Page 15 of See It Through

“You couldn't stop. You don’t have to explain it to me, Han. I get it. It’s only been a month. You’re still grieving. Your emotions are raw, and seeing Remi in the house probably isn’t helping anything.”

I shook my head. “It’s not. If he was going to come back, why couldn’t it have been before Graham passed?”

It was a rhetorical question. Phe didn’t know Remi’s reasons any more than I did.

She put her hands on the counter and leaned toward me. “Did you think to ask him?”

“I—” My mouth opened and closed, nothing but a faint creaking sound coming out. “No. No, I didn’t ask. I just assumed it was because he’s a self-centered jackass.”

“Graham wasn’t mad at him for not being there.”

I hadn’t noticed I was pacing until I had to turn around to face Phoebe. “Yeah…well, he let me handle that. I’m plenty mad for us both.”

“I think you should ask him where he was over the last month and why he didn’t get here in time. So you know. So you don’t have any doubts.” Pushing away from the counter, she came to stand in front of me. “I’m all done here. Walk me home?”

My grin was crooked and didn’t last long. “You know it.”

Home was only a few blocks away. We shared a house that had been converted into a duplex long ago, my little apartment stacked on top of Phe’s. She’d lived there for a few years before the unit above hers had become available. I’d been reluctant to leave the ranch, but the situation had been right. I was a family girl. Being close to at least one member of the Kelly clan was imperative to my happiness.

Plus, our proximity meant I got first dibs on bakery leftovers—not that there were ever many. Our town might have been small, but when it came to Phe’s baked goods, we showed up big.

I paused outside Phe’s door, one foot on the stairs leading to my place. “Any plans tonight?”

She rolled her eyes and smiled. “As if you need to ask.”

I bumped her shoulder with my fist. “You could have plenty of plans if you wanted.”

“Sure.” She twisted the end of her ponytail around her fingers. “I could say the same to you. You could go out, meet someone…”

My stomach clenched at the very idea. “No thank you. I’d rather be a cool aunt to your future perfect little children.”

She laughed. “Crazy aunt, since these kids are very much imaginary.” Then she gave me a shove. “Go home. You smell like horse.”

I lifted my arm and gave myself a sniff. Sunshine and the tiniest bit of sweat. More times than not, I’d left work smelling far worse. “Shut it. I smell fine. Not all of us can smell like cupcakes and lemon bars.”

Her giggle and wave sent me off for the night, feeling a lot better than I had when I’d burned rubber leaving Graham’s driveway.

As soon as I had the thought, a wave of dread struck. Today was over, but tomorrow was looming. I’d have to go back to that house and bear Remi being there while Graham never would be again.

I let myself into my place, shut the door behind me, and leaned against it, my fist pressed to my gut.

A month.

I’d gotten through a month post-Graham. It had been the hardest feat of my life, but I’d done it.

Getting through Remi’s presence was nothing in comparison. All I had to do was wait him out. He’d be gone sooner than later. No doubt about that.

Chapter Eight

Remington

I’d had no intentionof heading out to the Kelly ranch when I woke up in the morning. It’d been on my list ofeventualies,but I hadn’t worked myself up to doing it, and the dull ache in my head wasn’t helping anything.

Yet here I was, the tires of my rented truck crunching over the gravel of the road leading to their property. I’d needed a reason to make an exit during a strange visit from two women bearing muffins and poetry. No idea what that had been about, but they hadn’t seemed too keen on leaving, so I’d made my excuses.

Sugar Brush might’ve changed, but at first glance, things were the same. Crispy, yellow grass covered the prairie fields as far as the eye could see. Hand-constructed fences lined the road on either side. A few pronghorns grazed, unconcerned by my presence.

I’d spent a lot of days out here, riding one of the Kelly horses alongside Caleb, checking the fences and repairing weak spots. Mr. Kelly had paid me a sweet salary, but I would have done it for free. Spending time riding and bullshitting with my friend while giving me a solid excuse not to be home had been all I’d needed.

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