Page 58 of Long Hard Fall

“I could go there and visit.”

She nodded. “And I could come up here.”

They fell quiet again.

Cash picked up his napkin and folded it. “Any chance…” He gave his head a shake.

“Any chance, what?”

He seemed at a loss for words for a minute, then met her gaze. “My roots are here. It’s not fair to ask you to move, but is there a chance that someday, you’d be willing to move to Moore…to here?”

Her heart soared and she wanted to say Yes! How’s now sound? but she couldn’t bring herself to prove everyone right about how impulsive she was. Still, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “I think there’s a good chance.”

Warmth infused his gaze, until it turned to smoldering heat. “The dishes can wait.”

She bit her lip and stood, sliding her hand into his. Giddiness filled her from head to toe. Nothing was going to ruin this day.

Chapter 16

The cows were moving in one large group in the right direction. Cash finally let himself relax for a minute. He’d been doing this every year, in the spring and fall. These cows knew the drill and the promise of new food, but it didn’t mean that shit couldn’t happen. But. They couldn’t have picked a calmer day to start moving cattle. After he’d untangled himself from Abbi’s soft body, he’d called Aaron to see if he could help move one of the smaller herds and get a jump on things for the weekend.

That’d give him more time with Abbi before she went back home.

His chest tightened. He didn’t like the idea of her not being around. She brought so much color to his world, not just with her mad home improvements skills. As the foundation for his family, he had little support. Lately, though, he wasn’t so much foundation as the glue keeping the four of them from ripping apart and scattering to the winds.

What would family get-togethers be like? Would Mom even come back? This was her family, but only in-laws really. He was her son, but…

Cash coughed as his throat suddenly grew thick. Well, Mom wouldn’t need him anymore as a go-between as she slowly cut off her soon to be ex-husband. Sissy wouldn’t be coming back to Moore for years while she served in the navy.

Cash adjusted his hat as fear raced through him. Fuck, was he a twenty-nine-year-old man crying about his mommy?

Yeah, he kind of was.

But if Abbi was around, however much of their relationship Mom wanted to keep…it’d be all right.

Aaron and his gelding, Twitty—short for Conway Twitty—fell into step beside Cash. “I hear you and that girl are still seeing each other.”

“Abbi, and yes. She’ll have to go back home soon, but eventually, you know…”

“Nice. She seemed nice. And she can put up with you, so…” Aaron chuckled when Cash flipped him off. “Hey, if she’s got any single cousins, have her bring ’em out.”

Cash smiled, but his moment of relaxation was stained with sympathy. Aaron had a hard time dating and keeping a girl. His family relied on him too much, and while he was a couple of years younger than Cash, he was at the age where women ran fast when they met a guy like that. “You’ll find someone, Aaron. Maybe Travis can be your wingman.”

Aaron snorted and his horse nickered. “Travis is nursing his broken heart too much to think about dating.”

“Good thing he didn’t marry her, though.” Cash winced to himself. Travis’s situation wasn’t much different than Cash’s in that he’d found a city girl. But his ex couldn’t bring herself to downgrade to the country and she’d never seemed as comfortable around their family and property. Unlike Abbi.

A clear blue sky stretched over him and his land. Things were looking up. It seemed like a fantasy to roll out of bed after a night with the sexiest girl he’d ever met, go out and do what he loved, then come home, back into her arms. But he was living the dream today.

His phone rang and he tugged it out of his pocket. Aaron trotted off with Twitty to give Cash privacy.

Cash’s optimism wavered.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Can you tell your mom I need to talk with her?”

Cash rolled his gaze skyward. “She’s not answering?”

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