Stone Cold Cowboy(76)

CHAPTER 21

Sadie held Rory’s hand in the front seat of the truck. She’d gone quiet on him. Worried about her, every few minutes he cast his glance her way. She didn’t meet his gaze; instead she stayed inside her head and the dark thoughts that intruded when she grew tired of trying to keep them at bay. Her father lying bloody on the floor moaning and holding his head, disoriented and in so much pain. The depth of agony in his dark eyes so different from the love she always saw there when he looked at her. That evening all she’d seen was his fear that he’d come to the end of his life and he wasn’t ready to go. She didn’t know how long he’d been on the floor. She’d done what she had to do.

Exactly what she needed to do now. Get the job done.

Which meant going back into the house, cleaning up the mess, sorting through her father’s papers and things, and making the tough decisions about the house, her life, and her future.

“Sadie, sweetheart, we’re here.”

She stared at the house like she was seeing it for the first time. The four-bedroom, three-bath, ranch-style home needed a new coat of white paint. The gray stone pillars that held up the wraparound porch overhang were covered in mostly dead vines that needed to be cut down. A few rugged bushes and wild roses flourished despite her neglect. The porch steps needed to be repaired, along with several other things in the house, including a few holes in the walls, thanks to her brother. His bedroom needed the most work.

Yep, nothing much had changed in the last handful of years. Except one thing. Her. She’d changed when her father died. Maybe before that, when she met Rory. The dreams she’d once held close, then buried in the deepest part of her heart, sprang free and illuminated a brighter future than the past she’d been living day in and day out, never getting anywhere, always stuck exactly where she was in life.

Not anymore.

“Sadie?” Rory’s deep voice held a wealth of concern about her continued silence.

“There’s no one home.”

The house stood as empty as her heart. The depth of sadness washed over her for the loss of her family. The loss of the dream of what she hoped that family could have been, but never was. She’d had her mother for too short a time, her father to see her through the tough teenage years and the years trying to keep Connor on the right path, but now she was as alone as her weathered old house looked without a family living in it.

She didn’t know if she could live in it alone. The loneliness of it just might kill her.

“Sadie, sweetheart, I am so sorry for your loss.” Rory kissed the back of her hand. So kind. So understanding.

“I tuck it away for a while, but then it hits me all at once. This pain. He’s gone. They’re all gone. Connor may still be here, but I’ve lost him, too. He’s not the little brother I remember. He’s turned into a man I don’t know, or understand, or even like.”

She didn’t have to stay in that lonely house. Tonight, for as long as he wanted her to stay at his place, she’d be with Rory. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“You’re everything to me.”

Stunned by the softly spoken words, she let them sink into her heart, easing the pain and sorrow she carried with her. He meant those simple words, and they lit her up with love.

Rory leaned over and kissed her softly.

The connection, the love, the understanding they shared flared.

She pressed her hand to his smooth cheek and held the kiss for a couple extra seconds. As much as she loved his scruffy-beard look, the man was even more handsome clean-shaven. She slid her hand along his face and into his damp hair, holding the dark golden locks and him to her.

She leaned back, breaking the kiss, but not her hold on him. “I’m glad you’re here.” She meant more than just beside her in the truck, seeing her through this ordeal. She meant in her life.

“There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

“Good, because I really don’t think I can let you go.” She gripped his hair a bit tighter, careful not to actually hurt him.

“Then hold on, because I don’t want you to let go.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

It seemed everything had been settled with those simple words. An understanding they’d both reached separately, acknowledged and accepted out loud without spelling it out with words that didn’t explain it accurately or completely. “Okay” explained it all.

“Do you want me to go in and pack some things for you? You can wait out here if you want.”

“That’s sweet, but I need to do it. I’m just stalling.”

“You’ve got a dozen reasons for not wanting to go in there. Any one reason in particular holding you back?”