Shelter (Heroes of Big Sky 2)

“I know,” he says softly. “And she’s kicking ass.”

“Were they dating before her stroke?”

“No. She was married at the time. After the stroke, the prick took off because it was too much for him to handle.”

“What a douche.”

“Gage took the rehab job, and the dating part has been slow-going. But he loves her. It’s written all over him.”

“I could see it too. He’s sweet with her but doesn’t do everything for her. He’s a good balance for her.”

Seth glances over at me, then back to the road. “Are you going to stay at your van tonight?”

“What are my options?” I smile when he cocks an eyebrow.

“You know I’d rather have you with me.”

I slide my hand into his and hold on tight. Are we moving fast? Yes. But do I want to slow down?

No.

No, I don’t.

“I’ll pack a bag.”

“Bring the whole van, Remi.”

I’m quiet for a moment, thinking about it. I’m not canceling my spot at the RV park. I’m just bringing it out to Seth’s so it’s not sitting empty.

That’s all.

“Okay.”

He kisses my hand as he pulls next to the van.

Chapter 11

~Seth~

“I thought Troy was supposed to muck?” I lean on the shovel and wipe my face with my sleeve as my father spreads fresh hay in the stalls I’ve just cleaned.

“He’s with your grandma again today,” Dad replies. “I know it’s time for him to move back home now, but I don’t have the heart to make him.”

I sigh and stare at the floor. When my grandpa died last year, it sent us all into a tailspin. We all hurt and are still grieving for the patriarch of our family.

He left us much too soon.

But my little brother Troy has been struggling the most and has refused to leave my grandmother’s house, aside from the one night he stayed with me. He insists that he doesn’t want her to be alone.

It’s heartbreaking and sweet at the same time.

“Sometimes the other kids take a turn,” Dad says. “But Troy’s really been adamant to stay with her lately.”

“She’s not far from us,” I remind Dad. “She’s five minutes down the road. And I know she could move in with you and Mom if she wanted to. You have plenty of space in the big house.”

“I’m aware of all of that,” he says. “Mom wants to stay at her place. She’s happy there.”

I shrug and start on the next stall.

“Speaking of flinging shit around,” I begin, “did Sarah talk to you about Kensie?”

“What? No.”

I poke my head out of the stall again and find my father staring at me with wide eyes and a baffled expression. “Where did she come up with Kensie’s name?”

“She’s been doing a family tree for school. The kids were kind of upset, but I explained things, and they calmed down. Sarah said she has questions for you, so she’ll probably bring it up at some point.”

“Damn. Okay, thanks for the warning.”

“She’s dead, by the way. Kensie.”

His head comes up again, and his eyes narrow. “How?”

“Murdered. The same idiot she was with when she dropped me off here killed her about six years ago.”

His face doesn’t change much. He doesn’t seem sad. He doesn’t even look particularly angry.

“And how are you?” he finally asks.

I shrug a shoulder. “I was curious, so I did some digging to find out how it all went down. Honestly, I wasn’t particularly surprised. And I’m not sad. I’m not…anything. It was like I was reading an article about a stranger. Because that’s what she was to me. But I found out during my research that she was arrested for whoring herself out, and that made me feel…I don’t know, pity, I guess. She could have had a good life with you. Instead, she threw it all in the toilet and ended up a drug-addicted hooker.”

“She was an angry person, Seth,” Dad says. “Always. She never would have had a good life with me because nothing made her happy. And I’m not saying that in a spiteful way.”

“I know. It’s just the truth. She was unhappy. And she was mean. I’m not saying she got what was coming to her, but—” I shrug. “It didn’t shock me that it ended like that for her.”

“I’m not surprised either, honestly. You’re not her. You know that, right? You’re nothing like her, Seth.”

“I know. I know that, Dad. Sometimes, especially that first year that I came to live here, I thought I was like her because I was so angry all the time. But then I figured out that I was mad because of her, not because I am her. She was a shitty mom, and I’m grateful that she was because it brought me here, with you and the mother who showed me what being a mom is all about. With Uncle Josh and Aunt Cara, and all of your crazy kids. If she’d kept me, well, I’d probably be in jail or dead. So, I pity her, and I hope she’s found some peace.”