Chapter 33

Kaylee stepped out onto the front porch of Ezra's home, her bare toes cold in the early morning chill. In the morning light, she could see the pastures and cattle that stretched out towards the distant mountains. She wrapped her arms around herself, goose bumps pricking at her arms, the thin cotton of one of Ezra's shirts she had fallen asleep in not providing much warmth.

Movement near one of the large barns caught her eye and she stepped closer to the edge of the porch.

Ezra looked up towards the house as he came out of one of the barns. Even from the distance, Kaylee could see him pick up his pace and come towards her.

She stepped down onto the steps as Ezra jogged toward her.

"Morning," she said, her voice still rough with sleep.

"Good morning," Ezra said, his voice warming her, but his kiss heating her.

She shivered slightly when Ezra pulled away and he rubbed his hands over her arms. "It's warmer inside," he said.

She burrowed into his side as he led her back into the house. She had expected something modern and sleek, but Ezra's home was all warm rustic wood, and heavy stone fireplace, with western art and rugs.

She shivered again, the warmth of the house not quite chasing away the cool air's effect on her yet.

"I'll bring your bags in."

"Thanks," Kaylee said, trying to press closer to his side in the meantime. "I think I have a sweatshirt in them."

"You think?" Ezra said, frowning. "You realize winter comes early this near the mountains? Do you have a jacket?"

Kaylee nodded. "A light one."

Ezra studied her. "And you weren't concerned about colder weather coming?"

Kaylee shrugged. "We were down south. It wasn't cold yet."

Ezra continued to study her.

"What?" Kaylee asked, not sure what to make of the look on his face.

"I've spent my life planning for every contingency, and making sure every circumstance is as much under my control as possible. And you…figured it wasn't cold yet." He looked at her like she was a puzzle he couldn't figure out.

She shivered again and Ezra gave her one last squeeze. "I'll get your bags."

While Ezra went outside, Kaylee headed into the kitchen and opened the fridge, not expecting to find much after Ezra was gone for the entire summer.

The fridge was full. Kaylee had never seen so much food in her fridge at home, at least not at one time. She had no idea how Ezra managed it, but she shook herself out of her stunned surprise and quickly took out eggs and bacon, fresh strawberries and blueberries, and set them on the granite countertop.

The front door opened again and Ezra came in with her bags as Kaylee rummaged through cabinets for a skillet.

Ezra carried the bags upstairs and by the time he came back down, Kaylee was about to crack open the eggs.

Ezra took the egg from her hand and set it back in the carton. "Go get something warm on. Maybe Mary or Casey will be available for a shopping trip to get you winter wear."

Kaylee's heart lurched. She had sent everything she had back to Nebraska. How was she supposed to explain to Ezra she couldn't afford a winter coat.

"I should get a job," she said quickly.

Ezra blinked at her non sequitor. "You want to work in town?"

In town. She didn't have a vehicle to get there. Kaylee pressed her lips together, trying to figure out a plan as quickly as she could. She hadn't expected things to start unraveling. Not this quickly.

"I…I—I…no…I just…" she stumbled over her words, wishing Ezra wasn't so direct with his gaze that didn't miss anything. "I don't have any money for that," she blurted out.

Ezra's brow furrowed. She knew he was well aware of the tens of thousands she had won at the end of the rodeo season.

"I had to…" she wasn't sure what to say. Nothing about Cletus. She couldn't risk Ezra losing everything. Not for her.

"You can tell me," Ezra said softly. And she could see the hurt in his eyes, what no one else seemed to notice. How deeply it affected him to not be trusted.

"I had to send it to Nebraska," she said, then squeezed her eyes closed, her fingers curling into fists, nails digging into her palm. She shouldn't have said that.

"I understand," Ezra said.

He did? Kaylee's eyes flew open and she looked at him in alarm. Had he figured it out.

"It's admirable that you've done so much to take care of your mother."

He thought… Kaylee's breath was caught in her throat, everything in her wanting to tell him the truth, but not wanting to bring Cletus into his life.

"Whatever we have," Ezra said, "we have together." He kissed her forehead and Kaylee tried not to recoil in shame. "Spend whatever you need to get yourself ready for winter. For living here." He smiled at her and Kaylee managed a wan smile of her own.

"I have to finish the morning chores. Your things are upstairs in our room."

Our room. Everything was theirs together. His words echoed behind him after he went outside.

They would share everything. Except her past. That was for Kaylee to deal with on her own.

#

Ezra made his way back to the barn. He was worried about Kaylee. He knew she wasn't telling him everything. She was a terrible liar. There was something she didn't want him to know. Something she was ashamed of. He wondered if her money had gone to a rehab facility for her mother. He would never judge that, but he could certainly understand being ashamed of one's mother. Of feeling responsible for your mother's behavior and trying to minimize the damage. He would never push Kaylee for details on that. Not if she didn't want to talk about it.

"Was that your wife?"

Ezra's attention was brought back to the barn by Rain's question.

"Unless you think I have another woman on my porch this early in the day," Ezra responded.

Rain leveled him with a look.

"Yes, that was Kaylee," Ezra responded.

"Never thought you'd be one to settle down," Rain's grandfather, Elijah, spoke up.

"Well, she was worth it," Ezra said.

Rain smiled then.

"What?" Ezra asked.

"Nathan told me and I didn't believe him. But Grandfather and I are happy for you, Ezra."

Uncomfortable with Rain's shift into the emotional, Ezra nodded toward the feed bins. "There are still bulls to feed and then I'm sure Mr. Jackson is looking forward to a reunion with you."

Rain smiled at his testy response. "We finished up while you were inside. Everything's done for the morning."

Ezra looked around the clean barn, appreciative of how much Rain and Elijah did to keep the ranch running while he was on the road each year.

"Thank you for stocking my pantry," he said. "Send me the receipt so I can reimburse you."

Rain's grandfather chuckled. "She used the company credit card for that, Ezra. Said something about figurin' you might be a little distracted with a woman in your bed."

"A woman in his house," Rain corrected him.

Elijah grinned. "Don't think the house is where a young man gets distracted."

Rain shook her head and flashed a look of apology to Ezra. "Let us know when you want to start checking out the yearling bulls. We will be available."

Ezra nodded.

Rain and Elijah made their way to their ancient pick up truck and Ezra had a feeling Elijah would be stopping at Nathan's to drop off Rain before continuing on home alone.

He had always enjoyed his time working in the barns, in the pasture with his cows and bulls, but now he had a reason to hurry back to the house. A pretty, strawberry blonde reason.

#

Chris watched as Vin made his way from the barns up toward the house on his crutches, the sun setting behind him. He held out a beer for him.

"Horses settled back in?"

Vin eased into a seat at the table on the deck with a grimace of pain and took the beer Chris offered. "Like they never left. And those colts are comin' along. Rain and her grandpa did good workin' 'em while we were gone."

Chris grabbed his own beer and stood at the grill. "You heard from Ezra?"

Vin looked at him sharply. "Somethin' wrong?"

Chris narrowed his eyes, not sure what Vin wasn't telling him. "Not that I know."

Vin nodded slowly. "That's good."

Before Chris could question Vin further, Buck's approach caught his attention. Buck's usually loose jointed stride was gone, replaced with a sorry looking shuffle as he approached the deck.

"What's wrong with Buck?" Chris asked before Buck reached them.

"He's missin' that waitress from Vegas," Vin said under his breath.

Chris watched Buck climb the few steps to the deck with all the energy of an eighty year old invalid.

"Buck," Chris greeted him.

Buck took a beer and dropped into a seat at the outdoor table. He gave Chris a half-hearted greeting. Chris exchanged a look with Vin.

Ezra's truck, pulling one of his smaller stock trailers, came up the drive before Chris had to figure out what to do with Buck.

Kaylee hopped out of the passenger side, boundless energy compared to the two sorry cases currently seated on his deck, and jogged lightly up the stairs, an oversized bowl in her arms.

"I made potato salad," she said, offering the bowl to Chris. "Ezra has the brownies."

Chris took the bowl from her as she went over to Buck, frowning slightly at the look on his face.

"Are you missing Inez?" Chris heard Kaylee ask Buck sympathetically.

Buck heaved a sigh and nodded which prompted Kaylee to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Aw Buck," she said. "I'm sorry."

Chris watched as Buck let out another sigh, prompting Kaylee to tighten her arms around his neck, then gather himself.

"Well, she told me straight off it wasn't gonna last," Buck said.

Kaylee released her hold on him and leaned back to see his face. "It still hurts, though, doesn't it?" she asked.

Buck nodded, but then a small grin broke through as Ezra joined them on the deck. "Well, Darlin'," Buck said, some life coming back with his humor. "I gotta say, havin' your arms around me makes it hurt a lot less." He gave Kaylee a wink and she laughed.

Chris could tell Buck was forcing the smile for Kaylee's benefit, and figured she knew that, too, when she gave Buck's arm a supportive pat before going to get the pan of brownies from Ezra.

"Did you know Ezra had his fridge completely stocked before we got home?" she asked in wonder.

Chris let out a snort and turned his attention back to the steaks on the grill. "He tried to charm Rain into getting groceries the first year. And he came home to some rotten bananas he had forgotten about in the fridge."

Vin grinned. "He figured out her price two years ago and he pays her good money for those groceries."

"Rain?" Kaylee asked. "She's the one who takes care of the stock while you travel?"

"She and her grandfather," Ezra confirmed.

"One of these days Nathan's gonna make his move and she'll be on the road with him," Buck said.

"I wouldn't hold my breath for Mr. Jackson to move things forward with the lady," Ezra said.

Vin grinned and leaned back in his chair. "Really, Ez? You want to tell us all about how much you know about stayin' single?"

Buck chuckled and Chris couldn't hold back a smile at Ezra's clear discomfort.

Ezra gave them all an annoyed look. "Things happen," he said. He glanced at Kaylee and his face cleared. "Good things," he amended.

Kaylee planted a kiss on Ezra's lips before moving to take the brownies. "I'll put these inside, Chris?"

Chris nodded toward the sliding deck door that led to the kitchen, but his attention was on the look on Ezra's face. He was watching Kaylee with concern. It was mirrored by the look on Vin's face.

Chris set his tongs down next to the grill. "Need to get the seasoning," he said.

Kaylee was inside the kitchen, setting the brownies on the counter.

Chris closed the door, blocking out whatever Buck was saying to Ezra about his role in getting Kaylee and Ezra hitched.

"You want to tell me what's going on?" Chris asked.

Kaylee's brow knit, but Chris easily read the guilt on her face overtaking any confusion at his question.

Kaylee shook her head, pretending she didn't know what Chris was asking.

"Ezra and Vin are both lookin' at you like you're a ticking time bomb."

Kaylee shook her head. "That's ridiculous—"

"Are you in some sort of trouble?" Chris asked, cutting to the heart of the matter. "Something that's going to blow back on Ezra?"

"No!" she said. "Nothing like that. It's nothing." But she fidgeted nervously with the hem of her t-shirt.

Chris waited her out. It didn't take long.

"Are you going to tell Ezra to kick me out?" she asked. "That he shouldn't have married me?"

Chris frowned. He had no idea where she got that idea. "You've been good for Ezra," he said, meaning it.

She looked at him in shock. Chris heaved a sigh. He wasn't sure how he had ended up having to talk to Ezra's young, naïve wife in his kitchen. All he wanted was to make sure she wasn't in over her head with whatever she had been into before meeting Ezra.

"Just tell me if you're in over your head," he said.

She quickly shook her head. "I'm not in any trouble," she said earnestly.

Chris studied her skeptically. But if she wasn't going to tell him, there was nothing he could do.

"Ezra's worried about you," he finally said.

She shifted uncomfortably. "He doesn't need to be," she said.

Chris was silent, watching her twist and knead at the hem of her shirt, swallowing hard and avoiding looking at him.

"You're family now," Chris finally said gruffly. "That means you got us if you need us."

For an uncomfortable second Chris thought she was going to hug him with the same abandon she did Vin and Buck. He grit his teeth and steeled himself, but Kaylee stayed on her side of the kitchen.

"I promise I won't hurt Ezra," she said, breaking the silence. "I would never do anything to hurt him."

Chris didn't know what to make of that comment. He went to the spice rack and grabbed the steak seasoning before sliding the door open again. He held it for Kaylee to walk through without saying anything more.

Nothing Kaylee had said had put his concerns at ease. Whatever Vin and Ezra were seeing, they weren't imagining it.

#

Buck leaned back in his lawn chair, the warm crackle of the fire a comfort. Not enough to ease the pain of leaving Inez behind in Vegas, but enough to get him to look at the circle of chairs around Chris' fire pit and count his blessings.

Gathering around the fire pit in the cool fall evenings wasn't anything new. Josiah and JD had joined them. Nathan wouldn't be heard from for a week at least, he'd be focused on catching up on things back in town, his job as an athletic trainer for the local high school during the school year. And Rain. He knew where Nathan's real focus was when they returned.

"Ezra introduced you to his horse yet?" JD asked Kaylee.

Kaylee was sitting on Ezra's lap, his arms secure around her waist. She shook her head and glanced at Ezra.

The laughter around the fire was good natured and Kaylee looked at the men, waiting for an explanation.

"You know he trained Smokey, right?" Vin asked.

Kaylee nodded.

"And my roping horse," Buck chimed in.

"They're fine horses," Josiah said.

"Ezra's a great trainer," JD said.

There was a long pause while they debated what to tell Kaylee. "Don't judge Ezra's horsemanship when you meet his horse," Buck finally said.

"Chaucer is a fine horse," Ezra said indignantly. "I won finals on him twice."

Vin was the first to stop laughing. "Ez, that stubborn mule won't let anyone on him but you."

"And he'll even kick Ezra if he tries to get on without giving him his peppermint," JD added.

"And he bites," Josiah said.

"He's one of the best roping horses I've ever ridden," Ezra argued.

"If you can get on him," Chris muttered under his breath.

"He sounds…like a special horse, Ezra," Kaylee said devotedly.

Laughter rang out around the fire.

Buck might not have Inez anymore, but he had a good family. Something he knew most of them never thought they'd have until they'd forged the bonds with one another. He'd get over his heartbreak.

And he'd keep telling himself that until he believed it.

Or his heart actually broke from how much he was missing Inez.

#