Page 79 of Reckless Skye

‘That’s it?’ Stevie flopped back against the sofa. ‘Huh. I was kinda expecting him to grovel.’

‘He had that look about him – last night,’ Andrea affirmed. ‘He looked at you like you were the last drop of water out the well.’

‘Don’t.’ The single word had both her friends’ eyes snapping to her, but Skye just shrugged and pushed off the sink. ‘It was a fling. Just a few days.’

‘Skye.’ Andrea shimmied closer over the mattress. ‘You don’t have to pretend with us.’

Skye exhaled a stuttered breath. ‘I was so young, so inexperienced. And I saw something, felt something, that wasn’t there. Rehashing it now just embarrasses me. I’m going to exercise Smokey while you guys eat, and then we’ll head out if that’s okay with you? Coming back here was a mistake.’

Stevie smiled. ‘Sure. We’re just along for the ride.’

When TJ got home, both his parents were waiting on the porch for him. They weren’t even pretending to be busy, just sitting, waiting.

His mom stood when he got out of his truck and walked across the front yard.

‘Well? What did she say?’

‘She’s heading out, Mom. But she sends her best.’

His mom deflated. ‘Oh.’

‘I saw Bandit though,’ he added, trying to take the edge off her disappointment. ‘He looks great. Skye has him trained better than any police dog.’

Janey smiled at that. ‘He was hers from the moment she walked in the door.’ She reached up one hand, placed her palm on his face. ‘Are you okay, baby?’

TJ kept his face carefully free of bitterness. ‘I’m fine.’ The truth was that he hadn’t been okay for a long time, not since that last ride. His life was simply one constant and draining battle with pain. Still, he’d learned early on that there was no point in dragging his family down with him, especially given that there was nothing any of them could do about it.

‘I’m fine,’ he repeated. It was his signature response, one of those quick replies that cut off any attempts to dig deeper.

His mom smiled sadly. ‘You hungry? I could whip you up some eggs or a sandwich—’

‘No. I’m gonna do the fence check, try and figure out where Tank slipped through last night.’ TJ included his dad in the conversation when he added, ‘Are you going to be okay without me?’ It was an open-ended question, and when his mom’s eyes filled, TJ added, ‘Working the rodeo again is going to take me away for most of the year.’

His mom stared at his face as if unsure of how to broach the subject without making him angry. But eventually, she reminded him, ‘Doctor Wu told you to stop, TJ. You’re exacerbating—’

‘I did stop, Mom,’ TJ snapped, unable to contain his anger. ‘Or have you forgotten that first year? I didn’t ride. I didn’t run. I didn’t so much as sneeze without perfect posture, and it didn’t make one fucking inch of difference.’

‘Watch your mouth,’ his dad warned.

His mom was unconcerned by his language. But she didn’t let him off the hook either. ‘Is this because of Skye?’

TJ didn’t lie. ‘In part. I need to close that circle.’

‘Why?’

TJ knew what she was asking: Why are you wrapping up your life? Why are you talking like you have a deadline? What are you planning? But he didn’t answer the loaded question the way she wanted him to. He only told her a different truth. ‘Mav called. Apparently, Skye’s had some trouble. He asked me to keep an eye on her.’ He could see that his mom wasn’t buying it, and unwilling to tell her any of Skye’s secrets, he added, ‘I hurt someone I cared about. And I’m not going to be at peace until I make things right.’

She nodded at that. ‘Okay.’

His dad sighed audibly. ‘When do you leave?’

‘Tomorrow.’

‘TJ—’

‘You better see to that fence,’ his dad said.

‘Yeah. I’ll be back to help with the evening milking.’