Page 110 of Rope Me In

I take in a breath of fresh air and look up at the Texas sky. “Let’s walk.”

We fall into step next to each other, walking along the unpaved road that will loop us around the main part of the ranch. There are a few hands around, including Art, who we greet as we walk by. Eventually, we get away from the stables and the people until the only sounds are our footsteps and birds chirping.

“So,” I say, “you’re probably wondering how the doctor visit went.” I shove my hands into my pockets and turn to look at my brother’s profile, one that looks so much like Dad’s.

Gavin’s steps slow at my words, his eyes meeting mine. “You don’t have to tell me unless you want to.”

Pleasant surprise and appreciation overtake me at his statement. This is a lot different from his usual demand for information. “I want to.”

Gavin’s jaw tightens as if my words made him emotional—happy, even. “Then I’d like to know.”

I clear my throat and let the information I got today from Dr. Ellis fall from my lips. Gavin listens, his jaw remaining tense as I speak. “Presley already did some research on our drive back, and I think I’m going to see a psychiatrist. She found a couple of online ones who have sliding-scale payment methods, though it’ll still be tough to swing since my money is already going to my hospital bills and current heart meds—”

Gavin stops walking, clapping both hands on my shoulders. “Kade,stop.”

A flash of anger lights in me, afraid he’s mad at me for some reason, but I stop talking at his stern tone and meet his gaze.

“Whatever you need, we’ll figure it out. The last thing I want you to worry about is the cost of something that will help you. Let me—let our family—help you.”

“But—”

“No, Kade. I don’t care if you get pissed at me about this, but you’re my brother.” His voice breaks, and he stops speaking to compose himself. When he looks back up at me, his green eyes are wet. “You’re my brother, and I’m not letting you do this alone. If I have to work more, that’s fine. But I’ve got your back in this. No matter what.”

His hands on my shoulders grip me tighter as I try to think of words to say. When I can’t, I do the only thing I know to do: I pull him into me and hug him. We stand there for a long moment, the world moving around us as we both process the gravity of his words.

When Gavin pulls back, he wipes his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to remove the evidence of his tears. It’s something Dad did, too, and it makes me smile. Gavin sees my grin and matches it.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks.

“How Dad would’ve told us to get a grip and taken us out to Devil’s Rock.”

Gavin huffs out a sad laugh. “Yes, he would’ve.”

We start to walk again, and I kick a large rock with my boot. “Do you miss him?”

Gavin is silent for a moment before he answers. “Of course I do.” He lets out a long sigh. “I think what I miss the most is the way he made Momma smile.”

My gut churns thinking of all the relationships I want to repair. Momma is at the top of the list. We’ve spoken once since dinner, and we both apologized to each other, but we have a long way to go.

“Yeah, I miss that, too.”

We continue to walk in silence for a while until we reach a pasture where Willy, Big John, and some of the other geldings are grazing. I whistle to my horse, and Willy nickers at me, trotting over to us at the fence line. Gavin and I stop to give him some attention.

“Gav,” I say after a minute.

He stops petting Willy’s neck. “Yeah?”

“Presley got an offer to travel Texas after the new year with that band she played with last week.”

He smiles at the news. “That’s great.”

I run my palm down Willy’s long face. “I want to go with her.”

Gavin’s square features stay neutral, but I can see surprise flash briefly in his eyes.

“I’ve talked to Presley about it, and the gigs are short. We’d be gone for probably three days at a time tops, and the band can pay me a bit to help with setup and teardown to make up for the money I’m losing when I’m not here. But the ranch would be our home base, and we’ll work when we’re here.” I gesture to the land around us. “This place, it will always be my home. It’s everything I thought I wanted. But—”

Laughter reaches our ears, and we look up to see Presley and Blake in the distance. I watch my girl for a moment, my heart beating faster in my chest as I think about traveling with her, waking up next to her and experiencing new things with her.

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