Ava peered at her mom. “Are you still?”
“I’m working on it. I think it’s time we worked on it together—as a family.”
“I didn’t get to tell him how much I loved him that day,” Ava said. “I didn’t get to tell him I was sorry for being loud and being a brat.”
Kayce’s eyes now looked as watery as mine. “He loved you and Poppy more than anything,” she said. “Your dad’s suicide was not about you—or me. It was made in a bad state of mind, and he wasn’t himself. Because the man I knew would never have wanted to leave his favorite girls.” She smiled at her daughter as the horse nudged Ava’s back. “Your dad used to stay up and watch you sleep when you were a baby. He’d just stand over your crib and grin. Sometimes he’d sing you lullabies. Well, mostly Aerosmith songs, but he threw in a few traditional tunes as well.
“We’ll remember him for how fun he made birthdays, for the funny voices he’d use when he read to you and Poppy, and for the way he’d dance with you girls in the kitchen, doing those silly TikTok moves until you would cry with laughter.”
Ava grinned. “He did love us, didn’t he?”
“So big. Honey, your dad saw things on deployment that can mess a brain up pretty badly. It changes a person.”
“But you’re still here.”
“That’s right. I always will be. I’m going to work extra hard to be in healthy mental shape for you and Poppy. I intend to join Hattie’s program myself. Who knows, maybe I’ll even grow some flowers in the north garden.”
“Raise a few pigs?” Ava suggested.
Kayce’s nose wrinkled. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Please don’t go back to Texas,” Ava begged.
“I have to. But in no time, I’ll return for good. Maybe we’ll see about getting you your own horse.”
Ava’s eyebrows shot toward her hairline. “For real?”
“I said maybe.”
Ava knew a dangling carrot when she saw one. “But maybe as in yes.”
Kayce threw her arm around her daughter’s neck, tugging her along. “It’s a strong maybe.”
“So what I’m hearing is…definitely.” Ava grabbed her mother’s hand before Kayce could say anything more. “Let’s go back to the house.”
“Best idea I’ve heard so far.” Kayce slung her arm around her daughter and walked in the direction of home.
Ernie ran a hand over his face and blew out a breath. “That’s too much drama for this old man.”
“That was some impressive work, Hattie,” Miller finally said, his voice painfully distant.
“Thank you.” It hurt to be this close to him and not throw myself into his arms or beg him to forget I’d said we were over. “You and your drone saved the day.”
Miller’s eyes held mine, communicating currents of feelings I couldn’t fully decipher.
Ernie rolled his shoulders and did that arrogant sniff of his. “If someone wants to pass a little praise my way, I wouldn’t turn it down.”
Laughing, I clapped his back. “Great work, Ernie. You acted fast, and that made all the difference.”
“As long as we’re all clear on that.” His mouth quirked just enough for me to catch it.
My gosh, I’d miss that man.
“I’ll see about the horses.” Ernie looked between Miller and me. “See you back at the barn, Hattie?”
“On my way.” Yet I couldn’t seem to move, even as my partner walked away.
That left just Miller and me. Alone. Well, alone except for the awkwardness, angst, and all the unspoken words I couldn’t utter.
