Page 47 of Alive and Wells

“Relax, funny guy. It’s seven a.m. and, to normal people, it’s definitely still breakfast time.”

He motions toward the couch, and I sit down, tucking my feet underneath me. A full plate magically appears on my lap seconds later. Followed by a coffee, which looks suspiciously like he’s been paying attention to how I take mine. I look into the cup and then at him, watching the single nod of his head to indicate he read my mind. Three years of marriage, and I bet KJ wouldn’t have the faintest idea how I like my coffee. Which is incredibly embarrassing because it’s not even hard—a splash of milk and two sugars. The more time away from him, the more I’m realizing how all these little things stack up to prove he never cared at all.

“So, whatcha reading?” I peer across the couch at the novel balanced on the armrest.

“A mystery from my favourite author. It came out a while ago, but I’ve been, uhh, a little unable to focus lately. Finally started it this morning.”

“Just when you think you know a guy.” I chew thoughtfully on a piece of bacon. “Now suddenly you only make one snide comment about my sleeping in, you save me breakfast,andyou’re reading a book instead of working at seven in the morning. Are you feeling okay?”

He runs a hand through his thick, brown hair. “The boys rolled in early this morning, so I went and talked to Denny. They’re working today. When they get back in tonight, we’ll figure out a plan to make sure somebody’s keeping an eye on you for the next few weeks, at least.”

“He hasn’t shown up here or sent me any more messages. You think he’s changed his mind?”

I know he hasn’t.

“What do you think?” he asks.

“No. I doubt he ever will. But, shit. I don’t want to drag the guys into this thing.”

“Come with me when I talk to them. You can decide how much or little you want them to know about what’s going on. Protecting the ranch is part of their job. Even if you tell them nothing, they’ll sit outside your cabin night after night. Simply because I’m telling them to.”

I’m aware that, with the rest of the crew back at the ranch now, I’m going back to my own house tonight. Going back was the plan we made to start with. There’s no logical reason to stay here, and a few kisses don’t change the fact we aren’ttogether.

“Okay, yeah. I’ll tag along.” My voice echoes in the ceramic mug as I go to take a sip.

Immediately after I finish breakfast, Austin heads to his office to work, and I stroll to the big house to spend the day in the kitchen with Kate. The last couple days he hasn’t let me leave his side, and now we’re apparently pretending nothing happened. Aside from Beryl’s absence—she took the opportunity to visit her sister while most of the cowboys were gone—everything is completely back to normal around the ranch. Except it’s not, because I’m stuck oscillating between daydreaming about kissing Austin, and freaking out about telling the cowboys that my psychopath ex threatened to show up here.

“Now it’s just us girls. Tell me everything about your day yesterday. I recognize a beard burn when I see one.” Kate meticulously adds blackberry jam to jars, while I’m hard at work chopping pickling cucumbers on the other side of the massive kitchen island.

“We stopped for lunch on top of the mountain, and I told him I thought it might be my favourite place ever. Then he suggested we go to his favourite place. By the time we got to the lake, it was pretty much a million degrees outside, so we swam and then somehow swimming led to kissing. Alotof kissing. And then more kissing in the stable until Red interrupted us.” I shake my head as Kate’s subtle smile turns smug. “That’s all there is to it. After dinner, he was in a weird mood and we kinda got into it a bit. But we had a good talk, and I thought it was all fine. This morning he let me sleep in and had breakfast waiting for me. But now he’s randomly fine with leaving me on my own today after not letting me out of his sight for days. And I guess I’m going back to my place tonight. So if you have any insight into what is going through his brain, feel free to share.”

If anybody understands the Wells men, it’s most likely Kate. She originally came to the ranch as a care aide for their sick mom, so she’s been around for everything.

A single laugh escapes her mouth. “Girl, the fact that you say you had a ‘good talk’ means you already know more about him than probably anybody else here does. I think he talks to Beryl sometimes, but the boys don’t exactly have heart-to-hearts, and he definitely doesn’t tellmeanything. Except I’ll say he wasn’t nearly as growly before their mom passed. I think it hit him hardest. And then Savannah was the final straw. He fully shut everybody out after that.”

Savannah?Austin may not be a big talker, but never mentioning that name definitely makes it feel like she’s an ex-girlfriend.

“Savannah?”

“Oh, shit. He hasn’t mentioned her. Probably should’ve guessed he wouldn’t. They dated for a couple years, and he was devastated when they broke up. I saw the guy casually date around before that, but I don’t think he’s so much aslookedat another girl since Sav left. Well… until you. He looks at you like you painted the night sky.”

I stare down at the jars jammed with pickling cucumbers, relishing the heat of a blush across my face and chest.

“This makes me happy.” She claps her hands together giddily. “He’s a good one, and I was starting to get nervous he would never find somebody. Does this mean you two are, like, together?”

“No, no… I like him. But do you think I’m moving on too fast after beingmarried? If you and Jackson broke up today, you wouldn’t be looking for a new relationship two months later, right?”

Kate does a quick check to make sure Odessa hasn’t wandered in secretly. “If he hit me?Fuck yes, I would. I’d sleep with his best friend the next damn day. Except I wouldn’t, because Jackson’s best friend is Red, and that man is a bundle of trouble. But you better believe I’d be shaking my ass at the local bar the same night.”

I raise an eyebrow and glance down at her baby bump.

“Okay, maybe I wouldn’t be doing that either.” She laughs and rubs her stomach. “If I were in your position, I would. That’s my point. As far as I see it, he’s the one who broke your vows, and now you’re free to do whatever the hell you want.”

She makes valid points. Although, shaking my ass at the bar, and potentially falling for a grumpy rancher are two wildly different things.

I trudge reluctantly behind Austin down to the barn where the boys are untacking. My stomach’s been in knots for hours over what I’ll say. How much I’ll share. And Austin, who should’ve been my practice dummy for whatever speech I’m about to make, was annoyingly scarce all day. Showing up only as I was finishing my work in the garden fifteen minutes ago.

“This feels dramatic. I’m sure I’ll be perfectly fine without somebody keeping watch. He’s probably not going to turn up on the property in the middle of the night and, if he did, who’s to say he’d know I’m here?”

---