Cade found himself thinking about Nora as he worked through his nightly routine of chores. As he tossed hay to the horses, his thoughts drifted to the softness of her skin. And he reflected on the way she’d smelled fresh out of the shower—like honeysuckle and something flowery—while he hauled bales of hay out to the cattle.
He needed to stop and get a grip. Nora Fisher was here for one reason. And it wasn’t for him to fantasize about her soft skin or how amazing she smelled. She was here to help his daughter.
So why was his face breaking into a grin as he approached the bunkhouse and found her sitting on the glider on the porch? “Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” she said, smiling in return. “Did you get everything done?”
He shook his head. “Like I said earlier, around a farm, you’re never gonna get everything done. But I got done what needed to be taken care of tonight. How did it go with Allie after I left?”
“Great.”
He cocked an eyebrow her direction.
“Well, pretty good. She let me help her get ready for bed, and we talked through some of the exercises and the physical therapy we’re going to be starting tomorrow. I went back to check on her after I cleaned up the kitchen, and she was fast asleep.”
“Wow. You didn’t have to do all that.”
“I know. But I wanted to. The whole reason I’m here is to help.”
“To help Allie. Not to do my dishes.”
She peered up him, her expression sincere. “I’m here to help. However and with whatever I can. I mean it.”
“I believe you do.” He nodded to the other side of the glider. “Mind if I join you?”
“Be my guest,” she said, scooting over a smidge. “It’s so pretty out here, I haven’t been able to convince myself to go inside.” She let out a small shiver. “But it is cooler here than it is down in Denver.”
Reaching inside the door, he grabbed one of his hooded sweatshirts from the pegs on the wall and handed it to her before he sank down beside her. He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “What a day.”
“I haven’t had a chance to say it yet,” she said as she wrapped the jacket around her shoulders. “But I’m sorry for the loss of your ex-wife.”
He let out a sigh. “Thanks. We had a wreck of a marriage, and she’s been a giant pain in my ass for the last nine years, but it’s still weird, knowing that she’s gone.”
“I’m sure.”
“The hardest part is knowing how tough this is on Allie. And I don’t have a clue how to help her.” He offered her a sideways glance. “I don’t know how much Elle told you about me, but I haven’t been much of a father. Truth is, I barely know my own daughter.”
“Hey, I’m not here to judge. Like I said, I’m just here to help.”
“We’re gonna need it. Both of us. Lord help me. This girl of mine has tried my patience more in the last few days than any other woman has in the last ten years.”
“But you love this one,” Nora said softly.
Cade nodded, suddenly unable to find his voice. He wasn’t usually rattled by a woman, but Nora seemed to get him. He’d spent less than a day with her and being this close to her had his nerves a little unsteady, but she was easy to talk to. And there weren’t many people in his life he found easy to talk to.
“I do,” he said, finally regaining his voice. “I do love her. Sass and all. And whether I’m ready for it or not, I feel like I’ve been given a second chance with her, and I don’t want to blow it. Again.”
“You won’t. You can’t change what happened yesterday, Cade. But you can choose to make the most of tomorrow.”
“Sounds like you offer people more than just physical therapy,” he said with a teasing note in his tone. “Should I be expecting a bill for this session?”
She shook her head. “My fee is one spaghetti dinner so you’re already paid in full.”
“Perfect.” He liked her sense of humor and the way she put a positive spin on things.
“I know this is all new to you, but I can imagine Allie is scared too,” she told him. “She’s dealing with a lot, and I have a feeling all that sarcasm and sass is coming from a place of hurt. She’s not too excited about the exercises I was telling her about. She said they sound like a lot of work.” Nora chuckled. “She has no idea.”
“I don’t think she’s going to be your easiest patient. You’re probably used to people coming into physical therapy who want your help.”
“Not necessarily. Not everyone is there because they want to be. And most everyone I deal with is in some kind of pain. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be there. I’ve dealt with plenty of patients who are sad and angry at the situation that brought them to me, so they’re dealing with grief along with the physical pain. Although grief can be like a physical pain as well. I just need to figure out what Allie likes to do and how to incorporate that into our therapy regime. I don’t think she’s going to be excited about rolling a ball or doing wall stretches, but if I can get her to do some things she enjoys that will naturally work and stretch those muscles, that would be ideal.”
“Good luck.”
“I’ve got some ideas that I want to try with her. I realized earlier that I forgot to pack my yoga balls, but I can always order a couple when we get to that point. My goal is for her to think we’re just doing normal stuff and not even recognize that we’re actually doing therapy exercises. I brought some equipment with me and we’ll use that, but I really want to incorporate things from her environment into her therapy, like feeding the animals or maybe brushing a horse.”
“We’ve got plenty of opportunities for that kind of thing here. Bryn’s got tons of animals around this place, from chickens to pigs to that funny mini-horse. Heck, she’s got six dogs over in that farmhouse and one of them only has three legs.”
“Six dogs?”
“Well, to be fair, three of them are puppies.”
“Puppies?” Her face got that dreamy look, and her voice went up a notch as she said the word.
“Oh geez. What is it about puppies that makes people go crazy? Although they are pretty cute little buggers. She had five, but she’s given a couple of them away.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to see them tomorrow. And that kind of stuff is perfect. You don’t think about working the muscles in your hand when you’re petting a puppy.”
“You’re smart, Nora.” He leaned back against the glider and felt some of the tension he’d been carrying in his shoulders all day ease. “I’m glad you’re here.”
She settled back next to him, so close their shoulders almost touched. And close enough that he could smell her shampoo. “I’m glad I’m here too.”
***
Cade was up the next morning and halfway through his chores before the sun made its way into the sky. He’d spent the night tossing and turning as he’d worried about Allie, then worried more when images of Nora snuck into his thoughts, especially when those images had her half-naked and wrapped back in a towel.
Bryn was walking from the direction of the bunkhouse as he came out of the barn. “Hey Cousin,” she said. “How’d it go last night?”
He offered her a weary shrug. “About as good as you’d expect. Allie’s mad and sad, but every once in a while, I coax a smile out of her.”
“I know it’s hard, but keep trying. You’ll get there.” She pointed toward his place. “I made you all some cinnamon rolls. They’re still warm, so I left them on your stove top.”
He shook his head. “You didn’t have to. You’ve already done so much.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to. You and Allie are my family. And that means something to me.”
“It does to me too,” he said quietly, staring down at his boots.
“Hey, don’t knock those cinnamon rolls,” Zane said, coming up behind him and clapping him on the shoulder. “I’m reaping the rewards of her baking for you.”
Cade chuckled. “So is Nora. She came over to have spaghetti with us last night, and she thought your sauce was amazing.”
“Oh? She had supper with you?” Bryn asked. “That’s nice. Elle said she’s a real sweetheart. Is she pretty?”
“Don’t even start,” Cade told her. “The only reason I invited her to supper was because that dang goat of yours snuck into her place while she was in the shower and ate hers.”
Bryn covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes. She came out of the bathroom to find Otis eating her food and Tiny sprawled out on her sofa watching television.”
Bryn pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. “Tell her I’m sorry. And make sure you share those rolls with her. Is there anything else you guys need?”
“Nora said something about wishing she’d brought some yoga balls. You have any idea what those are and where I can find a couple of them?”
“Yes, I know what they are.” She chuckled as she made a large circle with her arms. “They’re sort of like giant bouncy balls. I think you can find them at Walmart. I’ll check for you.”
“Sounds good. Let me know.”
Zane nodded his head toward his truck. “We gotta go, babe.”
“Okay,” she said, giving Cade a quick hug. “I’ve got to help Zane get the trailer hooked up. We’re going to pick up an abandoned horse this morning.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Apparently this guy used to run a riding stable then he got too old to do it, but still kept a few of the horses around. Then he got sick and passed away after a few days in the hospital. He’d thought some neighbor was going to take care of the horses, but no one did.”
Cade winced. “That’s rough.”
“Yeah, we don’t know how bad a shape they’re in. We’re taking one and another horse rescue from Durango is taking the other two. We should be back in a few hours.”
“Sounds good. I’ll get one of the stables ready.”
“Appreciate it,” Zane said with a wave before turning toward his truck.
***
Thirty minutes later, Cade had prepped a fresh stall for the new horse and was headed back to the bunkhouse for another cup of coffee and one of Bryn’s rolls. He was pleasantly surprised to see Nora sitting out on the front porch again. She had on black leggings, sandals, and a hot pink T-shirt that matched her toenail polish. Her hair was loose and fell around her shoulders, and she wore a smile so bright and happy, he couldn’t help but grin back. “Mornin’.”
“Good morning.” She held up her mug. “Can I interest you in a cup of french roast?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Is it from that fancy coffee machine I hauled into your kitchen yesterday?”
“Yep. And it was worth it.” She stood. “I’ll bring you a cup, and you can decide.”
“Why not?” He nodded toward his door. “Bryn dropped off some cinnamon rolls while I was doing chores this morning. I’ll trade you a roll for the coffee.”
“Sounds perfect. I love this place. How do you get home-baked goods dropped off in your kitchen?”
“This is small town livin’. Especially out here on the farm. We leave our doors unlocked and everyone kind of treats everyone else’s house like their own.”
“Yeah, but you must be special, because I tried that already, and you got cinnamon rolls and I got a sandwich-pilfering goat and a television-watching pig.”
He chuckled. “So who’s the real winner here?”
A hearty laugh burst from her—a sound that made Cade’s smile broaden. She was still cracking up as she opened her door. “I’ll be over in three minutes with your coffee.”
“I’ll check on Allie, then serve the cinnamon rolls. Come on in when you’re ready.”
The bunkhouse was quiet and smelled deliciously like cinnamon and fresh, yeasty bread as he slipped through the front door. He poked his head into Allie’s room and found her still in bed but awake and staring at the ceiling. “Good morning.”
“Yeah? What’s good about it?”
“The sun is out, and your cousin made homemade cinnamon rolls.”
She narrowed her eyes as she glared at him. “Who cares about some shitty cinnamon rolls? My mom is dead.”
He sucked in a sharp breath, his chest aching as if he’d taken a hard punch. “I know. I’m sorry, honey. I wish there was something I could do.”
She rolled away from him. “Just leave me alone.”
He turned and strode down the hall and into the kitchen. His pulse pounded in his ears, rage and powerlessness coursing through him. More upset than he could remember being in a long time, he wasn’t paying enough attention and tripped on the folded up corner of the rug. His shoulder slammed into the wall next to the refrigerator so hard that one of the pictures came loose and fell to the floor with a crash. As he tried to regain his balance, he inadvertently kicked it across the floor. It went flying toward the door, where Nora stood, her face pale as she held two cups of steaming coffee.