Page 32 of Wild For You
I almost missed the noise as the gravel crunched beneath the tires, but I heard a faint chortle come from the passenger seat.
At least his mood was improving.
“I messaged your mom and let her know we were on our way.”
“You text with my mom?”
“I have a group chat with all of your family. Well… almost all.” I eyed him narrowly, sticking my tongue out at him.
“Of course you do.” He rolled his eyes, shaking his head.
I parked the truck in front of the garage and jogged around the truck to see if Andrew needed any assistance, but he was already pulling himself out of the vehicle when I made my way around.
“I’m here to help you, you know.”
“And yet, I can do some things myself,” he replied, grabbing his crutches.
I walked behind Andrew as we approached the front door, hoping he’d just open it and we could step inside, except he stopped and glanced at me over his shoulder before knocking.
“They know we’re coming,” I whispered.
“Not my house. I don’t just walk in.”
Nash answered the door and did a double take when he saw it was Andrew standing there. Marisol must have kept our visit a secret.
“Andrew, what a pleasant surprise.” The older man looked around his son’s shoulder and found me waving. “Oh, and Kelsey too. Please, both of y’all, come inside.”
“Thank you, Nash,” I said as I followed the duo into the house with the oversized foyer that opened up to the rest of the house. The farmhouse had been modernized enough to make the spot seem spacious like an open floorplan, but I knew from my visits that the backside of the house held many closed-off rooms.
“Marisol will be so glad to see you. She’s been baking all morning,” he said to us, before calling out, “Honey, guess who’s here?”
“Andrew and Kelsey, dear,” she replied warmly, greeting us in the kitchen as she wiped her hands on a rag.
“You knew?”
“Why do you think I nixed your fishing excursion today?”
“Well, I’ll be damned. Come join me out on the back deck, guys. It’s a beautiful afternoon.”
We followed him out to the expansive porch where there was a firepit and an in-ground pool just beyond the steps. A large swing set sat off in a shaded area, where I was sure their twin granddaughters played when they came to visit.
“How’s the farm doing?” Andrew asked as he settled on a bench seat. I chose an Adirondack chair overlooking the yard.
“Good. The new men you hired have really proven themselves. I barely had to do any overseeing during the harvest.”
“That’s good. And Thunderbolt?”
I couldn’t see their faces, but I was sure Nash was smiling at Andrew’s mention of his beloved horse. “Misses you. He only lets me ride him, as usual. A couple of the new guys tried their damnedest, which was funny as hell to watch, since he wouldn’t even let them get close to him.”
“Maybe I’ll go see him while I’m here.” Andrew’s voice was almost wistful, and I smiled to myself.
“That would be good. And how areyoufeeling?”
As they chatted about Andrew’s injury and thedreadfulexercises I was putting him through—his words, not mine—I closed my eyes and let the sun warm my skin.
“Lemonade?” Marisol asked, and I nearly jumped out of the chair. I must have fallen asleep, listening to the leaves rustle and the birds chirp. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“That’s okay. I must be more tired than I thought. The nights of sleeping on an air mattress must be getting to me. And yes, I’d love some.”
