Chapter 12

After sayinga final goodbye to Mama, I wanted desperately to go check on Bodhi to see what she’d done to him. I held myself back for as long as I could, but I just needed to see him. Seb snickered at me as I passed. I flipped him the bird and went into the break room. Bodhi was still sitting at the table smiling. He looked a bit dazed.

“Hey, are you okay?” I took the seat beside him and placed my hand on his.

He jolted slightly, shaking his head. “Yeah, just got lost in thought. Your mom is wonderful. She really cares about you guys.”

Bodhi appeared almost wistful. Now that I understood more of his story, I could imagine he longed for a family—a mother to love him unconditionally.

“She’s the best, but she has been known to overstep.” I raised an eyebrow inquiringly. “What did she say to you?”

“I’m good. Don’t worry about me. She was just telling me about your caring nature and your love of collecting strays.” He chuckled.

Groaning, I ran a hand over my face. “Did she share the baby bird story? I was, like, six when that happened, and I wanted to keep him warm.”

Quirking an eyebrow at me, he was trying not to laugh. “She just told me you nursed it back to health. How exactly did you keep it warm?”

“Damn it! That’s usually Mama’s favorite part of the story. I built a nest out of blankets on my bed and wrapped myself around him to make sure he was warm and safe.” My face heated. “Mama was worried I would smother him when I fell asleep. But she didn’t have to worry since Jay, that was his name, made his own nest on my back. That’s how we slept until he passed away.”

I missed Jay and all the other animals I’d cared for over the years. Maybe I should look at getting a dog again. I missed having animals in the house.

Bodhi startled me out of my thoughts by touching my arm. “I think it’s sweet. You like caring for things, don’t you?” The smile he sent me held so much emotion. I was transfixed by the way his aqua eyes sparkled. He carefully went to rise, making me stand up and step back. “I was going to keep reading, but after all that food I could use a nap.”

“You can nap on the couch. We’ve each done it a time or two.” I helped him over to the couch. “All right then. Give me a shout if you need anything.”

Nodding at me, he settled onto the couch and closed his eyes. I had no choice but to get back to work.

The next few days passed in much the same way as the first one. Before I knew it the weekend had arrived.

Bodhi was moving around with a lot more ease and even occasionally putting weight on his foot. With all the rest, naps, and pain pills, he was thankfully healing fast. He wanted to try the crutches now that his wrist wasn’t as painful. He could just manage to grip the handle enough to maintain balance, but it still made me nervous.

We’d been by the local thrift store and managed to get him some more clothes, mainly sweatpants that he could comfortably get on and off over his walking boot. I also insisted on buying him a thick navy fleece jacket. It was a little big on him, but it would keep him warm and that was all I cared about. I snickered to myself at his constant grumbling that I shouldn’t be buying him things, since I’d already done too much.

Shaking my head, I thought about what we could do this weekend. Taking a drive up the ridgeline to the lookout might be nice and would get Bodhi out of the house. It also wouldn’t be too active with his injuries but still something to do that could help show him the town. With that in mind, a plan started to form. I went to look in the fridge to see what I would need to create a nice picnic that we could share while overlooking the town. I whipped up some sandwiches, cut up some fresh fruit, made a thermos of sweetened coffee, and then went to see Bodhi.

He’d taken to stretching out on one of the Adirondack chairs on the deck to read. He was snuggled under a blanket, fully engrossed in his book. I noticed the font was larger and somewhat bolder than normal text. He used a folded up blank piece of paper to track the line he was currently reading. He seemed to be a slow reader and concentrated so hard that a little crease formed between his eyebrows. It was so endearing. He was often so focused he rarely noticed what was going on around him. I would have to touch him to snap him out of it.

Bending down to do just that, I got his attention. He turned to smile at me and it lit up his whole face. He’d lost that scared look in his eyes since he’d come to stay with me. I was thankful he trusted me and was beginning to feel more comfortable around here.

“How’s it going?” I gestured at the book he was reading on the borrowed tablet.

His cheeks blushed prettily. “It’s good.”

“What are you reading and why does it make you blush?” I teased as I gently grazed the back of my forefinger over his heated cheek.

Glancing away from me, he mumbled, “It’s a romance.”

“Hey, now. There’s nothing wrong with reading romance. I’ve been known to read a few and I know Kay’s a huge fan. You should get some recommendations from him. He’ll talk your ear off about it.” I had to smile at his adorable chuckle in response. “Anyway, I was just thinking.... How would you like to get out of the house and go for a drive?”

Smiling at me, he nodded. “Sure. That sounds great.” He carefully rose and moved around on one crutch as we slowly shuffled our way back inside.

Once in the truck and on our way, easy conversation flowed between us. He told me about the book he was reading and inquired a little more about my family and my brothers. He had a soft quality. He was kind and listened wholeheartedly when I talked. I couldn’t remember a time when someone had been so focused on me, even when talking about nothing in particular.

Bodhi grew more animated as we made our way up the ridge. He marveled at the heights and expanse of farms and forest below by letting out adorable little gasps every now and then.

As we came to the lookout, I parked and went around to help Bodhi out of the truck. The lookout was nothing special, just a large rocky expanse jutting out the side of the mountain, fully fenced in with solid metal bars to keep people safe. There was only one bench seat, set back a ways from the edge, and since it was early fall, we had the whole place to ourselves.

I carefully guided Bodhi to the end of the lookout to take in the view.

“This is beautiful.” His voice was filled with awe as the sunlight glinted off his shaggy hair.

“It is.” But I wasn’t looking at the town below or the picturesque ridgeline.

Seeing Bodhi’s face light up as he took in the land below filled me with a sense of pride. I’d given him something that helped him smile again, even if it was just as simple as showing him my home.

He brought out my protective side more than ever. All I wanted to do was wrap him in my arms and keep him safe. He made me feel things I’d all but given up on. Things I wanted but had been pushed to the side by life, my small town, and my hatred of the city. Hope flared in my chest.

As Bodhi turned his head to look at me, I quickly realized how close we were standing. He had his hip pressed against the rail. As he looked up at me, the light playing across his face made him even more beautiful and showcased the galaxy of freckles dotted over his nose and cheeks.

The moment between us seemed charged as we continued to stare at each other. Electricity danced across my skin, making my insides warm. Bodhi’s attention flicked down at my lips, then met my gaze again as we both leaned in.

As my lips touched his, my body came alive. Tingles raced down my spine and heat swirled in my belly. I pecked kisses over Bodhi’s lips, reveling in their softness. Tilting his head back, he opened for me, and I dove in, deepening the kiss and teasing my tongue against his. Our tongues danced and dueled as Bodhi let out a breathy little moan that I drank down. I’d brought my hand up to caress his cheek, then cradled the back of his head. Slowly, I gentled the kiss, pulling back enough to rest our foreheads together as we breathed in unison. I gazed into his eyes, coming down from a kiss that I knew had just changed my life.