Page 105 of Silver Sanctuary
At first, Lacy had a hard time leaving the cabin he’d grown up in, but he didn’t mind. There was something precious about spending the days with his girls, just the three of them, playing games in front of the fireplace, and cooking meals all together in the little kitchen. Nanny and Pop had tried their hardest not to intrude, but by the second week, they were banging down the door with practically every aunt, uncle, and cousin he hadn’t seen over the last few years.
His wife and daughter were completely embraced by his family, and he watched them both come out of their shells. Little by little, he saw the apprehension fade, and life returned to a new normal.
He hopped off Honey, rushing over to help Embrie off her own horse. She’d taken to riding like she was born for it. And Nash had spent far too many hours researching horses and stables back in Texas for her to continue riding once they were back.
Sharing these moments with his own daughter were the absolute best. Showing her the spots where he’d grown up, where he made memories with his own parents, put a fresh stitch in his heart.
It only took a few minutes for them to set up their camping stools and get their fishing poles out into the water. He was determined that today would be the day she reeled in her first big catch, especially knowing that the weather called for snow over the next few days.
“Mom’s going to be okay, right?” Embrie’s question broke through the serene silence.
He heard the worry in her voice, but didn’t want to overreact. Embrie hadn’t been very vocal about what happened after the initial debrief with the sheriff’s department. Part of Nash chalked it up to kids being resilient, and that Embrie was so mature for her age. Maybe that had been a mistake…
“What do you mean?”
Embrie reeled her line in. “She’s nervous now. You saw how she was when I dropped my plate last night…”
Nash nodded. He’d sent Embrie to the couch with a bowl of ice cream, cleaned up the shattered ceramic and held Lacy. It was obvious that she was trying not to completely fall apart, but the tears were still there, and that broke his heart.
“Do you know what Aunt Sloane does for a job?”
Embrie smiled as she cast her line back into the lake. “She’s a counselor, right? She listens to people talk about their problems?”
“Oh, that was a great cast! ” Nash set his pole down in the stones. “And yeah, that’s exactly her job. I asked her to help us. She’s going to send me a list of people she thinks might be a good fit for us to talk to about what happened before we left Silver Springs. I think that might help your mom feel better.”
“I think so, too.”
“And what about you? We could all talk to someone together.”
“Yeah.” Embrie looked up at him. “Sometimes, I think you should be mad at me. I didn’t… I didn’t do a very good job of staying safe.”
“No, ladybug. You did the best you could with the information you had. I’m so proud of you. Don’t ever doubt that, okay?”
She nodded.
“Good. And besides, who will always make sure you’re safe, whether you’re nine or thirty or seventy-five?”
“Seventy-five?”
His head tipped back towards the sky as he laughed. “Don’t give me that sass. Just answer the question.”
“You will, Dad.”
“Damn straight I will.”
Embrie let go of her fishing rod and held her hand outtoward him.
“What’s that for, Cheese? You want a high-five?”
“No.” She giggled. “It’s for the ten dollars you owe me. Pay up. Aunt Lily’s only a phone call away.”
He placed his hand over his heart. “My own daughter, trying to get me in trouble with the swearing authorities! Well, let me teach you something my dad taught me a bunch of years ago when we were standing in this very spot.”
Nash chuckled at the way Embrie’s eyes went wide. “What?”
“You can say whatever words you want to when you’re at the lake. Adult words included.”
“No.”
