Page 36 of The Awakening
“And on that note, I think I’m going to walk home.” Ellie climbed out of the SUV and handed Kate’s wallet to Tyler. “Can you walk, or are you sleeping here tonight?” she teased.
I stumbled out of the truck and grabbed her hand. “I’m sober enough to walk my wife home. Good night, Ty.” I waved as I headed off with Ellie.
“Look at the stars,” I said as the lights from Tyler’s yard faded behind us.
“It sure is beautiful. Nothing hidden by hills or mountains. It’s freeing, less sinister here.” Ellie slipped her hand out of mine and put space between us.
“What do you mean, sinister?” I asked as I caught up with her.
“The mountains hide things its occupants don’t want the world to know about.” Her voice was soft, full of pain.
I put a hand around her wrist, halting her movements. “Want to talk about it?”
“Not really. I just never knew how free I’d feel being away from there.” She ducked her head.
“I’m sorry life was hard and I’m sorry I have been making it harder lately.” I rested my hand on her lower back and leaned down, brushing a gentle kiss to her lips in the moonlight.
As if my hands had a mind of their own, I lowered them to her ass and pulled her as close to me as I could with clothes on.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ellie
The weather changed, and the sky turned dark. There was a dampness in the air that, if I had been in Montana, I would have interpreted as a sure sign that a blizzard was on the way. The door swung open, and Gavin walked into the house. It was unlike him to be home now.
“Hi, what’s going on?”
“I have to help Rob and Nate bring in a bunch of cows. They need to be brought in before this blizzard hits. The weatherman said it might be a few days.” He walked over to the coffeepot and poured himself a cup, then topped off the one I had out on the counter. “I need to get some warmer clothes on, and I wanted to let you know I was heading out.”
“Thank you for thinking of me. I hope you won’t have to be out there long.” I took a sip of my coffee, watching him do the same.
“You should have enough wood to last if the power goes out and I’m not back. Keep the fires going in the living room and bedroom. Kate will come get you if I am not back tomorrow. There’s no reason to stay here alone.”
“Tomorrow? Will it really take that long?”
“It shouldn’t, but if we get stuck out there at the cabin, I have no way to let you know. If the power goes out, use the radio to keep up with the weather updates.” He looked around the kitchen. “I don’t know if there’s anything else to tell you. This isn’t your first blizzard, I guess.”
I nodded. This all seemed like a lot of what ifs and maybes. I bit the corner of my mouth and turned to look out the window. He was right. This wasn’t the first blizzard I had been through, but it was the first where someone else was relying on me to keep going. Letting my hands rest on my stomach, I took a deep breath.
Gavin moved quietly behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you have time to miss me.”
“Promise?” I whispered, leaning back into him.
“I promise. I have to go, but I’ll see you soon.” His words were quiet, and I could tell he wasn’t looking forward to the job ahead of him. After kissing the side of my head, he left me standing alone.
His quick footsteps above me filled me with uncertainty. I didn’t need to be coddled, but this was a side of Gavin I hadn’t seen before. He was tense, his face held more emotion than he even realized.
Stomping back down the stairs, he looked like he was wearing five layers of clothes under his coveralls. “Here, take this.” I handed him his coffee in a go cup.
“Thank you. See you soon.” He lifted his hand to my neck and ran his rough thumb across my cheek, gently pulling me toward him and covering my mouth with his hungrily.
It felt like I was kissing him for the last time. Is this what it felt like when frontier women sent their husbands off on longroundups? Was I being dramatic? Quite possibly. But I held on to him tighter until I heard boots on the porch.
“Gavin, come on. We need to ride. Let your wife go. We will be home before she has time to miss you.” Nate had popped his head in the door. “Hi, Ellie.”
Breaking our kiss, I looked over Gavin’s shoulder. “Hi, Nate. Keep my man safe.”
“Will do, ma’am.” Smiling, he nodded and backed away from the door.
