Asadi had found that between their two injuries, his severely sprained ankle, and Savanah’s broken ribs, they pretty much added up to a single person, capable of completing most jobs around the Kohl Ranch. Given the circumstances, Butch had given them a grace period of about ten seconds before he was barking orders about chores to do around the barn.
Luckily, whenever there were tasks that Asadi couldn’t do on crutches, Savanah was around to pick up the slack. It was just like the old days. Since the accident, she’d spent a lot less time working out at the Mescalero. It supposedly had something to do with liability and insurance premiums, but Asadi suspected it had more to do with her wanting to avoid Duke.
Although the whole night of the blizzard was still hazy, Asadi couldn’t help but suspect that Duke had purposefully left them out there to die. Garrett assured him that the crash, the injuries, and the bad weather had led to a level of confusion. And nothing more than that. He wasn’t excusing the bad behavior that led up to the accident. But it was probably better to just let it go.
It seemed that after everything that had happened over the course of those few days had passed without much mention. The protesters were gone, the Mescalero compressor station was being repaired, and most importantly, thank God, Tony’s son, David, was recovering nicely. The ones responsible for the explosion, Garrett assured Asadi, had paid for what they had done.
The only issue without resolution was the whereabouts of the poacher. Asadi was still convinced that Duke was a suspect, but since it hadn’t happened again, he had decided to move on. Of course, that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t keep a close eye on his ne’er-do-well neighbor. Nothing between him, Savanah, or Duke would ever be the same again.
More than anything else though, Asadi was just glad to have Savanah back in his life. They were just friends and nothing more now, but somehow that felt right. It was the way their relationship had started. And if that’s how it remained, he’d be perfectly content. What he wasn’t content with was her shoveling out a horse stall—a job for which he was capable.
“Leave that alone,” Asadi chided. “I just can’t push the wheelbarrow. Can do all the rest.”
“Not well by the looks of it.” She stopped and glanced back. “Lucky you’ve got me around.”
“I get enough grief from Butch about me loafing due to my ankle. Don’t need you piling on.”
Savanah leaned against her scoop shovel and shot him a playful smile. “Come on, you know you’ve missed me around here.”
Lacey had always teased that he couldn’t catch a hint if it was delivered with a mallet, but Asadi couldn’t help but think Savanah was being flirty. He was debating how to respond when she dropped the shovel, clearly awestricken, and stared at the front door of the barn. A quick glance to the rear and he discovered why. Following behind Butch was an older version of himself.
Asadi gave in to his natural instinct and darted for his brother in a sprint. But his ankle wasn’t as strong as his spirit, and it immediately gave way. The crash would’ve been more painful had he not the incentive to keep going. But he needn’t exert any effort of his own. Just like when they were little, Faraz was right there to pick him back up.
For a few seconds, neither one of them could speak; they just held each other in a tight embrace. By the time Asadi let loose, he looked around to find Butch and Savanah had made themselves scarce. He fought to get the frog out of his throat with a couple of coughs. When the words finally came out, they came so easily in his native tongue, he even shocked himself.
“I had no idea you were coming today. If I would have known, I would have—”
Asadi wasn’t sure how to finish the sentence. The fact was that he didn’t know what he would’ve done differently. He’d imagined that very moment playing out in his head about ten thousand times. But somehow it never looked quite like this. It was different, but still perfect.
Faraz didn’t even bother wiping away the tears. “Kim wanted it to be a surprise.”
All Asadi could get out was “Well, it worked.”
Faraz stepped back and took Asadi in. “You were just a kid last time I saw you. Now you’re a cowboy.” He chuckled and added, “Or a cow . . . man? Don’t know what you call it here.”
“Still cowboy.” Asadi laughed and shrugged. “No matter how old you are. Not sure why.”
Faraz shook his head. “Mother used to say that life never turns out like you imagined. But never in my wildest dreams did it end up with you and me on a cattle ranch.”
Although it was nice to hear Faraz talk about their mother, it also put a damper on the occasion. Immediately, Asadi’s thoughts drifted to their parents. Not since the first year he’d arrived in Texas had he yearned for them to be near more than now. But rather than dredge up any of those feelings with his brother, he tamped them back down.
Focusing on the positive, Asadi wrapped his arms around Faraz for another hug. Stifling a sob, he spoke with his face mashed into his brother’s chest. “Gave up hope that I’d ever see you again. But now that you’re here, I don’t know if I can let myself believe it.”
Faraz pulled back again and locked eyes. “Believe it, Badhi. I’m here for good. You can count on that, little brother.”
Asadi didn’t even know how to start catching up, so he decided to start with the beginning. “So, how did you escape? Where were you all this time? Is anyone else alive?”
Faraz laughed and Asadi immediately knew why. He’d not anticipated launching the rapid-fire questions himself. But once they started coming, it was impossible to stop. Although amused at first, his brother’s demeanor seemed to change. His sadness was no doubt a result of the fact that his life after the massacre in their village had been much different than his own.
“Why don’t you show me around first?” Faraz pointed to the horses noisily munching on feed in their stalls. “We have plenty of time to pick up where we left off.”
As Asadi gave his brother a tour of the barn and told him everything there was to know about the horses, he couldn’t help but notice that Faraz had changed. It wasn’t only that the boy he once knew back in the village had become a man. There was an edge to him now. His eyes were different than they’d been a few years ago—darker and wary—always on alert.
Despite his earlier display of vulnerability when they’d first reunited, an emotional barrier had come back up during the course of their tour of the ranch. And it was as high and solid as any fortress wall. Kim had given fair warning that Faraz would need a little time to adjust. But something was different. His brother was not the same person he’d known back home.
Asadi was tempted to address it but decided to let it go. As Faraz had said, there was plenty of time to pick up where they’d left off. For the moment, he just wanted to enjoy the dream—to finally live out the fantasy of being united with his brother once and for all.