Page 92 of Take Me Home

He steps toward me, yanking the hammer out of my hand that I’d been using to shape the horseshoe.

Otto narrows his eyes. “Son, you’ve been in a blistering bad mood for over a week.” He arches an eyebrow, clearly waiting for me to acknowledge what happened just over a week ago.

I keep my expression stubbornly neutral, reaching out for my hammer. “I need that back, or Rocky’s gonna be strutting around with only three horseshoes.”

Otto keeps the hammer firmly in his grip. “Is that how you feel? Like a stallion with one missing horseshoe?”

“Fuck’s sake,” I growl at him, storming out of the barn. Once I’m in the open air, I stand in the breeze, allowing the icy chill of November to cool my skin.

Otto’s footsteps crunch on the grass. Then his hand is on my shoulder. “Finish up with Rocky, then head home.” He hands me the hammer. “You’re upsetting the horses. You’ve gotta deal with everything going on inside that stubborn head of yours. You can’t go through life burying yourself in work to avoid feeling anything.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t play dumb,” he says, turning to walk away. “You know exactly what I’m saying.”

“It’s barely noon,” I call after him.

“Don’t care. Go home and figure out how to pull your damn head out of your ass.” He waves his hand in the air as he continues walking.

With a deep breath, I do what he says, finishing up Rocky’s last shoe. I load up and head home for the day.

I walk inside my family’s farmhouse, unable to remember the last time I got home at one in the afternoon. By some lucky streak, Poppy’s not home, so I head straight for a shower to clear my head. When I step under the scalding hot water, I let it pour over my head and close my eyes, hoping the water will wash away every memory of Hattie. Of the silky strands of her auburn hair, of the patterns her freckles formed across her skin, the sounds she made when I kissed her, touched her…but nothing will take the memories away.

Hattie was only here for three weeks, and in that short amount of time, the woman stole my every thought. She captured my heart, made me feel things I tried so hard to shove away. I resisted her because she’s right…I’m a coward.

A coward with an ego—arguably the worst kind of coward there is.

When I’m at Whispering Pines, I look for her around every corner. Remembering the way she effortlessly made me laugh, the way she challenged me. At Bobcat’s Beer Garden with the guys, I think of the way her body moved against mine as we danced…the way it felt when she looked at me. Hell, even here in my own goddamn house, my mind wanders to having her at our dinner table, watching her interact with my nephew, and laughing with Poppy.

She’s everywhere.

Every cell in my body memorized her. The way she feels, the scent of her expensive perfume, the sound of her laugh, the cadence of her voice…

Damn it.

Grinding my teeth so hard it’s a wonder my teeth don’t shatter; I turn off the water and grab my towel. If I’ve learned anything this week, it’s that thinking of Hattie in a hot shower does nothing to calm me down or forget her.

By the time I get dressed and head downstairs in search of food, Poppy’s home with Tripp. The two of them are at the table going over sight word flash cards.

Poppy stops and looks up at me when I stride into the kitchen. “I saw your pickup out front. Are you sick?”

“No,” I answer, but it comes out harsh. “I’m fine,” I add in a softer tone.

“Mommy, Uncle Linc looks really sad,” Tripp whispers loudly to his mom.

She looks at her son. “Yeah, he does, doesn’t he?”

Tripp sighs heavily. “I’m sad too, Uncle Linc. It’s not the same lately without Miss Hattie, and I can’t finish my jumping lessons.”

Poppy places her hand on top of his and squeezes. “I miss her, too. Bud, why don’t you go play for a bit, okay?”

He jumps down from the table and scampers up the stairs to his bedroom.

Opening the pantry, I grab a box of crackers, trying to ignore my sister’s knowing stare.

“You want to talk about it?”

“Nope.” I thrust my hand inside the box, pulling out a handful of cheese crackers and shoving them into my mouth like an animal.