15. Sutton

FIFTEEN

SUTTON

“Ryland,” I call out his name as I walk out of the bedroom. We’ve created a routine, or maybe they’ve had one all along and brought me into the fold. After the third day, I had to push for him to take Case to and from school. He’d already taken time off from the ranch this week and well into next when I don’t think it’s needed. Ms. Catherine and Russell stop by during the day, and some of the others do as well.

“In the kitchen.” After he wakes up Case in the morning and I make breakfast for the three of us, he drives him to town for preschool, and I do a few things around the house. Today, I abandoned the kitchen in lieu of having an everything shower. It’s too damn cold in Arrowleaf, Wyoming to go to sleep with a wet head of hair. The good news is, I’ve scrubbed my body from head to toe without wincing in pain from bruises. My ribs are still tender, but it’s nothing I can’t breathe through. I shaved, washed my hair, and since the house was empty, I let the conditioner sit in my hair a lot longer than I would have last week. My left wrist is still in a splint, which makes for some awkward maneuvering while showering, but wrapping it in a plastic grocery bag then tying a knot helps keep it from getting wet, and since my body seems to be healing faster than I initially thought it would, I’ve been able to do more for myself and around the house. The only problem is my energy level. I feel like all I do is sleep. One little task, and I’m winded. I’ll be lucky to make it another hour before I’m asleep in the recliner or on the couch. Ryland always insists on me crawling back in bed, except he won’t lie down with me, so I groan and grumble in order to get my way to stay in the living room.

“Does Case like lasagna?” I ask, a towel wrapped around my head in a turban style. I’ve yet to be able to go back to my house and bring more clothes to Ryland’s. Apparently, the police department had to do some kind of investigation work. Which means I’m left in limbo. And while I have the clothes Ms. Catherine bought me, I can’t necessarily walk around in pajamas day in and day out. Especially without a bra, which means I’ve taken over most of Ryland’s clothes.

“Yeah, babe. Pretty sure anything you make, he’ll eat,” Ryland responds.

“At least he eats for Sutton. He’s not been doing that for any of us lately,” I hear other voices murmuring to one another. Well, shit, I guess they’re going to see me looking like this again.

“I’ll be right there.” I veer back to Ryland’s bedroom. The oversized shirt won’t do anything to hide the lack of a bra, and while the last time they saw me wasn’t much better, I can at least attempt to cover up this time. A quick nip into the closet, and my hand grabs the first available hoodie that zips up the front, and then I head back out to be social.

I’m not expecting what greets me. The whole family is here, carrying a bag here, a box there, and when I spot a couple of items that look like mine, I’m in shock. My hand goes to my mouth, water gathers in my eyes, and no matter how many times I blink, I can feel the tears slide down my cheeks. No matter what I try to do, they just keep leaking.

“Ryland, what’s going on here?” I make my way toward him. He’s got a pot of coffee in his hand and is pouring multiple cups into the mugs.

“Had the family meet me at your place, packed what we could.” I can feel the heat spread along my cheeks, carrying down to my chest, worried that someone besides Ryland went through my panty drawer. “Birdie, Tully, Maeve, Juniper, Sienna, and Mom took care of your bedroom. We guys did the heavy lifting.” I plant my hands on his sides, stepping closer.

“Ry,” I breathe his name. He’s done more for me than I could ever imagine. Thank you will never be enough. Loving him as much as I do won’t be enough, either, but I’m going to hold on to him and never let him go.

“Thinkin’ it was dumb on my part bringing you clothes. I like you in mine a fuck of a lot more. I like knowing you’re not wearing anything beneath my clothes, too.” His hand slides beneath the hem of my shirt and hoodie, and when it meets the skin on my back, I lose myself in our moment. His head lowers, and all I can do is brace for his kiss. Ry doesn’t care that his family is walking in and out of the house. It seems neither do I. His tongue sweeps along the seam of my lips, deepening the kiss until they tangle with one another. My fingers fist his shirt so tightly I can feel the cramping start. A nice new bonus to my recovery. I’m so tired of being tired.

“Who says I won’t still wear your clothes?” I murmur, smirking against his lips. I’ve liked wearing Ry’s shirts probably a little too much, but I can’t say I’ll change my ways, either.

“You won’t hear me complain,” he replies, giving me one last kiss.

“That’s good. What can I do to help?” I offer, floating back down to reality. In hindsight, he shouldn’t have to pack my bags. I should have been able to ride over to my house, pack what I need, and come back here, or I could have stayed in my home. The doctor hasn’t completely cleared me, but he has stayed in contact with Ryland to monitor my progress. The truth of the matter is I’m not ready to face the place where I was attacked. My safe place is completely destroyed. Finding comfort in a house where love once lived has vanished. Shane ruined that, and he almost ruined me.

“Not a damn thing. Going to make room in the closet for your things, along with the dresser. Then you can unpack after your morning nap.” He reads my mind. He’s been doing that a lot lately. Either he can see the apprehension on my face when stopping at my house is brought up or he’s protecting me. I tend to think it’s a little bit of both.

“I’d like to slowly go down to one nap a day. So, I’ll just hold off for now.” I feel like a child with the number of naps I take.

“It’s up to you. How about you sit down for the time being? We’ll bring the boxes to the room for later.”

“Okay.” He lets me go. I watch as he walks to where his brothers are off to the side before I move to the recliner. Only a couple of the sisters made it over with Ms. Catherine. It’s probably safe to assume that Maeve who owns, Whisked Away is at the local bakery. Tully is probably out on calls for her veterinarian office, and Sienna is probably in town working at Two Chicks, her and Genevieve’s pottery studio.

“Sutton, sweetheart, how are you feeling?” Ms. Catherine asks. Birdie is sitting with her. I feel terrible about taking up so much of their time. Especially with all of them working, Birdie included. She might work from home, but that doesn’t mean she has free reign and won’t have to work later to make up for lost time.

“Today is really good. I have my checkup in a few days, and I’m hoping to be able to do more than the bare minimum on my college class assignments.” The concussion causes me to slow down after about an hour because my eyes get tired and focusing becomes harder. Stupid concussion. Stupid Shane. And stupid me for taking so long to get him out of my life.

“Good, I’m glad. I know it’s been hard using Ry’s computer and not having your notebooks as well. They’re here now.” Her hand reaches for mine, squeezing it gently.

“Thank you.”

“Birdie saw it first. She knows more about these things than I do.” She tries to play it off like she didn’t help.

“Thank you, Birdie.”

“You’re welcome. Having your own laptop is important. I know that more than anyone. Also, there are flowers on the counter. There isn’t a whole lot in season, but my mom, this is her thing. She keeps us all flush with flowers at least once a month, if not more. I’m going to head out. If you need anything, let me know.” Birdie stands up, moves toward me, bends at the waist, and gives me a hug, then she’s out the door.

The crowd dwindles down, everyone having chores to do on and around the farm. All that’s left is Ms. Catherine, Russell, Lawson, and Ryland.

“I need to start the eviction process of getting Shane out of my house legally. Check the stuff in the shed isn’t destroyed and go through the boxes to make sure Mom’s stuff is still in good condition,” I mutter under my breath, talking out loud, like I’m walking home from work alone.

“Ryland and I will take care of that,” Lawson says, taking a seat next to his mom. Ry comes up beside him.

“You make a list of what needs to be taken out of the house. We’ll put it in the garage, then you go through the boxes and document everything. Just in case. As for the eviction process, it may be overkill depending on how your case goes, but I’ll call our family lawyer to get the ball rolling.” Ryland’s hand massages the back of my neck.

“You all have done so much. Really, I can do this.” The group of men makes a bunch of noises, mumbling about independent women. Ms. Catherine’s eyebrow arches at me with a smile. It causes me to let out a laugh, and while there’s still a twinge of pain when that happens, it’s not near as bad as my life could be. I’m surrounded by people who care and love freely. That’s why I’m not going to put up a fuss, allowing the people I love to help me as much as they want to.