Page 76 of Knox

Still—why had she left the Marshall ranch? The question dogged her even as Ben and Kacey had collected her and Glo and brought them home to sleep in their beautiful log home on a ranch outside of town. She met their daughter, Audrey, who looked just like Ben, concern in her blue eyes as she showed them down the hall to a guest room.

A palatial guest room with a bed the size of Texas. And Glo got the one next door.

Clearly, they needed to sell more albums, or charge more for their gigs.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t slept more than an hour in the four-poster bed, under the thick cotton quilt, in the Egyptian cotton sheets. She was standing at the window in the bathrobe when Glo came in with coffee. Took one look at her and drew her a bath.

Now, Glo banged on the door, clearly expecting her to have completed her bath.

“I need to jump in the shower. I smell, and my hair is sticky.”

“For pete’s—did you even get in the bath?”

She didn’t say anything.

“Fine. Put your hair up. I’m leaving some yoga pants and a T-shirt on the bed. Kacey bought us packages of clean underclothes, too.”

Oh, that was completely embarrassing. But incredibly thoughtful.

“I smell like smoke.”

Glo paused, then quietly, through the door, “I know you. I know you’re just sitting there looking out the window trying to figure out what to do next. Formulating a plan.”

Kelsey said nothing. Because yes, she had been staring through the window at the grand landscape behind Ben’s house for twenty minutes. To the jagged scrape of granite mountains along a pristine blue sky. To the herd of red Holsteins grazing in a nearby pasture—which only reminded her of Hot Pete and the baby bull, and then Knox, and—whyhadshe left the Marshall ranch?

It was possible, however, that for the first time, she hadn’t a clue what to do next.

“Or, you’re contemplating running.”

That thought had crossed her mind too. A crazy desire to just get in a car and drive. Anywhere. Destination fresh start. Again.

But even that option held her hostage, because she had no car, no money, no clean clothes. She could hardly breathe through the overwhelming rush of loss.

Glo knocked again. “Please, Kels, let me in?”

Kelsey got up and opened the door.

Glo stood on the other side, no makeup, her hair back in a bandanna, wearing a pink T-shirt with PEAK SAR on the front. A pair of black leggings showed off her curves, and she ran her bare feet into the carpet. She crossed her arms over herself, gave Kelsey a sad smile. “Want to talk about it?”

Kelsey looked at her, then shook her head, her jaw tightening. “Nope.”

“Kels—”

She drew in a breath, held it in check. “No. Because I’m right back there, Glo. I’m the girl waking up after twelve days in a coma, blinking and confused and bereft. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do next.” She pursed her lips. “Russell has beat me.”

Glo touched her arm. “No. No he hasn’t. Because he doesn’t know the woman I know. The one who had to learn how to walk and talk and read again. And who did it, and even went on to not just survive, but live.”

“Looking over her shoulder, waiting for him to show up and make good on his threats. I feel like I’ve been holding my breath for a decade…and I don’t know how to let it go.”

“By not letting him beat you,” Glo said, catching her hand. “Right?”

It sounded right, so Kelsey nodded.

“C’mon. You look fine.” She gestured to the clothes on the bed. “I’ll draw you another bath after you talk to Sam.”

“Sam?”

“Ben’s friend. He’s a cop, and he’s really nice.”

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