pulled away.

“Good morning,” he repeated in kind, his eyes still closed from the kiss.

“Did you know—” I started right off the bat, his eyes opening to look at me.

“Wait,” he stopped me. “I brought something I want to show you.”

I stepped back as he opened the gate to the stall, his hand gently brushing my arm as he stepped behind me to the tack bench. I didn’t notice the black book there when I came in, but when he picked it up, I had a feeling it was his sketchbook. The drawings he told me about on our date. He approached me, hiseyes glued to mine as he handed me the book. Gracefully, I took it from him.

“Is this?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.

“My brand spanking new sketchbook. Bought it a few weeks ago.” He folded his arms and watched me open it to see the first sketch of a profile of a horse.

My jaw dropped. “Nova.”

For being a quick pencil sketch, he was able to capture her perfectly, down the pattern on her nose. Flipping the page, I saw a mountain range, another horse with trees behind them, two horses galloping and then…

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He told me he drew me and Luna, but what he didn’t tell me was he drew Stetson at Sylas’s grave. It was a sketch—rough pencil lines and shading—but it was clear as day he had spent time on it. Stetson was kneeling, one hand resting against Sylas’ name, his hat upside down on the top of the stone. Not wanting to look away from the drawing, I covered my lips with my fingers, telling myself I would not cry.

“Cash…I…” I muttered, hearing the crackle in my voice as I tried to form the words. “I love this. Can I have it?” I looked up at him, noticing how his eyes were hyper focused on me. With a single nod, he bent down and kissed my forehead.

“It’s yours,” he whispered against my skin, sending shivers down my spine all the way to my toes.

“You are amazing. These are amazing.” I turned back to the horses, nervous to see the sketch of me and Luna, but I went back to the one of Stetson. “I can’t believe…”

“You wanted to tell me something?” he interrupted, reaching up to take the sketch book from me. I let him take it, and he pulled it to his chest.

I swallowed, trying to remember why I had come in here in the first place. “Oh…right…” I blinked before looking up at him.He had his arms folded around the sketchbook, giving me his full attention. “Right before Sylas died, Stetson and I were going to travel with him for the summer. We were going to go to every rodeo, every gathering, every fairground…we were going to go…”

“Everywhere,” he finished. “Yeah, Sylas told me about that. He was excited for it.”

“I was too. I wanted to see him shine. Before Stetson was born, I would travel with him but, not to the extent we were planning.” I searched his eyes. “I was really looking forward to the summer. Stetson’s first time seeing big rodeos, bigger names. It would have been amazing.”

Cash grinned at me, sincerity flowing through his expression.

“But then he died.” I said, matter of factly. I couldn’t keep that part out, that day changed my entire life. “And I couldn’t go to rodeos like that anymore. I could watch them, and go to smaller ones like we have here, or the one we went to the other night…but I never watched the bulls. I would always think of that time we didn’t have.”

“Well then, we have to get you back to more rodeos. You love them. I know you do.”

“Well…that’s why I’m here.”

He chuckled. “Okay.”

“You’re leaving on Thursday, getting Quinn back in the circuit?”

He nodded.

“Let me come with you.”

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