Page 106 of Hit the Ground
Despite my exhaustion, I grinned. “Not by me?”
“Nope. We both know you’ll eat anything I cook.”
I chuckled. “That’s because you’re so good at it. Hope you know I appreciate you.”
“I do know that. Now tell me what’s going on there. I can hear the tension in your voice.”
For a second, I let my eyes close so I could picture my Alice sitting in her small office, her hair swept up, held in place by a couple pens. I’d been gone before she’d gotten dressed this morning, but in my head, she was wearing her lavender sundress, a cream cardigan covering her shoulders and arms.Her desk was neat as a pin except for the stack of books she’d pulled aside to bring home. They’d be on my nightstand this evening, then replaced with a fresh stack by the end of next week when she read them all.
Just picturing her did a world of good to ease the knots in my neck and the pounding in my skull. Knowing I’d be coming home to her this evening would get me through the rest of the backbreaking work ahead.
“We’ve been going nonstop. A couple miles of fence got knocked out by the storm and the herd got spooked. We’re moving as quickly as we can, but it feels like I’ve put out ten fires and there’s still twenty more waiting.”
Alice’s concern was as sweet as honey. “I’m sorry, Cay. That sounds brutal.”
“It is,” I admitted, dragging my hand across my jaw. “But it’s the job. I just hate it landed today, of all days.”
“Why’s today so bad?”
I took another swig of water, letting it soothe a path down my throat. “I wanted to take you out to celebrate, darlin’. It’s not every day you finish writing three books.” My voice dropped, rough with fatigue and guilt.
“That is very sweet of you. What if Jesse and I pick one of the recipes I bookmarked and buy the groceries we need to make it? We’ll still celebrate, just in a different way than you were expecting. You can take us out when things settle.”
I let out a long breath, some of the pressure easing from my chest. “Thank you, love. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You won’t ever find out. I can’t shake you, remember?”
The corners of my mouth tugged into a tired smile. “I’d never forget. You know I’d be lost without you.”
“Love you, honey.”
I closed my eyes, letting that sink in. I was still getting used to hearing her say it, and it was never not a gift. “I love you too. See you tonight.”
As soon as I hung up, my radio crackled to life again.
Break over. It was time to get back to work. At least I could do it with a clear head, knowing Alice and Jesse would take care of each other while I couldn’t be there.
Chapter Forty-two
Alice
ThesecondJessebuckledinto the passenger seat of my car, he hit me with a request. “Can we stop by my mom’s house? I need a couple things from my room I forgot to pack.”
My hands froze midair on their way to the steering wheel. I hadn’t expected that, and I didn’t quite know how to respond. Since Caleb had picked him up in the middle of the night more than a week ago, Jesse had only seen Shelby once for dinner. The rest of their contact had been short phone calls. He wasn’t ready to stay overnight at her place, and thankfully, she hadn’t pushed.
“I should run that by your dad,” I finally replied. “One second.”
I pulled out my phone and called Caleb. It rang and rang, but he didn’t pick up. I knew he was busy, and sometimes his phone was out of range at far corners of the ranch, but I tried one more time before giving up.
“I think he’s still really busy from the storm,” I told Jesse.
He pressed his hands together under his chin. “Please, Alice? I have to have my robotics binder. Sunny and I need to do some planning for next year, and I can’t unless I have my binder. I swear, it’ll only take a second.”
Unease prickled the back of my neck, but it was difficult to turn him down. I didn’t think Caleb would have a problem with Jesse stopping by his mom’s house, but I wasn’t sure I should have been making those kinds of decisions without running them by him first.
If it was only for a second, though, what could be the harm?
“Okay.” I sighed, still unsure I was making the right move. “Let’s make it quick. We still have to stop by the Grocery Barn.”
