Shelter (Heroes of Big Sky 2)

Dad walks to me and pulls me in for a hug, patting my back. “I’m so fucking proud of you, buddy.”

Instead of the life of physical and sexual abuse that I lived when I was with Kensie, this is what I have here in Montana. A father who isn’t afraid to hug me and tell me he’s proud of me.

I’ll never tell him everything that happened when he was deployed, and I was with the woman who gave birth to me. It would tear him apart, and there’s no need to do that to him.

I have my family and this ranch, and that was the best therapy I could have asked for.

“I know I’m your favorite,” I say when he lets go, and as I intended, I make him laugh. “I love you, Dad.”

He nods. “I know. I love you, too. I’ll handle Sarah, and any of the others if they ask. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? Go find that pretty girl you’ve been seeing.”

I grin. “She is pretty, isn’t she?”

“Are you going to bring her to dinner tonight?”

“I was planning to.”

“Good. I’ll see you later, then.”

“I can stay and finish the stalls.”

“There are only two left, and Louie should be back with Josh in a bit. We’ve got this.”

“Okay, but you can text me if you need me.”

“You know, we ran this place just fine when you were a kid.”

I laugh and put my shovel away. “But it’s so much more fun now that I’m all grown up.”

The drive over to my house doesn’t take long, but I go even slower than usual so I can shake off the conversation I just had with my dad before seeing Remi. I don’t like to dwell on what happened before I was eleven. And I usually don’t. I haven’t in years.

When I left this morning, Remi was sleeping soundly in my bed. She didn’t even crack one of those beautiful eyes open when I kissed her goodbye.

But it’s after seven now, so my guess is she’ll be awake.

When I come around the bend that leads to my house, I see I’m not wrong. Remi is wrapped in a blanket, huddled up on the porch swing, a mug of steaming coffee clutched in her hands.

She grins as I park and then climb the steps toward her.

“Good morning,” she says, her eyes still heavy with sleep.

“’Morning. You must have slept well.”

“Like the dead,” she confirms and sips her coffee. “Do you have a lot of work today?”

“Actually, no. My dad just gave me the rest of the day off. Do you have something in mind?”

“I haven’t ridden a horse in a long time. Do you think we could do that today?”

I grin and reach for the mug she offers, taking a sip. “I just happen to know where we can get a couple of horses.”

“How convenient.”

I pass back the mug. “I need a quick shower, and then we can head to the barn.”

“Don’t use all the hot water.”

“Come on, we’ll conserve water and take a shower together.”

“This is Starfire,” I say as I nuzzle the horse’s muzzle. She nudges me affectionately and lets me drape the bridle over her head. “She’s a sweetheart and is the most patient horse we have.”

“She’s so pretty.” Remi rubs her hand confidently over the horse’s flank, then walks to her head to talk to her. “Do you mind if I ride you today, sweet girl? I’ll be nice to you, I promise.”

Starfire nods and roots around Remi’s hands, looking for an apple.

“I’ll be on Magic. She’s my horse. We should be ready to go here in about ten minutes.”

Remi helps me with the saddles, and then we’re off, riding through the pasture to the other side of the ranch, where some of my favorite places are.

“It’s a nice day,” Remi says as she takes a deep breath. “The leaves on all of the trees have turned already.”

“I bet we’re in for a harsh winter.”

“Why do you say that?”

“The leaves are falling now, and there has been a lot of snow in the higher elevations already.”

“I hope we get a ton of snow,” she says with a smile. “I’m excited for it.”

“I’m not ready. We have a lot of winterizing work that needs to be done here on the ranch before winter can settle in. We have to move cattle to lower elevations so they don’t freeze to death, and get other animals inside. It’s a process.”

“I never even thought of it that way,” she murmurs. “Never a dull moment working a ranch, huh?”

“Never,” I agree with a smile. “So, that spot over there is the best sledding hill on the property. I only broke my arm once.”

She lets out a surprised laugh. “How many bones have you broken out here?”

“Well, I broke my ankle the first summer I lived here. Poor Aunt Cara. She was with me, and she still feels guilty for that one. Whenever I want to soften her up for something, I tell her my ankle is giving me fits, and she’ll give me pretty much anything I want.”