From Ashes

I nodded. “I think she’d be best for you to ride. She’s a calm girl.”

“She’s beautiful,” she breathed.

“That she is. Would you like to ride her today?”

“Can I?” Her smile was so beautiful, I’d let her do whatever she wanted.

“Let me get her ready.” I looked back at Ty. “You wanna ride Beau?”

“Sure, I’ll get him out.” Tyler looked at Cassidy, gave me a warning glare, and went over to where Amanda’s horse was.

When he was gone I grabbed Cass and hugged her tight to my body. God, I missed this. “I’m glad you’re here.”

She sighed and pressed her head into my chest. “It’s been lonely without you, Gage. I’m ready for you to come home.”

If only home wasn’t where y’all share a bed, I wouldn’t have been able to leave. I sighed and squeezed her tight before putting the saddle on Star and helping Cassidy up.

“CASSIDY.” I WHISPERED so I wouldn’t wake up Amanda from where she was on the other side of the room.

Cassidy moaned lightly and rolled onto her side, facing me.

“Cass.” After nudging her shoulder with no results, I stretched out on the small sofa bed beside her and brushed her dark hair from her face. God, I loved watching her sleep. I memorized her relaxed expression before pressing my lips softly to her cheek.

She curled into a tighter ball and sighed my name.

My heart stopped when I realized she was still asleep. She was dreaming about me. I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “Wake up, darlin’,” I said as I trailed her jaw with my fingertips.

Cassidy’s eyes slowly fluttered open and widened when she saw me right in front of her. “What are you doing?” I’d expected her to freak out, but her voice, still husky from sleep, sounded almost dreamlike.

“I have to start working, but I wanted my morning hug first.”

She smiled and wiggled her way deeper into my arms, wrapping one arm around my waist and placing the other on my chest, fingers splayed out. “Good morning, Gage.” She yawned and buried her face deeper into my shirt.

“Morning.” I held her to me and tried to savor every second of her warm body against mine, her long hair wild from her lying on it, her sweet scent engulfing me.

“What are you doing today?”

“Gotta feed everyone first, then we have to fix more of the fences. We stopped early yesterday and they need to be done before we can move the cattle into that area. Other than that, whatever pops up.”

She nodded against me. “Do you need me to do anything?”

I didn’t need a thing from her, but I wanted everything. I wanted her to leave Tyler, to love me, to want to live here with me for the rest of our lives. I wanted so damn much. “Just go back to sleep, then enjoy the rest of the day with the girls. I’ll be back tonight.”

“I’ll be here waiting for you.”

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath in and held it. If only she knew what she did to me. I could see us, just like this. Whispering in the dark room before I started work each morning, her telling me she’d be waiting for me when I got back. God, I wanted to kiss her and stay in that bed all day, but just then I heard the front door open and shut and knew I had to get going. With one last squeeze, I reluctantly unwrapped us from each other and left the room.

CASSIDY

“THOSE BOYS ARE treating you all right, aren’t they, Cassidy?” Stephanie asked as she pulled up a chair at the breakfast bar where Gage’s youngest sister, Emily, was coloring. “It was hard enough losing Tyler, and then you had to go with him. I feel like all my babies are gone and I just need to make sure you’re all taking care of each other.”

“They’re great. I work early in the mornings, and Gage takes me; when I get home they’re at school and by the time they’re back I have dinner made for them. Everything’s been great so far.”

“Good, sweetie,” she said, and I couldn’t believe how much she and Gage’s mom, Tessa, looked alike, and how Tessa looked nothing like her kids.

“You tell me if my boy’s actin’ up, all right, sweet girl? I don’t care if that boy is grown, I’ll still smack him upside the head.” Tessa gave me a look and I didn’t need to have seen Gage’s flinching to know she would.

I laughed. “You don’t have to worry about that, Gage is . . . Gage has been . . . he’s great.”

Tessa and Stephanie shared a look and Stephanie raised her eyebrows as she took a long drink of iced tea.

“All right, I’m sorry, but I have to ask. Are you dating Ty or not?” Amanda, Gage’s oldest sister, put the stack of plates away and leaned back against the counter so she was facing me.

I paused, opening up the package of yellow cake mix, and looked at her, confused. “Uh, definitely not. Why?”

“Well . . .” She looked at her mom and other sister, Nikki, before continuing. “We’ve all heard about you since as far back as I can remember . . . and it just kinda looks like y’all are together.”

Stephanie started laughing and I could only imagine the look of horror on my face. “No. Tyler’s my best friend—really he was my only friend until we moved to Texas. We’re just really close like that; he’s like my family.”

“So is there anyone you are dating?” Amanda asked, and I noticed even Tessa had stopped what she was doing and looked up at me.