Page 4 of Finding Limits

I won’t tell her that the sins I’ll be going to Hell for are a lot darker than forgotten prayers.

I watch her take each bite of what I made for her, feeling a lot like I accomplished somethin’. With Everleigh, any step forward seems like a huge achievement, it’s not something that happens often.

“You got Samantha comin’ over today, she’ll be with ya till noon, then Josie will be here to keep ya company till I get home,” I remind her, despite the fact she knows the routine well.

The way her chest sags shows how much she hates therapy days but she’s far too polite to admit it. Jimmer’s tried a few different counselors since she’s been here, and although what Samantha has done ain’t exactly been groundbreaking, Everleigh seems comfortable with her, comfortable enough to be left alone so I’m guessing that means something.

I’ve barely finished my plate before it gets swiped from under me and taken to the basin. I shake my head and grin to myself when she quickly pours me a coffee and places it in front of me.

“You like Samantha, right?” I check, knowing that these sessions are important, I just wish they could make those night terrors go away, and stop her flinching if I get too close.

If Samantha’s not helping, I’m sure we could find someone else.

“She’s lovely.” Everleigh starts cleaning up the mess I’ve made of the kitchen, which kinda defeats the whole point I was trying to make with this breakfast.

“Lovely? That all ya gotta say?” I take a sip of my coffee and narrow my eyes at her. I’ll probably never know exactly what happened to her in that bunker she was kept in, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t think about it every day. Whether I’m with her or I ain’t, these days I find it hard to concentrate on anything else.

“She’s nice,” Everleigh assures me, and when I drain the last of my coffee she takes the mug straight off me too.

“I gotta go, I’ll be back home around six,” I let her know, picking my hat up from the chair and placing it on my head. I wonder to myself how it might feel to reach over and kiss her the way Garrett does to Maisie when he leaves for work, then I curse myself for thinking that way. Everleigh is young. It’s wrong of me to think of her like that, but I just can’t help myself.

“Bye, Mitch.” She follows me to the door, standing and holding it open so she can watch me get in my truck. She always looks a little sad when I leave her, and I wonder if that's because she misses me when I’m gone. I like the idea of that a whole lot more than I should. I start up the engine and get confused when I see Josie's car bouncing across the terrain in the distance.

“See ya later,” I call out the window as I pull away and drive toward Josie.

“How is she today?” she asks when we pull up beside each other. Josie’s a bright girl and although this ain’t part of her job description, she never complains. All the councelors who have dealt with Everleigh have said that she should have consistency. Maisie and Leia can’t spare that kinda time with the little ones to look after and since Everleigh gets so nervous at the thought of meeting new people, we agreed to stick to the same person, Josie.

“She had another rough night but seems okay this mornin’. I thought you weren't gettin’ here till lunchtime?” I question her.

“Samantha called and said she was running late. I know Everleigh panics if she’s on her own for too long, I didn’t want her locking herself in the bathroom again.” She smiles sadly, reminding me of what happened last week when Josie got held up at an appointment. “I checked with Maisie and she can spare me, so here I am.” This time, her smile is a little more joyful.

“I appreciate that, you have a good day.” I nod my head before I leave her to it and make my way to the ranch.

Wade’s still trying to break in the mare that Cole bought last week, while my bunkhouse boys, Tate and Finn, sit their lazy asses on the side of the corral and watch him fail.

“Ain’t ya got work to be gettin’ on with?” I call over to ‘em and when Tate hears my voice and looks back over his shoulder, he quickly slides off the rail and heads toward me.

“We’re just watchin’ Wade waste his time,” he tells me.

“Never let Cole loose at an auction again.” Wade gets up from the floor and picks up his hat.

“She’s impossible.” He dusts it off before placing it back on his head.

“Ya ain’t ready to give in already, are ya?” Cole looks smug as he rests his arms over the gate.

“What on earth made you part with hard-earned cash for this?” Wade questions his brother.

“His wife liked the color.” Savannah slides her head under Cole’s arm and wraps her arms around his waist. Things have been a lot less tense around here since they got their shit together and tied the knot.

That, and Wade's little boy being born really pulled the family together during a time of tragedy, I can’t help wishing that Dalton was still here to be part of it.

For years I kept my nephew in the dark over who his father was. I was trying to protect him. I didn’t want him to know that he wasn’t wanted. In doing that, I denied him all those years he could have spent getting to know his brothers. I deeply regret that. All I can do now is be grateful that he had those few months of knowing who he really was and know how happy being accepted by his brothers made him.

“What the hell happened to you? I think I preferred you when you were a cold, callous bastard?” Wade glares at Cole as he jumps back on the saddle.

“It was you that told me how important it was to keep a pregnant woman happy.” Cole strokes his hand proudly over the now, very prominent bump he’s given his wife. One thing that can be said for a Carson man, is that they don’t waste any time in the procreating department.

“Mitch,” Garrett calls over as he steps off his porch. “Did ya see Josie on ya way here? She got a call sayin’ Samantha couldn’t make it.” Garrett and the others may not have met Everleigh yet, but that don’t mean they don’t care. Everyone here has a general idea of what happened to her and they understand that it’s gonna take some time to adjust.

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