Page 21 of Rancher's Pride
“Right, lots. So there’s nothing wrong with you, Fallon, absolutely nothing. Now, I think I told you to go to bed.” He gave me a crooked smile as he snapped his fingers, reaching for the bottle. I hesitated for a microsecond and he shook his head. “Fallon, go.” I didn’t want to go. But he was right. I needed to sleep.
Staring at the ceiling, I was sure I wouldn’t fall asleep, but there was nothing I could do to keep my eyes open. I heard rustling and a low voice, but it wasn’t enough to wake me. In the back of my mind, I realized I should have grabbed a blanket, but suddenly I was warm, and he was close. A gentle pressure from his lips on my head and the smell of him filled my nose. “Sleep Toots, I’ve got you three.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
NASH
The day was long. Being up half the night hadn’t made things easier, but I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. Making sure Fallon got some rest was all I was concerned about. “Are you coming for supper?” Kipp asked as we left the barn.
“Nah, I’m going to head to the house. Make sure everything is good and go to bed.” I took my hat off and ran my hand through my hair. “I was up most of the night, letting Fallon get some sleep.”
“Daddy duty, hey?” He arched his brow.
“Shut up.” I slammed my hat back on my head, rolling my eyes.
I’d been an asshole when Nora and Cooper showed up and Kipp spent so much of his time with the little boy. So it was only right that he was going to get me back for it.
“Hey, you want us to take the girls for a bit to giveyou guys a break? Nora would love to spend the evening cuddling Lottie.” Kipp asked.
For a brief moment I wanted to say yes, but the reality would be then Fallon and I would be alone. “Be alone with your sister? I don’t think so. Thanks for the offer, though.” I slapped him on the back and turned to head home.
The light glowing from the house was what I had always wanted, and the woman I’d always dreamed of was the reason for it. Opening the door, I was hit with the smell of fresh bread, the giggles from Josie and Fallon singing.
Walking through the living room, I saw the coffee table covered with papers. Grabbing them, I read them over and it was the registration forms for Lottie’s birth. It was all filled out except for the father. That line was blank. Well, not blank. There’d been a line where it looked like Fallon had started filling it out, but stopped.
“Mommy spin faster.” Josie laughed, and I tore my thoughts away from the forms. Moving into the kitchen, I leaned against the door frame and was surprised to see how spotless it was.
“Nas, Nas, Mommy.” She wiggled down and ran over to me. Her tiny arms wrapped around my legs, and I leaned over to pick her up. “Hi Nas.” She looked up at me, her eyes full of happiness and her messy face grin moving closer to me and she painted a kiss on my cheek.
“Well, my girl, how was your day?” I asked, holding on to her tightly.
“You squeezing me.” She giggled and I let my grip go slightly. My heart hammered in my chest, and suddenly it was all too much.
“I’ll be back.” Turning away from Fallon, I wasn’t sure if I should kiss her or yell at her. Pressing a kiss to Josie’s head before I set her down.
“Nash,” Fallon said, with a pained look on her face. She’d expected the yelling and I wouldn’t contribute to more tears on her pretty face.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back, Toots. Just going to do some thinking.” She nodded, but there was still hesitation on her face as I left my house.
“Hey where are you heading?” Griff called from the barn. Of course, I couldn’t get out of this yard without someone seeing me.
Waving him off, I reached the door of the truck. “I need a bit of space just for a few hours.”
Leaning against the truck, he looked at me and even in the fading light, I couldn’t miss his concern. “Want me to go with you?”
“No, I'm good.” Shaking my head, I climbed into the truck.
“Call if you need a ride.”
“I’m not going to get drunk. I just need a minute.” My friends knew me, but they hadn’t seen me out of sorts like this for a few years.
“Call anyway.” He said as he slapped me on the back before walking into the main house.
The drive to town was quiet. Even the radio irritated me, so I’d turned it off. Pulling to a stop in front of a house. Taking a deep breath, I got out of the truck and went to the door. At one time I would have just walked in, but I wasn’t sure where I stood anymore, so I knocked.
“Well, Nash, this is a delightful surprise. Come on in.” Wanda smiled at me and pulled me into the house. “It sure is cold tonight. You all make it through the storm, okay?” She asked as she reached to take my coat. The concern in her eyes was comforting, and I thought back to all the years I’d had with my mom and realized she never cared or asked questions like Wanda did. My mother never cared about anyone but herself.
“Thanks Wanda, yeah, we managed to sneak through unscathed. Umm, is my Pops around?” I could hear the television blaring and figured he was. He could wake the dead with the volume of whatever he was watching. It was kind of nice that some things didn’t change.
