After dinner, Hayden sat on a rocker on the front porch, the list of stock he’d made from Willow Creek in one hand, a master list of all registered stock in the other.
But it was the view of the pastures that drew his eye, a view that sparked memories. It was April and the green grass was just beginning to give way to yellow brown. Back in the day, Hayden and his brothers would ride through those pastures, no matter the season.
They’d race horses, try to play polo with a soccer ball and Grandpa’s golf clubs, or joust with pool noodles. And Grandpa? Sometimes he’d join them in their antics. Sometimes he’d watch, leaning on the pasture gate. It was hard to reconcile that caring man with the volatile firecracker he’d become ten years ago.
I can’t abide you being here anymore. You’ve all got to go!
Those had been Grandpa’s words when he’d told the three Bennett brothers still working at the main ranch—Hayden, Rhett, and Sawyer—that they needed to find employment elsewhere. That he had everything under control without them, despite Gran arguing otherwise. It’s what made it challenging to return to the three-ring circus—debt, disorganization, decay—Grandpa had left behind.
He needed us.
Hayden’s guilt over leaving was a palpable thing, a hard lump in his throat. Even if Gran hadn’t called him back sooner.
Evie stepped out onto the porch, a medical textbook under her arm. No scrubs for her today. She wore a flowing green blouse over her blue jeans. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were out here. I’ll study inside. I’ve got a study partner meeting me for an hour after work tomorrow.”
“No. Stay.” Just seeing her pretty face sent the bad memories back where they belonged. How odd that was. How…refreshing. Hayden smiled. “I’m trying to reconcile the stock records my grandfather made to the stock counts I’ve recorded. You do your thing and I’ll do mine.”
Evie hesitated. “As long as you’re sure I won’t bother you.”
“I’m sure.” Hayden pretended to study the rows of tag numbers before him. But it was Evie he studied from the corner of his eye. Her tentative stance. Her delicate curves. The way the breeze teased the ends of her blond hair, tempting him to touch.
The memory of their wedding day kiss returned. He’d only meant to briefly buss her lips with his. Instead, he’d been drawn into the sweet taste of Evie’s mouth, the flowery scent of her, the soft feel of her in his arms.
I’m attracted to Evie.
The fact that he wanted to kiss his wife again wasn’t something he intended to reveal to Evie. Their marital relationship was supposed to be platonic.
I want to kiss her anyway.
To kiss. To touch. To say to the world, “She’s mine.”
Evie took a seat in the rocking chair next to him. “Why are those boxes stacked on the porch?” She gestured to the side of the house tainted by Hayden’s memories.
Hayden didn’t look that way. “Those are documents that need shredding.”
“I can take them into town tomorrow. They offer shredding at the print shop in town. I need to stop there to fax our marriage certificate to Judge McKee.”
“No.” The word was flung out reflexively. “The boxes stay.”
Evie shifted in her rocker, making it creak. And then, she said in a small voice, “Okay.”
“I didn’t mean to bark,” Hayden said, ashamed of himself.
“But the message was received.” Evie opened her textbook. “I’m butting out.”
Hayden’s mouth worked, but his brain and his tongue weren’t in sync. One told him to let it go. The other told him to put his reaction in context. He reached over and laid his palm on her shoulder. “My grandfather and I argued over there.”
Evie stared at him with guarded blue eyes. “Must have been some fight.”
“It was.” Hayden withdrew his hand and rubbed it over the cheek that had been struck. “It lingers.” Like a jagged scar.
His wife cleared her throat. “I heard your grandfather’s cause of death was an undiagnosed brain tumor.”
“That’s right.” It had grown so large that it cut off the blood supply to Grandpa’s brain.
“Did you know that a tumor like that can go undetected for ten or fifteen years?” Evie took Hayden’s hand in hers. “It could have affected his behavior. Changed his temperament, his very character. Made him uncharacteristically volatile and even violent.”
Hayden sat back so fast, his head bounced against the wooden rocker rail.