“Need a hand?” she asked.
“I’ve got this.” He wanted her to relax and let him take care of her.
“Want to grab a couple of beers and join me out here?” he added.
Just as he was setting the last of the skewers on the grill, Katie stepped onto the expansive back deck overlooking the yard. Facing due west, they had a kick-ass view of the sun dipping behind the coastal range on the far side of the lake. He could hear the water lapping against the empty dock, the sound blending with the crickets and the sizzle of the food.
Katie handed him an opened bottle of Oregon microbrew. “Nice view out here. I have a feeling Georgia will like this place. But I think I’m going to recommend that we hike in. It might mean some of the old friends I planned to invite won’t come, but that could be for the best.”
“The water level may rise by the time of your party,” Liam said, using the metal tongs to turn the food from the grill. “But Georgia would probably prefer the hike.”
He felt Katie move behind him, peeking over his shoulder.
“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” she said.
“For you? Yeah, I did.” He pulled the skewers off the grill. “And you might want to hold your thanks until after you’ve tasted your dinner.”
She walked over to the oval table and claimed a seat. Using a separate fork, he lifted his steak off, setting it on his plate. He put the dishes on the table and sat beside her. Raising his beer to his lips, he watched her take a bite.
“It tastes great, I promise,” she said. “Now eat your dinner.”
“Good.” He reached for his knife and fork. It was nice to see her relaxed even if it was under the pretense of planning Georgia’s party. “So, how are the horses?”
“Better.” Glancing up from his plate, he caught Katie’s lips form a soft smile. “The vet stopped by yesterday and said they need to gain weight. She also suspects one of them is blind. I’m trying to find a home for them at one of the nearby sanctuaries. But everyone is full right now. It is bound to get worse as winter approaches and people realize they won’t be able to afford hay during the cold months.”
“What is going to happen to your animals if you leave?”
Liam regretted the question, watching as she set the half-eaten skewer back on her plate. Now wasn’t the time to talk about the future. But shit, the thought of her walking away from Independence Falls ate at him.
“Georgia told you,” she said.
He nodded.
“I’m not sure. I’d like to take them with me. But it would be an expensive move. All the way to Montana.”
“You don’t sound too excited. The way Georgia talked about this Safe Haven place, it sounded like your dream job,” he said, hoping Georgia had exaggerated Katie’s desire to leave and work in another state. Liam knew she was passionate about saving animals, but she’d also invested a lot of time and energy into building her family’s business. Part of him wanted it to be that simple. But he also had a feeling Katie didn’t dream in the abstract.
“It is the perfect job. And I’m ready for Montana. I could use a break from Independence Falls. I’ve lived here most of my life. Aside from the years I went to college. Even then I was only a short drive away. And my brothers used any and every excuse to come visit.”
“I can see Chad eager to revisit college life.”
Katie laughed. “He stopped by for the parties. But Brody and Josh? They came to check up on me. I’ll admit, for a while I needed that. But now I want to be on my own and explore a new place. Make some new memories.”
Deep in the pit of his stomach, guilt combined with dread. “Are the old ones really so bad?”
She didn’t say a word. In the distance, crickets chirped and water lapped against the dock. But otherwise, silence. And he didn’t move, needing to hear her answer before returning to his meal.
“Living in Independence Falls,” she began, her voice so soft he was tempted to move his chair closer. “I drive by the place where my father ran off the road. He died there, in his truck, alone in the middle of the night. We’d just buried Granddaddy two days before. We’d known the end was near for him. But Dad? He survived his time in the army, fought overseas . . . We didn’t expect him to have a heart attack at fifty-five. He was my daddy. And at eighteen, part of me still wanted to believe that he was invincible.”
“Katie—”
“I was out that night,” she continued, toying with her food for a moment before glancing up at the orange sky and the shimmering lake. “I took back roads home from town. If I hadn’t, if I had taken the highway, I would have driven right past his rig. Maybe in time to help him. Get him to a hospital.”
He pushed back from the table and held out his hand. They could finish their meal later. Right now, he needed to hold her, offer the comfort he should have given years ago. “Katie, come here. Sit with me.”
She obeyed, rising from her place and settling into his lap. He wrapped an arm around her, wishing he’d pulled on a shirt. He’d been focused on teasing and tempting her back into the bedroom, not serious conversation.
“You can’t think like that,” he said. With his free hand, he touched her chin, guiding her head until her gaze met his. “It’s not your fault.”