Chapter 87 Part 87
Asher
“Do you want to talk about it?” Emerson asked him, as they unpacked the groceries in the kitchen.
“There’s not much to say. I was in the Army for ten years, came back about five months ago and when I saw her, I just knew; I didn’t love her, and I hadn’t for a long time. There was no point in trying to rekindle a relationship that had been dead for years.”
“That’s not morbid at all,” she said. “How long were you guys together?”
“We were on and off again for ten years. It wasn’t even a consistent relationship. She’d want me to wine and dine her when I was home on leave, but she never wrote or emailed me, she never visited my family, and she rarely came to the ranch, even when I was here.”
“Hmm, I get what you’re saying. It was more of a convenience than anything else,” she said.
“Yeah. I was tired of it all, so I ended it.”
“Morbid. That’s the sheep’s name! Morbid the sheep.”
Asher chuckled. “Dinner’s around seven at the main house. There’s some stuff I need to take care of before we go. You okay here alone?”
“Yeah, go do your thing. Morbid and I will be just fine,” she said, with a grin.
Asher left the house and headed down to his barn. He got the leading rope from the tack room and clicked his tongue as he neared the gate. One Star’s ears pricked up, and he came over to the fence where Asher stood.
“How you doing, One Star? Did you have a good day?” The horse lowered his head, and Asher scratched behind his ears. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll take you up the mountain.”
He opened the gate, put the leading rope on One Star, and closed the gate again. He led the horse back to his stall and rubbed his neck. He went back for Betty, and did the same. He rubbed them down, brushing their coats, and made sure they had enough food and clean water for the night. He checked their hooves for any damage or soreness, and finally fed them an apple each. He updated their feeding log and locked the small office behind him. From there, he walked to the main barn, and leaned on the corral’s railing as Rick brought in Colt and Dylan’s horses.
“I hear you got yourself some mystery woman tucked up at your house!” Blair yelled from the corral.
“Eden’s a blabber!” he yelled back.
“We meeting her tonight?”
“Yeah!”
Blair rode to the railing, dismounted his horse, Black Moon, and handed the reins to Theo. “Rub him down well.” He turned to look at Asher and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Where’d you even meet this woman?”
“Why? You want to go find one for yourself?”
Blair barked out a laugh. “The only woman I want is one that can wrangle a herd of cattle on her own.”
“You ain’t aiming very high,” Asher said, and ducked as Blair swatted him with his work gloves. “What if she resembles a horse?”
“Pretty is overrated, Asher. I care more about her moral values than a pretty face I can flaunt in town,” Blair said.
“Wise words, little brother.”
“You doing okay?”
Asher nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay. Each day gets better and easier.”
“This woman ain’t that Maggie you went looking for, is she?”
Asher had told Blair and his father the truth. Blair had been there for him a lot, especially in the weeks after his return. He’d found Asher in the woods a few times, where he’d made a nest for himself, waiting for his captors to return. He’d started sleepwalking, and Blair had been there every single time to lead him away from the cliff. He deserved to know the truth.
“No. I’ve accepted that my reality is different from the one I dreamed up. I’m okay, Blair, I really am.”
“You do look more like yourself these days,” he said, and smiled.
“Random bit of news. Apparently Ashley has her eye on a Fitzgerald, and it ain’t me.”
Blair chuckled. “It’s probably Colt. He was always a ladies man.”
“She described him more as a player.”
“Did she now?” Blair asked, as amusement settled in his eyes. “I’m sure Dad will be thrilled to hear that part.”
Asher laughed. “Maybe I should bring the whip to dinner.”
Blair nodded, and turned as Theo yelled his name. “I’ll see you and mystery woman tonight.”
Asher watched him leave, then he helped Rick round up the last horses from the corral and put them in their stalls. Blair wanted Black Moon to service Betty, but Asher wanted a foal first. Black Moon was – as his name described – pitch black, large, and as tame as a puppy, despite his fierce looks.
As the sun began to set, Asher walked back to his house and took his boots off on the porch before he walked inside. He’d expected to find her in the living room, watching TV but the room was empty.
“Asher?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
She appeared at the top of the stairs. “Can I go like this or do I need to change?”
“You’re fine,” he said.
She grinned, and he knew she was going to have another smart mouth comment. “Yes, I am.”
He took his hat off and hung it on the hook near the front door, and made his way to his own bedroom to shower and change before dinner. He smiled as he took his clothes off. She really didn’t need a confidence booster, and he found that he liked that about her. She didn’t seem shallow or vain, but optimistic, despite her circumstances. She had a nice personality, even if she was a bit sassy.
He showered and changed into clean jeans and a T-shirt. He pulled on another pair of boots and found her waiting downstairs. “Ready to go?”
“Only if I can bring Morbid with me,” she said, with a serious look on her face. Asher frowned and opened his mouth to say something. “I’m kidding!” She laughed loudly, and walked out of the front door. Asher shook his head. He had been right. She was going to be a thorn in his side.