Page 19 of Home to You
“Just … don’t lie to yourself about what this is,” he said. “Not again.”
By the timewe got the horses put up, purple dusk had settled over the ranch, and the cold had returned with a vengeance. I limped into the warm kitchen, my body protesting every step, and was wrestling with a stubborn boot when Nash’s voice drifted from the den.
“Hey, Jake? You got a minute?”
I exhaled through my nose and stepped into the doorway. “Make it quick.”
He glanced up from a laptop, his brow furrowed as his eyes flicked to the screen and then returned to me. “Just wanted to give you a heads-up—one of the local suppliers is raising prices on grain again. Not urgent, but we might want to revisit the numbers.”
“Noted.” I rubbed the back of my neck, every muscle in my shoulders screaming for that shower. And for the conversation I’d been putting off all day. “We’ll look at it tomorrow.”
He nodded and turned back to the screen.
I pivoted down the hall, already fantasizing about a long, hot shower and an ice-cold beer. Maybe both at the same time. But I didn’t make it far.
Colt stepped out of his room, the door clicking shut behind him. He was looking down at his phone, his thumb dragging intently across the screen, but he stilled when he spotted me.
“Hey,” he said, voice low and a little guilty. He kept his eyes down, one hand scrubbing at his jaw.
I narrowed my eyes. “Everything okay?”
He nodded, then scratched at the stubble lining his jaw, an old tell that said it wasn’t, not really. “Yeah. I, uh … when I picked Cole up from school today, I ran into Eden.”
My stomach tensed, a tight pull behind my ribs. The way he said it—quiet, cautious—made the back of my neck prickle with warning. I crossed my arms. “Oh yeah?”
He shifted his weight, not meeting my eyes. “Yeah. I didn’t plan to talk to her. It just sort of happened.”
“Hmm,” I hummed. “What’d you say?”
Colt let out a long breath and finally looked at me. “I’m not sure you want to know.”
I dragged a hand down over my face, pulling at the skin. “How bad is it?”
“I kind of told her to stay away from you,” he admitted, his voice tight. “Said if she wasn’t all in, she needed to keep her distance.”
“Jesus, Colt.”
“I know, all right.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I wasn’t trying to overstep. I just—” He paused, his brow furrowing. “I just … I saw her standing there, after all this time, and I—fuck, Jake, I panicked. Okay?”
I stared at him for a beat, my jaw clenched tight against the words I wanted to say. To shout.
He shifted again under the weight of it, then finally met my gaze. His eyes were sincere, but wary. It was the wariness that got to me. It was a look I was seeing on my brother’s face more and more lately, and I didn’t like it.
“Yeah,” I said at last, my voice rough. “The first time I saw her, I panicked, too. Thanks for telling me.”
He blinked. “You’re not pissed?”
“Oh, I’m pissed,” I said, a bitter smile pulling at the corner of my mouth. “But I get it. You were just looking out for me. For Cole, too.”
Colt nodded slowly, his shoulders relaxing a fraction. “Yeah, but I think some of it was my own shit, too.”
I cocked a brow. “With Eden?” I knew he’d been angry when she left town, but maybe I hadn’t understood just how deep his hurt ran.
He shook his head. “Nah. Well, maybe a bit, but mostly not. I’ve got some of my own shit I’m trying to work through.”
I stepped closer and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t we all?”
He nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching like he wanted to smile but couldn’t quite manage it. “Guess so.”
