“Allie,” Cade said as he let her go and sprinted from her kitchen.
Nora pushed off the counter and raced after him, straightening her clothes and smoothing her hair as she ran. He was already to his daughter’s bedroom by the time Nora made it through the front door.
“You okay? You hurt? What’s wrong?” The light from the hallway spilled into the room, and Cade was on his knees next to the bed.
Nora hung back in the doorway as Allie pushed up on one elbow. Her hair was damp and tangled around her head, and her cheeks were wet with tears. “Mom,” she called out reaching for Nora.
Oh no. She stumbled back, out of view, not wanting to upset the girl anymore.
“Honey, it’s okay,” Cade said. “You had a nightmare. You’re okay.”
She heard Allie suck in her breath, then let out a sob. “I was in the car with Mom. We were just driving. We were arguing about what station to listen to on the radio. Mom wanted this stupid oldies station, and I wanted pop. We were laughing. And then—” She couldn’t speak as another sob ripped through her.
“Shh, it’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. Mom’s gone. And she’s never coming back.”
“I know, baby.”
Nora leaned against the wall as she fought back tears. Poor sweet girl. She wished she knew how to help. For now, it seemed the best thing to do was to give them space to be together.
She could hear Cade murmuring soothing sounds and Allie’s sobs lessening. She didn’t know what to do. Especially since Allie had mistaken her for Amber. Should she let her know she was there?
The girl’s breathing seemed to even out, and she cautiously leaned her head into the room. Allie was curled into a ball, clutching a stuffed unicorn, her head on a pillow in Cade’s lap. He was sitting on the bed, his back to the wall as he tenderly combed his fingers through her hair.
“You okay?” Nora whispered.
Her heart tore in two as he blinked back tears. But then he slowly nodded. She wanted to go to them, to take both of them into her arms and tell them everything would be okay. But it wouldn’t be okay. Not for Allie. Not for a very long time.
She pressed her hand to her chest as if trying to send him some kind of message that her heart ached for them. “I’ll see you in the morning,” she said softly.
He nodded again, and she backed out of the room and quietly slipped out the front door.
***
The next morning, Nora was up early. She heard Cade leave to feed the animals as she was heading for the shower. Her normal morning routine wasn’t very complicated—she didn’t do much makeup beyond moisturizer, lip gloss, and mascara, and the natural waves in her hair usually allowed her to give it a light blow dry and finger comb it into place. She found herself taking a little extra time this morning and tried to pretend it had nothing to do with Cade. Taking time to pick out her clothes and do an extra little spritz of scent could have been to look nice for him or could have been a stall tactic.
She’d tossed and turned the night before, replaying every moment with him from the first kiss on the glider to the heated groping on the counter. In the middle of the night, their time together had seemed hot and fantasy inducing, but in the light of day, she suddenly found herself embarrassed at the way she’d practically climbed up the man’s chest. Where was her humility? She’d seemed to have left her modesty and restraint on the front porch because once he’d carried her inside, it was nowhere to be found.
What would he be thinking of her this morning? Only one way to find out. She took a deep breath and pushed through her front door.
Cade was heading back to the bunkhouse when she stepped outside. “No way,” he said, his brow furrowing as he shook his head.
At first, she thought he was talking about her and what happened the night before, then she followed his gaze to the ground in front of the door.
“Oh, shoot,” she said, holding back a laugh as she caught sight of the two new yoga balls sitting next to the door. A note tucked into the screen was from Bryn. Nora picked it up and read it aloud. “I’m working at the diner today but found these yoga balls at Walmart and wanted you to have them ASAP. Also made you a breakfast casserole—it’s in the oven. Have a safe trip today. Love to all, Bryn.”
“Got any ideas for PT using four yoga balls?” Cade asked.
“No, but I have some ideas about that breakfast casserole.”
He chuckled as he pulled open the screen. “Me too. You want to take care of these silly things while I dish up breakfast?”
“Sure,” she said, grabbing one of them and kicking the other one through her door. She’d put the others in the spare bedroom and tossed these two in after them. She was surprised to see Allie up and dressed when she entered their kitchen a few minutes later.
“Good morning,” she said. “You’re up early. I like that top on you. It goes good with your coloring.”
“Thanks,” Allie told her, a shy smile tugging at her lips as she smoothed down the fabric of the light blue shirt. “You said we were going to do a physical therapy session this morning, and I wanted to still have enough time to brush Daisy before we left.” She pushed back her shoulders as she faced Cade. “I told you I would.”
He put a plate of breakfast casserole in front of her. “I believed you. We should have plenty of time for you to groom Daisy, do your PT, and eat some breakfast. You want milk or orange juice?”
“Milk’s good,” she said, digging into the casserole.
Nora was glad to see her appetite returning, especially with what she had to face today. It was hard to resist the combination of eggs, sausage, and cheddar cheese covering her plate. “This smells delicious,” she said, scooping a bite onto her fork.
Cade set a glass of milk in front of Allie, then slid into the chair between them. “You’re not the only one who thinks so.” He nodded toward the door where Shamus and Tiny stood staring through the screen. A bright pink ribbon with a yellow-and-white flower affixed to it was tied in a bow around Tiny’s neck. The flower stood up jauntily next to one of her ears.
Allie laughed. “Look, Tiny likes daisies too.”
“Doesn’t surprise me,” Cade muttered. “What does surprise me is the way my cousin keeps putting ribbons around that sow’s neck.”
“I think it’s cute.”
“What surprises me,” Nora said, “is that Otis isn’t with them. That silly goat seems to be able to smell food a mile away.”
As if in response, a loud bleat sounded, and Otis crowded his way in between the pig and the mini-horse. He bleated again and licked his tongue up the front of the screen.
“Nice. Real appetizing,” Cade told the goat. “Just ignore them.”
Nora laughed and turned back to her plate, trying to concentrate on the casserole instead of how close Cade’s knee was to hers.
***
Cade felt like he’d been holding his breath the entire day as he waited for the next thing to blow up in his face. So far, he’d avoided any explosions, but there were a lot of hours left in this day.
Even though every moment of it had felt amazing, he knew he was sliding along a slippery slope by kissing Nora. He’d been known to make some whoppers of bad decisions in his time, but this one might take the cake.
She might be gorgeous and funny and have a smile that frickin’ lit up his entire day, but she was also his daughter’s physical therapist. Allie’s health and recovery depended on the care she got from Nora. Not that Nora would let their actions affect how she treated Allie—he knew she was too much of a professional for that. But he could easily drive her away. Hell, his track record with women had proven that.
Not that the women he’d been with had always been the ones running. He’d done his share of sprinting too.
He hadn’t known what to expect when he saw Nora that morning, whether she would be happy to see him or if he’d be able to read the regret written all over her face. But she’d seemed like her normal self.
He also hadn’t known what Allie would be like this morning, but she seemed to want to pretend the nightmare the evening before hadn’t even happened. And hey, avoidance worked for him. He was almost chipper to see her up and dressed and taking an interest in the horse. Heck, if it took a broken-down, skinny mare to get her out of bed and into the barn, he’d take it. He’d been surprised to find her propped up on a couple of hay bales outside of Daisy’s stall, a barn cat curled at her feet and a book open on her lap as she read it aloud to the horse.
“What?” she’d said. “She likes it when I read to her.”
“Okay, I’m not judging,” he’d said, then tilted his head to see the cover of the book. “What are you reading?”
“One of the westerns I found on your bookshelf. It’s not bad, and she seems to like the parts where they ride the horses.”
“Seems reasonable.”
She’d narrowed her eyes as she regarded him. “So you don’t think it’s stupid to read to a horse?”
“No. I think it’s pretty smart actually. Especially if she seems to like it and it appears to settle her. It’s good for her to interact with people too.” He’d given her a proud smile. “I think you’re going to be a horsey girl yet.”
As they had the past few days, their ease with each other ebbed and flowed, but she seemed to get more quiet and sullen as the trip to Denver got closer. Nobody had done a lot of talking on the drive down the pass. It was as if they all knew the task at hand was going to be tough and each was giving the others the space they’d need to process it.
Allie’s doctor’s appointment had been first, and thankfully, it had gone well. The stitches came out easily, and Cade could already see a difference in some of the bruising on her face. The shiner around her eye was fading from dark purple to a lighter blue and the edges were starting to turn yellow.
Some of the swelling had gone down in her ankle, and the doctor had given them some more sheets of exercises to work on. Cade had shared some of the physical therapy Nora was already working on, and he’d agreed with all of it. Allie had seemed good while she was talking to him, until the doctor asked her how she was coping with the grief over the accident and the death of her mother. He shared she might experience trouble sleeping, mood swings, and even occasional nightmares and suggested she consider getting some grief counseling.
She didn’t tell him about the nightmare, and Cade didn’t push it. But he took the brochure the doctor handed him with the names of some child therapists.
Allie was especially quiet as they left the doctor’s office and headed for the apartment where she’d lived with her mom. Cade didn’t know what to say or how to help, and he questioned if he’d made the wrong decision in not telling the doctor about the nightmare. It had really shaken him. Was this hitting her even harder than he’d originally thought?
Nora was quiet as well as they parked the car and trudged up the few steps to the apartment. Cade paused to collect himself. He’d had to open the bag of Amber’s belongings to get her house keys from her purse, then he’d resealed it as quickly as he could and shoved it back onto the top shelf of the hall closet.
Amber’s father and sister were taking care of the arrangements for her, and Allie had told him their mail came to a secured box in the complex office, so he hadn’t given much thought to their apartment. He wasn’t sure what they would find inside. Steeling himself, he inserted the key into the lock and pushed the door open.
He heard Allie catch her breath as she peered inside. He took a cautious step into the living room, then waited for her to follow.
The apartment was small, with a living area at the front and a galley-style kitchen in the back. A long hallway led to what Cade assumed were the bedrooms. Several pairs of shoes were haphazardly piled by the door, and stacks of mail covered the small table in the foyer. An overstuffed couch took up most of the living room, with too many throw pillows and a couple of cozy blankets casually draped over the back and sides. A half-empty glass of curdled milk sat on the coffee table next to a plate holding a dried pizza crust and a lone potato chip.
Dirty dishes covered the counter in the kitchen, and crusted pans sat on the stove, as if they’d just made a meal and hadn’t time to clean it up yet. The air was stale and smelled of sour milk and the scent of garbage that was just starting to turn.
Allie wheeled the knee scooter into the living room, her fingers trailing over the arm of the sofa. “Mom?” she called into the empty apartment.
“Allie.”
She shook her head. “I know. It’s just that it looks exactly the same. Like she’s either in her bedroom getting ready for work or she’s been at work and going to walk in the door any minute.” She let out a shuddering breath. “But I know she’s not.”
He took a step toward her, but she pulled away. “I just want to get my stuff and get out of here.”
“We’ll give you some space,” Nora told her. “Would it be okay if I washed up the dishes and tidied the kitchen?”
“Knock yourself out,” she muttered as she wheeled herself down the hall.
“I’ll work on the dishes if you want to take the trash out,” Nora said, already starting to collect the dirty plates and glasses.
Working together, it didn’t take them long to clean the kitchen and tidy the apartment.
“I’m gonna go check on her,” Nora told him as she put the broom back in the closet.
“Yeah, good. Thanks. I think I’ll stay out here.” Although he was curious about what her room looked like, what her life looked like.
He paced around the small living room, stopping to peer at the few framed pictures on the wall. Allie on a playground as a toddler sitting proudly at the top of a slide. Amber and Allie taking a cheesy selfie at some pizza place, giant slices of pepperoni in their hands. One of those terrible snapshots people get taken on roller coasters, the two of them with their hands in the air, Amber’s face reflecting terror while Allie’s exhibited pure joy. So many moments. Allie wearing a goofy grin at her fifth grade graduation—he had that picture. He wasn’t at the event, but Amber had sent the photo to him in a spiteful text about hoping the rodeo he’d been competing in instead was worth it. He’d won a five-thousand-dollar purse that night. He’d give it all back plus twice as much to have another chance at that decision and this time make the choice to be there.
Another framed photo of the two of them plus Amber’s dad, Ed, and her sister, Diana, sat on the shelf and he picked it up, wondering where it had been taken. It must have been a special occasion because they were all dressed up and there were fancy decorations and flowers on the tables in the background. Allie and Amber looked pretty. Happy.
There was so much he’d missed. He tried to ignore the fact that there were no pictures of him. Why would there be? He wasn’t really part of her life. Amber made sure of that. And he hadn’t fought her. Those facts stung even more as he stood in the apartment knowing he was the only parent his daughter had left.
Three photo albums were tucked neatly on the shelf behind the picture. He pulled one out and flipped through pages filled with smiling photos of his daughter in various stages of her life. Allie as a baby, a toddler, a preschooler. There were photos of birthday parties and family trips and first days of school, all chronicling the moments of his daughter’s life he had missed.
He snapped the book shut, then on impulse, pulled the other two from the shelf, thinking Allie might want to bring them with her.
Hoping he’d given her enough time, he walked down the hall and poked his head into her room. Her bed was unmade and piles of clothes were strewn across the top of the purple comforter. “Hey, how’s it going?”
The room contained a bed, a dresser, a small desk, and two tall bookcases overflowing with books. A stack of books teetered on the edge of her nightstand next to a pink lamp. Splashes of pink and purple were everywhere, from the bedding to the throw rug to the giant poster of a purple rose on the wall. A few stuffed animals sat on the shelves amid the books.
He noticed a couple more pictures of her and Amber and one with her aunt stuck in the mirror on her dresser. But where were all the pictures of her with her friends? She’d said she didn’t have a lot of friends—he’d assumed that was just her being dramatic. But maybe it was true. Did that mean she had a hard time making friends or had Amber’s constant need for something new and exciting wrecked Allie’s chances to make those important childhood friendships?
“How does it look like it’s going?” his daughter snapped. Her eyes were a little wild as she gazed around the room. “I don’t know what to bring or how long I’m going to be with you. How many books should I pack? Should I bring clothes for a week? Or a month?” She narrowed her eyes as she stared at him. “How long do you think it’s gonna take before you get tired of playing dad and take off again? Like do I just need summer stuff or should I take a chance and bring my winter coat?”
“Allie” was all she let him say before she held up her hand to stop him.
“Don’t even say anything. I don’t trust what you say anyway.”
“Give me a break, kid,” he told her. “I’m doing the best I can.”
“Are you?” she asked before turning back to her dresser.
“Listen, I saw the landlord when I was taking out the trash, and he said the rent is paid up through the end of this month and next, so you don’t have to figure everything out today. We can come back.”
“Why don’t you take your favorite things,” Nora softly suggested. “Say five or six books and the clothes you feel most comfortable in. It looks like you’ve got the basics here. As long as you have a few weeks’ worth of clothes, you can always do laundry.” She gestured to the open closet doors. “Is there anything else you want from in here? I can grab it.”
She pointed to a few items. “That blue hoodie is my favorite, and I should probably take some tennis shoes. The black Chucks are the ones I wear the most.”
Cade held up the photo albums. “I found these in the living room and thought you might want to bring them.”
Allie’s jaw tightened as she looked at the books. “Those are ours. They’re not for you. You didn’t want to be there when we were taking those pictures, so you don’t get to look at them now. Why were you snooping around our apartment anyway?”
He drew back, bewildered by her sudden mood swings and unsure what to say, since apparently everything he’d said so far was wrong. “I wasn’t snooping. I was trying to help.”
“You’re not helping. You shouldn’t even be here. This is our place. Not yours.” Her voice cracked as she yelled at him. “I don’t want those stupid pictures, and I don’t want you.”
He glanced at Nora, unsure what to do. He’d thought he could help carry things or just be here for Allie, but it was clear she didn’t want or need him. Or if Nora’s earlier opinions were true, the thought of wanting or needing him was causing her even more guilt and grief.
“I’ll wait in the truck,” he told them. “Take your time. Let me know when you’re ready, and I can help load things up.” He didn’t get an argument as he turned and headed down the hallway. Not that he expected one anyway.
He paused in the living room, crossing to the bookshelf to replace the photo albums. In a split decision, he changed his mind and carried them out to the truck and tucked them into the back seat.
Thirty minutes later, Nora texted him they were ready. It didn’t take him long to load up Allie’s suitcase and the few boxes of things she’d decided to bring. One box felt like she’d packed her entire bookcase, but he didn’t complain; he just loaded it into the back. Whatever she needed.
It seemed like some of the spit and vinegar had been taken out of her as he helped Allie into the back seat of the truck. Poor kid looked wiped out.
Nora offered him an encouraging smile as she got into the front seat next to him, and all he wanted to do was pull her to him and hold on to her. He must be getting soft. Since when did a hug solve anything?
Allie held her phone up as he put the truck into gear and pulled out of the parking lot. “Aunt Di called me like twenty times and left me a billion messages. She said she was out of the country, but she’s on her way back to get me. And Grandpa called too. He said he wants you to call him. At least I assume you’re the rat bastard he was referring to in his message.” Apparently she still had a bit of spit left in her.
“I’ll call him later,” Cade said absently, more concerned with his ex-sister-in-law’s threats to come back to get his daughter.
Allie fell back against the seat with a huff, but within ten minutes he heard the steady rhythm of her breathing and knew she’d passed out.
“Poor thing,” Nora said quietly. “This has got to be rough on her.” She reached across the seat and touched her pinkie to the side of his hand. “On you too. How you holding up?”
“I’ll be fine. I just wish there were something I could do.”
“You’re doing it,” she assured him.
He didn’t argue, didn’t say anything at all—he just turned his hand over and twined his fingers with hers.
***
Allie stirred as they pulled into the driveway of the farm. The nap didn’t seem to help her mood. She was just as prickly when she woke up. “I’m going to go check on Daisy,” she told Cade as he unloaded the knee scooter and helped her out of the truck.
He and Nora each took a load of her things and carried them toward the bunkhouse. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said, gazing down at the black yoga ball sitting on his front porch. “Another well-meaning citizen of Creedence must have heard we were in need.”
Nora picked up the note. “Who’s Ida Mae Phillips? And is that her real name?”
“Oh yeah, it is. And she’s a force to be reckoned with. Retired school teacher, sweet as apple pie, but had a firm command of the vacation Bible study Grandma made us go to when we were here in the summer.” He looked over Nora’s shoulder. “Looks like she brought a meatloaf too. You coming over for supper?”
He would be lying if he didn’t admit to being a little disappointed when she shook her head.
“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll eat on my own tonight. I have some paperwork to catch up on, and I think you and Allie could use a night on your own too.”
“It could be a quiet night. Not sure when she’s gonna be ready to talk to me again.”
“Give her time.”
Time was okay, but suddenly he had an idea of something else to give her—something she’d really love.
***
Later that night, Cade leaned his head into Allie’s bedroom. As expected, they’d had a quiet supper then Allie had gone to her room. Now that she had her phone back, she’d been riveted to the screen and didn’t seem to care about much else. He hoped he was about to change that. “Hey, you got a second?”
She was sitting up in bed and offered him one of her noncommittal shrugs.
“I’ve got a present for you.”
Her brow furrowed. “A present? What kind of present?”
He stepped into her room and brought the squirming brown-and-white puppy from behind his back. “A fluffy one that’s gonna need to be fed and watered every day.”
She let out a squeal as she covered her mouth with her hands. Her gaze bounced from his to the puppy, then back to his. “Is she really for me?” she whispered as if she couldn’t quite find her voice.
“She really is. If you want her.” He set the puppy on the end of the bed, and it romped across the spread and into Allie’s lap. The smile that spread across his daughter’s face was worth every second of annoyance having a puppy was going to cause him in the coming months.
“Oh my gosh. She’s so cute.” Tears filled her eyes as she lifted it up and cuddled it to her chest. “You’re so cute. Yes, you are,” she cooed into the puppy’s ear, then laughed as it licked her face and tried to nip her chin.
“Now, she’s your pup. If you want her, you’re going to have to be in charge of feeding her and taking her outside. And she’s going to need exercise, so you’ll have to put that dang phone away and take her for walks.”
“I will. I totally will.” She held the puppy to her neck as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Wait. Just to be clear, are you using this puppy as some kind of bribe? Like as a way to buy my love or something?”
He raised an eyebrow as he peered down at the puppy, then back up at her. “Hell yes I am. Is it working?”
She laughed. A genuine laugh.
“No, but I’m still keeping the puppy.”
Her voice said no but her laugh had been a definite maybe.
***
Cade was still congratulating himself on his clever gift as he lay in bed later that night trying to sleep. He’d wanted to call Nora over to tell her about it, but she’d made it pretty clear she needed some time to herself that night. He couldn’t blame her. She’d been spending almost all her time with him and Allie the past few days. The woman seemed to find the positive in everything, but hanging out with a broody cowboy and an irritable teenager had to push anyone’s limits.
The clock on the nightstand read close to midnight. He’d been lying there for almost an hour alternately thinking about how to deal with Allie, kissing Nora, and how the current price of beef would affect the upcoming sale of their cattle—not necessarily in that order.
He was just drifting off to sleep when he heard an agonizing cry come from Allie’s bedroom as she screamed something he hadn’t heard in a long time.
“Dad!”