From Ashes

We lay there holding each other, still connected, and waiting for our breathing to even out. His lips were pressed to the top of my head while mine were pressed to his chest; the only words we could seem to form were I love you.

Chapter Nineteen

GAGE

WE’D JUST FINISHED herding the last of the cattle into a different section of the ranch, and God, this day couldn’t have been longer. Cass hadn’t been feeling that great when I left her that morning, and I hated leaving her when she was sick, but the move couldn’t wait. There was a huge storm coming in that was supposed to be there all week, and it’s too hard to move the cattle during a storm—point made when the storm came halfway through the day. It was almost the middle of October, and it was already cooling down, but the cold front that came with this storm was wicked, and swear to God the cattle just decided to plop their happy asses on the ground. Not like we weren’t expecting them to prepare for the storm, but this storm was why they needed to move in the first place; there were too many creeks running through the part of the ranch they were in, and where they were going was elevated. So when they’d all lain down in groups, I’d groaned and tried to prepare myself for a long afternoon.

It’d ended up taking an extra three hours to get them all in, and by that point I was snapping at some of the ranch hands whom I’d known practically my entire life. I apologized as much as my pissed-off self would allow when we got all the horses back to the stable, hopped in my truck, and drove back home. I had a sick wife who needed taking care of, and she’d expected me home hours ago. Driving up, I hated not seeing Cassidy standing there with Sky—not like I really expected her to be there tonight, but it showed just how bad she was feelin’.

Since our “honeymoon,” which was really just an amazing week in our home of uninterrupted time with a naked Cassidy, she’d started her own routine with our lives, and damn, I loved it. Every morning I got my hug in bed; she’d tell me to come back after I finished feeding all the other animals, and she’d have breakfast waiting for me; more often than not, breakfast led to a whole lot else that resulted in our having to sanitize different surfaces of the kitchen again. Then she and Sky would walk me out and stand on the porch until I was gone. Some days I’d come back for lunch if I wasn’t busy, but every night she and Sky were waiting on the porch as I drove up. Seeing her waiting with a big smile on her face in the house I built got me every time. I was a lucky man, and I thanked God for giving her to me every damn day.

Sky jumped up from where she’d been lying near the steps on the wraparound, and I barely scratched her ears as I raced into the house. The scent of food caught me off guard and I slowly made my way back to the kitchen. Cass should have been in bed. Rounding the corner, I was relieved but also worried that Mama was standing there making soup.

“How is she?”

She looked up and smiled. “Sleeping. She’ll be fine though. Just the flu.”

I nodded. “Thanks for comin’ to check on her, Mama.”

“Of course, of course. Dinner’s in the oven, should be done in just a few minutes. And I just need to put the last of this in the pot for her soup. Why don’t you go take a shower? I’ll be outta here in ten or so minutes.”

“All right, thanks again.” I kissed her cheek and crept down the hall. Sky had followed me inside and was now stretched out along Cassidy’s side, with her head on Cassidy’s stomach. Cass was completely out; her face was ghostly white and a thin sheen of sweat clung to her. Kissing her warm forehead, I turned and headed for the bathroom to take a quick shower.

CASSIDY

I WOKE UP with a start, and it only took a few seconds before I realized why. My stomach rolled and I raced to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet in time. I groaned and slid down to the cool floor of our bathroom. It felt so good right there, I was going to stay there forever. I curled up onto my side, pressed my cheek onto the tile floor, and hoped my stomach would stay calm the rest of the night.

Gage had woken me up some time ago and fed me a cup of soup. It’d stayed down for an hour and he’d let me go back to sleep, but apparently I still wasn’t ready for food. My stomach rolled thinking about dinner and I took calming breaths through my mouth until the uneasiness passed.

I didn’t know how long I’d been lying there, but I was still awake when I felt something on my leg. Figuring it was my imagination and not wanting to take my arms from my sensitive stomach, I wiggled my leg and curled back up into a ball. Not a minute later I felt it again and I sat up to look, wishing I’d turned on the light in my race in here. I had to blink my eyes a few times to focus on whatever the large lump was on my leg, and only when its tail curled up above its body did everything become clear.

“Gage!”

GAGE

MY BODY SHOT upright and I was out of bed before I realized that Cassidy wasn’t in bed and had screamed my name. I was already in the hall heading to the living room when a short, pained cry came from the master bathroom. I turned around and burst through the door as soon as I reached it. She was in the bathtub and it took me a second to notice she was fully clothed and there was no water in there. I took two large steps toward her and her hands shot out.

“No, stop!”

I froze.

“It—it’s right there.” Her hand was shaking uncontrollably as she pointed down.

I looked down but only saw the floor. Taking a step back, I flipped on the lights and had to blink a few times before I could look at the dark tile, and there, not two feet from the bathtub, was a scorpion. I laughed and looked up at a freaked Cassidy.