"She can stay here?"
Buck looked at Kaylee, still sound asleep on the couch. Vin on the other end, half asleep after an early morning pain pill some time between movies.
"Of course she can," he said, his tone making it clear Ezra didn't even need to ask. "I'll make sure she gets home alright after she's had some rest."
Buck saw Ezra studying his wife, his face drawn with concern. Then Ezra looked back at Buck.
"If you could find a way to keep her from finding a project to attend to or at least slow her perpetual motion, I'd be eternally grateful," Ezra said.
Buck didn't know what all was going on with Kaylee or Ezra, but he had figured out it went beyond Maude's visit last month. "Don't worry about it, Ez," Buck said. "I'll make sure she takes it easy."
Ezra took a last look at Kaylee and nodded. Buck felt for his friend. Ezra was obviously starting to fray around the edges the longer Kaylee pretended everything was fine.
"You sure you don't want to stay, too?" Buck asked. "I can head over and take care of the herd."
Ezra shook his head. "My presence doesn't seem to alleviate any of her anxiety. I don't believe I would be doing her any favors by staying."
Buck's concern solidified into outright worry. "I don't know 'bout that. The way she looks at you seems like she's leanin' on you for a lot right now. She needs you." That much he was sure of. He had seen how Kaylee leaned on Ezra even as she was trying to protect him from whatever it was that had her all tangled up and twisted in knots. But he had also seen how she was slowly falling to pieces and Ezra at a loss to stop her from breaking. He tried not to show how worried he was for both of his friends and assured Ezra. "She'll get through this. She's got you. She's got all of us. You both got us."
Ezra met Buck's eyes and the vulnerability there was something Buck had never seen from Ezra. Then Ezra shuttered the expression, but Buck didn't let him away without clapping a hand down on his shoulder and giving him a tight squeeze, holding him there.
"I mean it, Ezra. You both got all of us. We ain't gonna let nothin' happen to her. And we ain't gonna leave you on your own to figure it out." He waited for Ezra to give him a small nod before he withdrew his hand and let Ezra go.
Ezra started out the door, but stopped and took a breath. He didn't turn around, but his quiet words still carried to Buck.
"I appreciate your friendship, Mr. Wilmington."
Buck couldn't hold back his grin. "Love you, too, Ez."
He saw the small movement of Ezra's shoulders with laughter and then Ezra headed to his truck, his step slightly lighter.
Buck closed the door and turned back to the two invalids on his couch.
Kaylee let out a small cry in her sleep, kicking Vin in the side. Vin let out a small grunt, waking and blinking bleary eyes over at Kaylee. He reached out a hand and rested it on her ankle until she stilled, then pulled the blanket back down over her feet. The look on his face when he looked over at Kaylee gave Buck pause. But then he saw Buck looking at him and the look was gone. Vin settled his head back on the couch again and closed his eyes.
Buck went to the kitchen and pulled down the coffee can. He didn't want to think about the look on Ezra's face when he was clearly at a loss with how to help his wife. Or the way Vin looked at Kaylee when he didn't know anyone was watching.
Buck shook his head. They'd all be there for Ezra and Kaylee, just like he had told Ezra. And Vin was full of pain pills and going on no sleep. Buck hadn't seen anything.
He scooped too much coffee into the filter and stuck into the coffee maker and hit the button to start it brewing.
He needed coffee.
#
Ezra got inside the house after finishing chores. He looked at his phone. Buck hadn't called. Kaylee hadn't come home. He could only hope that meant she was getting some rest.
He dragged a hand over his face. He needed to get some rest himself.
A phone buzzed and he pulled his phone back out of his pocket before he realized it wasn't his phone.
Kaylee's phone sat on the arm of the couch. Ezra hesitated.
It buzzed again, the screen lit up.
Ezra would see who it was. It might be Nathan calling to check on her.
He crossed to the couch and picked it up.
There was no name, but the area code was from out of state.
He had seen how much these calls shook her up. The way they would shatter any tentative peace she may have found. He remembered back in the summer when she had taken a call and stood in the parking lot of a diner, ordering whoever it was to stop calling her.
He answered.
There was no one there.
"Speak," Ezra commanded.
"This Kaylee's husband?" a man's voice asked.
Everything in Ezra seized up.
"Who is this?" he demanded.
The man spoke. "An old friend of Kaylee's from back home," he said, sounding anything but friendly.
"Your calls aren't welcome," Ezra said, keeping tight control of his voice.
The other man let out a low laugh. "They're welcome enough."
"Who are you?" Ezra asked again, failing to keep any control this time.
"Tell Kaylee that Cletus called to say hi," the man said. "Real nice talking to you."
The line went dead.
It was the most information Ezra had gotten about Kaylee's past so far and it amounted to a voice that sounded like it belonged to a scumbag named Cletus. It was hardly satisfying knowledge.
With supreme control, Ezra set Kaylee's phone back on the arm of the couch. His first instinct was to figure out how to draw the information from her. To do what Maude had taught him and lay the groundwork to work what he needed from her over time without her realizing she was giving up anything.
He caught those thoughts before they went any farther. Whatever Maude had taught him, he knew it didn't lead to any kind of trust or a marriage that would last longer than the deception.
He ran his hands over his face. He would have to wait Kaylee out. Trust her. Let her know he was here.
And make sure if he ever met up with this Cletus, he gave the man whatever it was he deserved.
#
Kaylee wrapped her hands around the mug of warm coffee. She tried to ignore the way Vin and Buck were both staring at her. She took a sip of the coffee.
"Oof. Does this make your hair fall out?" she asked with a smile.
"Buck likes his coffee strong and don't believe in measuring," Vin said, taking a drink of his coffee like it wasn't pure coffee grounds.
"Hey now," Buck said. "This is better than what Chris makes after a hard night."
Vin chuckled and Kaylee raised her eyebrows in question.
"It's more Jack Daniels than coffee beans in his mug," Buck explained.
Kaylee felt some of the tension from the past months ease as she laughed.
Her problems were no closer to solved, but at least she didn't have to think about them right now. Or until Vin winced slightly as he shifted to get a more comfortable position, his ribs clearly bothering him.
"I should get going," she said, setting her mug on the coffee table.
Buck was shaking his head. "You were in the same wreck as Vin. You might not have busted ribs, but you ain't supposed to be runnin' all over keepin' busy. You should stay put on the couch."
Kaylee shook her head quickly and instantly regretted the movement, squinting against the sharp pain in her head.
"You alright there?" Buck asked.
"Fine." The lie came out easily, she had said the word so many times to Ezra it was second nature. It didn't make it any easier to see the look on Buck's face that said he clearly knew she wasn't being honest.
"Just a little headache," she said. "I slept crooked on the couch." She stood and weaved slightly, blinking to stop the room from shifting away from her.
Buck's hand was warm on her arm. Kaylee looked up at him and tears threatened at the sympathy on his face.
"You sure that's all it is?" he asked in a low voice.
No. She wasn't sure of anything. The only thing she was sure of was that she had to hold it together just a short time longer.
"That's all it is," she assured him. He clearly didn't believe her. She silently pleaded with him not to push.
"Do you need anything?" she asked, turning her attention to Vin as she reached for the sweatshirt she had draped across the back of the couch.
"You should stay put," Vin said. "Like Buck said."
Kaylee shook her head slightly. She didn't offer them any excuse, knowing they'd both see through whatever she said.
"Thanks for everything," she said, not able to tell Vin how much she had needed to see him, to get the reassurance he was ok.
"Kaylee," Buck said, moving to get around the couch and closer to her path out of the house. "Please," he said. "For Ezra if nothin' else. Just take a day to stop runnin' around. Take it easy. He's worried about you."
Buck's words pierced right to the constant guilt she carried. He must have seen her hesitation because he pressed.
"Stay here and keep Vin company. Let me get some things done without worryin' over him in here by himself. It'd be a help to me and Vin both."
Kaylee heaved a sigh. She took off the sweatshirt she had shrugged into.
"There you go," Buck encouraged her, leading her back to the place on the couch she had abandoned.
Kaylee reached back for her sweatshirt to get her phone from the pocket, before she realized she didn't have her phone with her.
"Can I use your phone?" she asked Buck. "I should call Ezra and let him know where I am."
Buck had an odd look on his face. Vin frowned at her.
"Ezra knows," Buck said.
"You called him?" she asked, relieved that Buck or Vin had kept Ezra from worrying. She mentally derided herself for heading over here without thinking of letting Ezra know.
"He came here," Buck said. "Checked up on you earlier."
The guilt in her hollowed her out further.
"You were sleepin'," Vin said. "He didn't want to wake you."
Kaylee nodded, pressing her lips together. What was she doing to Ezra? She looked at Vin, the cuts and bruises on his face. What was she doing to Vin?
Vin shook his head at her slightly, a wordless instruction not to take the blame. "You didn't do nothin' wrong. The accident wasn't your fault. It was an accident."
Sure. Just like her keeping secrets from Ezra wasn't her fault. Stealing money—borrowing money—from Ezra's accounts wasn't her fault.
It was all her fault.
Buck took the remote and handed it to Kaylee. "You find another chick flick for you and Vin. You can give him a whole cultural experience today. Romantic comedies and love stories."
Buck laughed at Vin's disgruntled look and went to the freezer to grab a bag of frozen peas. He tossed it Vin's direction, telling him to ice his ribs and he'd be back after he worked the horses.
The silence in the living room was overwhelming when the door closed behind Buck. Kaylee looked over at Vin.
He was watching her, but looked away, focusing on the makeshift ice pack.
Kaylee thought back to his words last night, how he had said he wasn't going to push her to talk about what she was hiding. He seemed willing to stick to his assurance. He was just going to be there, he wasn't going to keep pushing her to talk.
Kaylee reached for the throw that had covered her earlier. She pulled it around herself.
Her head ached, a piercing pain behind her eyes. With a heavy sigh, she leaned her head against Vin's shoulder, a relief after trying to stay upright for even the short time she had been awake.
Vin shifted, moving his arm to wrap it around her, holding her close to his side. His fingers squeezed her shoulder in a friendly show of support.
Kaylee sank more heavily against Vin, willing to shut out all thoughts of what she was running from for just a little while longer.
#
Chris looked up when Buck came into the barn. Buck's easy gait didn't say show any concern about Kaylee turning up to see Vin in the middle night.
"Quiet night?" Chris asked.
Buck looked over from where he was getting a halter and lead rope. "Long night," he said. "Kaylee turned up."
Chris waited, but Buck didn't say anything more.
"Something wrong?" Chris finally asked.
Buck went to one of the first stalls and slid open the door, going to the gelding he had been favoring lately, a tall buckskin with a lot of roping potential. "Think she just needed to check on Vin. Make sure he was alright."
Buck didn't say anything more. Chris felt a little tension ease from his jaw. Buck wouldn't be whistling easily if he had found Kaylee in Vin's bed. Maybe her middle of the night visit really wasn't anything more than her needing to see Vin.
Chris had already worked two horses that morning and put the mare he had just finished with back in her stall.
"Watch that he doesn't start pulling back too soon," Chris said to Buck. "He's been anticipating me throwing the rope and pulls back too quick."
Buck nodded.
Chris latched the stall door he had just closed and headed out of the barn. Ezra's truck that Kaylee had driven over was still there. He veered toward Buck and Vin's house.
He steeled himself, then knocked on the door, opening it without waiting for an answer.
His breath came out in a sigh of relief that the only thing he found was Kaylee and Vin on the couch, watching a movie.
But his relief was short lived. Kaylee was curled up next to Vin, his arm around her. They both looked up when he came in. Chris' jaw clenched.
Kaylee shrank back from his look. She looked nervous as he studied her. She stood.
"I should get home," she said to Vin.
Vin started to get up, but Kaylee shook her head. "Don't move. I'll feel even worse if you hurt yourself worse walking me to the door." She tried for a smile, but it fell flat.
"I'll walk you to your truck," Chris said.
Kaylee shrugged into a sweatshirt and eyed Chris nervously. Chris tried to soften the look on his face. Judging by the way Kaylee gave him wide berth, he failed.
"You need anything, Vin?" Chris asked.
Vin shook his head in response to Chris, but he was watching Kaylee's nervous movements.
"Kaylee," Vin said.
Kaylee paused at the door and looked at Vin. Her fingers curled around the hems of her long sleeves.
"I meant it," Vin said. "We're all here for you."
Kaylee gave him a nod, her teeth biting at a trembling lower lip.
Chris held the door open for Kaylee. She kept her head down as she went past him.
Chris half expected her to dart ahead to the truck before he could say anything, but she stayed somewhat near him. Ezra's wife was willing to push through things that clearly made her uncomfortable, something he admired.
"You came to check on Vin?" Chris asked.
Kaylee met his eyes. "It's my fault he's hurt. Again," she stated bluntly.
"No one thinks that," Chris said with a frown.
"I do." Kaylee said it without self-pity. Just stating a harsh fact.
Chris shook his head, but Kaylee was opening the truck door.
"I won't hang around Vin anymore," she said. "Or Buck. I should've never stuck Ezra with me," she said, her voice shaking. She swallowed hard. "I'll fix things with him. You won't have to worry about me making things worse for him. Or hurting Vin or Buck."
Chris could never figure out how she managed to jump right to blaming herself for everything as soon as he looked her way. If he had any doubts about her and Vin, it was all about Vin. Vin was like a brother to him, but that didn't mean he didn't know Vin's faults. The way Vin could too easily mistake protecting a friend—a pretty friend—for something more. The loneliness from Vin's isolated childhood that had left a void that Kaylee's kindness touched, and made him start wanting more.
"Ezra tell you about Thanksgiving?" Chris asked. He wouldn't say anything about Vin to her. The last thing he intended to do was give her something else to take the blame for.
Kaylee shook her head, then winced.
Ezra had mentioned Kaylee's headaches. Chris had heard him talking to Nathan about it, so he didn't say anything to Kaylee about her obvious pain. Ezra was keeping an eye on her.
"It's next week," Chris said.
"And it would be better if I didn't come," Kaylee stated flatly.
"What?" Chris asked. Too harshly judging by the way Kaylee recoiled. "I don't know where you get half your ideas," he snorted. "We have it here every year," Chris said. "Just wanted to be sure you didn't go getting' a turkey for you and Ezra. Josiah makes the bird over here."
"I'll bring a pie…pies," Kaylee offered.
Chris cut her off before she offered anything else. "A pie would be good."
Kaylee gave him a tentative smile. "Chris?"
Chris grunted in response.
"Thanks," she whispered.
Chris got the feeling she was thanking him for more than just the Thanksgiving invitation.
"Call when you get home," he said, helping her up into the truck. It was a short drive, but the way her head was obviously bothering her, he'd feel better knowing she had made it. "You can call Buck."
Kaylee gave a slight nod. He shut the door and stepped back. He didn't watch her go, heading back to the barn.
He glanced toward the house where Vin was hopefully on the mend.
If Kaylee and Ezra would just get things fixed up between them, everything else would fall into place.
#
Ezra heard the truck coming up the drive. He got up from his desk and the computer screen he had been staring at blankly for too long. The numbers for his accounts hadn't registered, his mind on Kaylee. On the phone call. He closed his laptop and went to the door, opening it. Buck clearly hadn't managed to keep Kaylee there as long as they had hoped, but it was better than nothing.
Kaylee got out of the truck and trudged up the walk to the house. She started when she saw Ezra standing there, but her shoulders still sagged slightly in relief and she gave him a small smile.
"You got your reassurance about Mr. Tanner's condition?" Ezra asked.
Kaylee nodded. Ezra wrapped an arm around her as they went into the house. Kaylee pressed against his side like she couldn't get close enough and Ezra's body responded. She wrapped her arm around him.
"I miss you when I'm in our bed alone," he murmured against her hair.
Kaylee looked up at him like she was surprised to hear she was missed.
She moved to stand in front of him and kissed him with a vehemence that took his breath from him. The phone call he had picked up could wait. Right now he needed the reassurance that Kaylee and he were solid. That the phone call and the secrets and her fear didn't mean anything that would shake them apart.
Kaylee's breath came in impassioned gasps, her fingers moving to his shirt to work at the buttons without her lips leaving his.
Their bed, the stairs, were too far away, too long to wait. Ezra unzipped her sweatshirt and slipped it from her, then lifted her t-shirt over her head, finding her lips again hungrily as he walked her backwards toward the couch.
The need for answers—to clear the air—wasn't important. Not right now. Right now he just needed Kaylee.
#