“Just a second.” I jogged out of the house to see Xander standing there wearing a hoodie, his hands in the center pocket and his eyes sunken in. The kid needed sleep, and from the looks of it, some better nutrition. “Hey. It’s good to see you.” I smiled up at him, but his eyes looked past me.
“Who’s he?” He nodded his head to indicate Jase who was standing behind me.
“This is my friend, Jase.” I held my hand out for Jase to take so Xander could see he wasn’t a threat. “He’s helping me around the farm.”
“So you’re keeping it?” His hopeful eyes spoke volumes about how he really felt.
“Yeah, if I can figure out how.” Saying it out loud for the first time just felt right. “It’s what my Grams wanted.”
Jase squeezed my hand in support of my decision.
“That’s awesome.” Xander twisted his foot in the dirt, forming a little indent. “I was hoping to see my rabbit if she’s okay.”
“He’s fine,” Jase answered for me. Did he forget there wasn’t actually a rabbit to be seen? “I gotta go do a thing.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Can you grab Bunny for him because I have that thing?”
“Yeah. Okay. Go do that thing. I want to show Xander where the new baby lamb is going anyway.” I led Xander to the pen and told him all about the lamb coming to live with us. “You should stop by and see it when it comes.”
“I like lambs. I went on a field trip, and we got to card wool. It was fun...I mean, not if I had to do it all the time like the olden days, but it was field trip fun.” He bent down, giving Daisy a scratch behind the ear. She’d been following him since I got off the porch. Silly pig. “So that guy your boyfriend?”
Gotta love kids and their bluntness.
“Ish.” It was the most honest response I had. Jase was leaving so we couldn’t be anything more than ish. And that sucked because every day, every hour, I found something more to like about him.
When Xander asked about Bunny, we could have said a thousand things to explain his disappearance. Anything from saying he died from his injuries to claiming he was released into the wild...or maybe that he was perfect and his owner had claimed him. But no, Jase snuck away to take his fur and let the boy not only see his bunny, but to pet and hold him.
Who does that?
Someone with a huge heart, that’s who.
“Too bad. He seems nice.”
“Yeah, he is. Now, let’s go see your bunny.” We walked back to the house, and I gave him instructions along the way about not holding him too tightly and all that jazz, because as sweet and compassionate as the boy was, he was still young. And that was my ish he was going to be holding.
“Here he is.” I found Bunny waiting at the door as soon as we opened it. “He must’ve heard you coming.”
Xander bent down and carefully scooped him up. “How are you, little guy?” He pet his head.
“Why don’t you sit on the porch with him, and I’ll make lunch?” Jase deserved a gourmet meal for doing this. Unfortunately for him, he was going to have to settle for grilled cheese and canned tomato soup.
“I have to go back soon, but I can sit for five minutes.” He went outside and settled on the step. Damn his father for being such a cruel fucker. If only there were more I could do. I just had to trust Doc. Sheriff Martin sure as shit wasn’t going to be any help, and I couldn’t trust that I’d be able to get through to Deputy Ron. If he’d given me his number instead of the number to dispatch, that would have helped. “You sure he won’t hop away?”
“Naw, I trained him well.” I was going to pay for that one. Maybe I could get a spanking out of it.
Xander quietly cuddled the bunny as I cooked, then brought him back in just as the sandwiches were done.
“I gotta go.” His eyes fell and so did his demeanor. “Thanks for the visit.”
“Want a sandwich to go?” Even as I asked, I was already bundling up two for the road.
“Really?” His face lit up in disbelief. “You mean it?”
“Absolutely. And you can come back anytime. Soon, because Jase is in love with Bunny so he might take him when he goes. But I’m sure the new lamb would love the company.”
“I’ll be sad if he leaves, but at least he’ll be going to a good home and not a fox’s den.” He took the sandwiches I held out for him. “Thanks for these and Bunny and everything.”
I sighed as I watched the kid take off toward his home.
“He’s gone,” I said into the air as I looked out the window.
“Xander’s got a good head on his shoulders.”
Jase's voice startled me even though it shouldn’t have. “He seems to.” I turned around and saw Jase standing buck-ass naked, and I took a moment to soak in his gloriousness. “Thanks for that. It meant a lot to him.”
“It was the least I could do.” He shrugged. “So, are we getting back to dessert now that our sandwiches are gone?”
They weren’t. I made extra, but we both pretended that wasn’t the case.
“I could use some dessert. Maybe some afternoon delight?”
Needless to say, we ate our grilled cheese cold. It was delicious.
18
Jase
Life with Auggie was pretty great. So great that I was starting to imagine what things would be like if I never left. I was able to fix up a good chunk of the problems we identified, and with each swing of my hammer, it was easier to think of the farm as my home. Or more accurately, that being with Auggie was my home.
And then reality knocked.
Technically, it was the sheriff who knocked on the door at 8:05 Wednesday morning. Auggie and I were just getting out of the shower after a satisfying morning of playtime when the banging at the front startled us both.
Auggie opened up the bedroom window and shouted out toward the door. “Coming! Just a minute.”
“Are you expecting anyone?” I stepped into a pair of jeans then reached for a T-Shirt. It was Auggie’s shirt so it fit snugly against my chest, but I liked having his scent on me. My bunny liked that too.
“No.” Auggie grinned when he looked at me and then picked up my shirt off the chair. It was baggy on his slight frame, but he was bulking up from all his work on the farm. He looked damn good in it. “I’ll be right back.”
I followed on his heels, curious to know who was making an unannounced visit so early, but also desperate for a cup of coffee. When Auggie opened the door and Sheriff Martin was standing on the other side, my heart sank. I knew what he was there for.
Either he had manufactured some reason to arrest me or he was planning to run me out of town. I wasn’t sure which sounded worse. Not until the actual words left his lips and I was faced with the reality I’d been avoiding for weeks.
“Nothing came up on our investigation so you’re free to leave.” The sheriff stared me down, trying to intimidate me. It didn’t work.
“Thank you, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Auggie sighed heavily, obviously relieved. I wasn’t eager to leave quite yet. We had a lot of work left to do, and I don’t think either of us was ready to end whatever connection was building between us.
I winked at him, reassuring him I felt the same way.
“I don’t think you understand what I’m saying, boy.” Sheriff Martin slipped his thumbs into the wide waistband of his trousers and tugged them up as he rocked back on his heels. “It’s not a suggestion.”
Auggie and I both turned to him with slack jaws. In my gut, I knew what he was saying, but I needed to hear him say the words out loud in order for them to sink in. “What are you talking about?”
The heavy-set man pulled his hands along his belt until they were resting on his weapons. “It’s time for you to get moving. We don’t need your kind of riff raff around these parts. We’re good people here, not looking for any trouble.” He eyed me from head to toe and scoffed. “And I knew from the second I saw you that you were trouble.”
I reached for Auggie and tugged
him closer so we could hold each other up. I knew this day was going to suck when it came, but I didn’t think it would come so soon. And I definitely didn’t expect the dread to be as intense as it was. “Yes, sir. I understand.”
“I don’t understand.” Auggie pulled away and balled up his fists on his hips. “Why does Jase have to leave? He’s helping me.”
Sheriff Martin pulled his evil gaze away from me and leveled it on Auggie. I had to stop myself from standing in front of him to shield him from the asshole sheriff, but I didn’t want to make things worse for Auggie. He would be stuck seeing that man for as long as he lived in the town. I, on the other hand, would be a distant memory soon enough. Maybe it was better this way.
“It’s okay, Aug. I need to head out anyway. Maybe I’ll still be able to take that job.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” The sheriff nodded to both of us then walked off the porch, no doubt on his way to ruin someone else’s life. When he got to his vehicle, he paused and looked back up at us both. “I trust you’ll be gone by noon, so I don’t have to come back and remove you.”
Before I could say anything in response, he was tearing off the property in a cloud of dust.
We both stood there for several minutes, not sure what to do next. Finally, Auggie broke the silence.
“So, you’re just gonna leave? They can’t make you leave if you don’t want to. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
I pulled him against my chest and rested my chin on his shoulder. “I know, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be prosecuted for doing something wrong just because they want me gone.”
“So that’s it? No reason to fight?”
I knew what he was asking, but I couldn’t say what he wanted me to say. I couldn’t tell him that I was starting to fall for him and I’d happily live on that farm for the rest of my life if it meant getting to have Auggie by my side that entire time. “It’s better this way, baby. I’ve had fun here, but I need to get going to my real life now.”
His breath shuddered, but he maintained his composure. After a series of calming breaths, he nodded against my cheek then pulled away. “Well, let’s get some breakfast in you, and then I’ll make you some sandwiches for the road while you pack. You’ve got a long drive ahead of you, and you’re burning daylight.”
“Sounds good.” I swallowed hard to hold back the emotion that was starting to bubble up within me. “Come on. Let’s see if that delicious smell coming from the kitchen is hot coffee.”
Auggie nodded without a word and led me into the kitchen. He forced a brave face as he poured us two cups, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. I wasn’t sure if it was because I seemed eager to leave or because he thought I should stand up for myself with the asshole sheriff. Either way, I hated that look of sadness and needed to get out of town as soon as possible.
If I was stuck staring at those big eyes for any length of time, there’d be no chance of me leaving.
19
August
He left.
Just like that.
He left.
And I let him.
I sat up in my bed, stretching my arms with a yawn. Lux was curled up with me, something he never did before Jase left. That afternoon I watched him drive away, I crawled into bed and sobbed until I fell asleep. When I woke up, Lux was there and he’d been there every night since. Silly cat.
Or maybe not silly. Maybe he got it. In a way, I was mourning. Not the same as when Grams died, of course, but the death of a relationship—if we could even call it that—hurt.
“Morning, Lux.” I reached over and scratched behind his ears. “You crashed here again, I see.”
He began to purr.
“I appreciate it, you know.”
He stood up on his three feet and bound off the bed. Snuggling time was officially over. I had approximately fifteen minutes until he began to cry at his food bowl.
I padded off to the bathroom for a quick shower. There was a lot on my plate for the day, between taking care of the animals and a scheduled meeting with my boss. I made the decision to stay at the farm after all. It was my home and selling it just felt wrong. So wrong that anytime I thought about it, I felt sick. Or maybe thinking about being someplace Jase couldn’t find me was what actually made me sick.
Either way, I was staying. This was my home.
“I hear you,” I called to Lux as I pulled my shirt over my head after a hot shower. “I’m coming.” I took three steps and ended up hunched over the toilet, losing what little remained in my belly of dinner the night before. Great. It wasn’t just my emotions. I was actually sick.
By the time I cleaned up and got to the kitchen, Lux was actively attempting to open his food bin. “I said I was coming.” I rolled my eyes at the little furball. “Here. I’ll even give you some extra.” I poured his kibble and started to make a pot of coffee, quickly realizing how dumb that was, and settling for a cup of mint tea.
“I’m off to feed everyone else. I’ll be back in a bit.” I headed out to do the chores, which took twice as long as they should’ve. I was dragging and barely got back in time for my meeting. I didn’t even have time to change. Oh well. They knew I was living on a farm, so no one was expecting Gucci.
“Mr. Williams.” I sat up straight as soon as we both connected to the video call.
“August, you look like you’re...fitting right in?” It came out as a question, and had I not known him, I’d have thought it was an insult. “Are you calling to say you’ll be back soon? It’s challenging to work this way.”
Brilliant. I took a deep breath. “Sir, good to see you too.” I hit send on the file I had prepared for the meeting. “I have a proposal I think might work for both of us.” Please, let it work at least until I can find something local that will pay the bills.
“Which means what exactly?” He was silent, staring at the machine in a way that indicated he was reading the document. Each subtle facial expression increased my anxiety ten-fold. “I see.”
“Is that a yes, sir?” If it wasn’t, it would suck to be jobless.
He shook his head. “I don’t like it.”
“I understand.” Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. “But my work does help the agency bring in more money.”
“True.” He scratched his chin and heaved a heavy sigh. “It’s not ideal, and I’m not saying yes, but how about we try it for forty-five days with you really committing to making it work.” That was a dick way of saying he thought I could do more than I already was. “And then we’ll reevaluate.”
“Sounds great.” It didn’t. It sounded awful. I didn’t want to do twice the work for the same pay just to prove myself worthy, but it bought me some desperately needed time.
He cleared his throat and rocked back in his expensive leather chair. “Now let’s talk salary.”
By the time I got off the call, I was making three quarters of my former salary, losing my insurance because of some out-of-state bullshit clause, and had to keep a daily time sheet. It sucked, but it was my only option.
I stood up, and the nausea came back in full force. It was only lunch time, but I didn’t care. I climbed back into bed and took a power nap. A power nap that wound up being three hours long.
Fortunately, I felt a bit better when I woke up, so I checked on the animals and decided to go into town. There was a small real estate office on the main street, and I wanted to see if they might be a place worth dropping off my resume at. I parked at the diner and ordered my dinner to-go, then meandered down the street as they cooked it.
The real estate agency was everything I expected it to be. An older home with a wraparound porch and listings taped to the windows. From what little I could tell, it was a family business, so I probably couldn’t offer them much unless they were desperate. Without having to pay rent, I didn’t need to make too much. It was at least something to think about while I rode out the next forty-five days.
“Looking to sell the place?” Doc startled me.
“Hey
, Doc. Naw, just seeing what the place was like. That’s my job—sort of—real estate, I mean. I mostly do the tech stuff.” I stepped off the porch, not wanting to shout at him when he was right there.
“Congratulations.” He hugged me. Doc. Hugged. Me.
“Thanks, but what are you talking about?” I took a huge step back, needing a little bit of space.
“Oh. Shit.” He bit his bottom lip and gave me a sheepish grin. “You don’t know yet, do you?”
“Know what?” My stomach started to knot, wondering what he might possibly mean.
“You’re pregnant. You and Jase are going to be dads.” He clapped my shoulder and looked genuinely happy for us. Me. Only me since I was all alone.
I just stared.
It only took him a second to register that I was in shock. “Want to go to my office and talk?”
I nodded then followed him to my car. I almost forgot to pick up my food, the food I no longer even wanted to smell, before I drove the short distance to his office.
“You had no idea?” He opened my car door as I turned off the ignition.
“None.” Not even a hint. I’d been blaming everything on Jase leaving me with a broken heart, not once considering any other option.
“Let’s get you inside, and we can figure this out. Unless you want to wait until Jase gets here.”
“Jase is gone.” It came out as a choked whisper.
He sighed and wrapped an arm around my back. “Then let’s go figure some things out, shall we?”
I followed him into the building without a word. At least I wasn’t completely alone.
20
Jase
Supply chain coordinator sounded impressive in theory. And really, it wasn’t hard work. It was actually kind of fun to organize the suppliers and the orders and mix and match until all the right parts were sent to all the right manufacturers at all the right times.
Some Bunny To Love: River’s Edge Shifters #1 Page 7