Page 12 of Secret Heart
A few of the cows that have very newly calved are hanging out inside rather than the pasture attached to the large buildings. Another week or two, and they’ll be out on the larger swathes of land in their summer grazing areas. One looks up as I chuckle, her ear flicking.
After a minute, Ethan slowly walks into the large, mostly empty barn. A few moments later, a second person joins him. The sun backlights them until all I can see is a general build—tall and lean with boots and a cowboy hat rather than the ball caps we’ve opted for today.
“You should be glad to see me,” Ethan says. “I’m bringing the help I promised for fencing and getting the herds out on the summer pastures.”
“No shit?” Kyle drops the bale and arranges it against the far wall, Jake quickly doing the same. They cross the barn, catching up with me, as Sean sets the broom against a fence rail and joins us, too. The last four bales of straw lay forgotten a few feet away.
“You don’t even need to train him,” Ethan says with a chuckle.
It’s then that the pair gets deep enough into the barn to counteract the sun’s backlight and their details slowly converge. Ethan’s dark hair worn longer than he has in years, his beard less groomed than typical. He’s wearing a plain black tee and light wash jeans. Most of his tattoos are on display, the sleevesof the shirt ending just above mid-bicep. The majority of my attention is for the man beside him, though.
Soft brown hair curling gently toward his ears and neck. Bright blue-green eyes that are more haunted than the last time I’d seen them. His chin is narrow, his cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass. His build is more lean than before if that’s even possible, and he holds himself like a rabbit among wolves. And when he looks at me, it feels like I’ve taken a hoof to the fucking chest. All the optimistic hope he’d carried those four years he worked here is… gone.
“Triston!” Kyle brushes past me, pulling Triston into a one-armed hug and clapping his hand on his shoulder. “Good to see you! Congratulations, man. That was a fantastic ride.”
Paul laughs. “What’re you doing slumming here with us? Don’t you have a big important photoshoot of some kind?”
“Missed home.” Triston shrugs. It feels like an evasion. Ethan frowns, but before he can say anything, Triston continues, “I’ll be here for the next few weeks.”
Jake nudges Ethan’s side with his elbow. “Well, guess I’ll forgive you for having that baby last month then. Triston’s a damn pro when it comes to handling the calves for branding.”
It’s only then I manage to move my feet and join everyone else. I offer a smile as I near and lift my chin in greeting. Triston mirrors the action, his own movements brittle. Ethan’s mint surrounds us in a flood. Paul raises an eyebrow but doesn’t comment on it. It’s not like the four of us can pick up on the subtle changes in scents the way Alphas and Omegas can. We’re all Betas, and so we’re immune to all of those biological markers and drives that set the others apart. Ethan could be angry or worried or trying to soothe someone, and I’d never know the difference. Hell, he could be minutes away from dropping into a rut due to an Omega’s heat.
Based on his body language, though, I’d bet he’s picking up on some of Triston’s obvious lack of confidence.
“Good to see you,” I say.
You have a daughter.
I keep those words behind my lips even as they’re clawing to get out.
A daughter that looks just like you before you lost that light in your eyes.
Fuck, I have to warn Emily.
EMILY
“Has anyone seen the Scotch tape?” I lift up the stack of paper decorations I’m still sorting into piles. “I swear it was right here a minute ago.”
We’ve been working for the last few hours to decorate the main lobby of Misty Mountain ahead of the first reservations arriving in the next couple days. The staff are working through the other buildings and processes, making sure everything is ready for our unofficial first day. We’ve set aside decorating the main building for the family, something that we started last year due to me being less than a week from having Penny and absolutely miserable. Some women are like Brielle and Faedra when they’re pregnant: glowing, resplendent beauty, practically no sickness at all.
Olivia and I drew the short straws in those aspects, I guess.
Melissa reaches across the table, pulling the missing dispenser from literally nowhere, I swear.
“Here,” she says softly, setting it in front of me, all of her focus on the complicated tutorial she’s following in an attemptto get the 3D paper animal models to turn out this time. It’s the third time she’s ordered the kits. Nothing sets Melissa’s heels in the ground more than telling her she’s not going to be able to figure it out—Misty Mountain is proof of that—so I haven’t said a word about her wanting the bears and other wildlife as counter and table decorations for the communal rooms in Misty Mountain. Her hair is pulled back, a few curls falling around her face, and the line is deep between her eyes.
“Thanks,” I say, making sure my voice is soft.
Melissa’s stiff shoulders soften just a fraction, and that ache under my skin to rip apart whatever is making her uneasy lessens until it’s no longer driving me to distraction.
“Mama,” Penny says, tapping my arm as she stops at my side.
Her hair is nearly as dark as mine with the curl Beau guessed she’d have from her dad. Her eyes are just like his, too, the pale blue-green of a clear mountain lake. My stomach doesn’t clench most days when I see them anymore. Thank goodness.
I hadn’t given Ethan enough credit for Camden being so similar looking to Kayla and Brandon both. Not that I’ll ever admit it to his face. He’d never let me live it down. But having the small reminders of Triston look up at me with trust and love everyday? It’s harder than seeing the news stories of him.
“Mama.” Penny’s taps get harder.
