Chapter 11

Chapter

Eleven

Easton cursed his brother’s interruption. Especially when he took the suitcase back up to Cassie and she obviously was not in the same frame of mind as when he’d left her. She thanked him, tugged the suitcase from his grip, and walked into the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her.

They’d been so close to a kiss and possibly reconciliation, but he couldn’t recreate the moment. He had no choice but to go to bed. He prayed in gratitude that Cassie and Presley were here with him and for the broken road that had brought them here. He had hope, and that was a powerful thing.

Friday morning, he woke bright and early. The other ranch hands would have to take care of the feedings and the patrolling. Luckily, it was winter time and not as much work around the ranch needed to be done. He would go a bit insane not being able to work out until her ex was caught, but he’d pay a bigger price than that to have Cassie and Presley close .

He showered and got ready, then hurried out onto the loft. Not being alone in his house was very different from his norm. He liked it and looked forward to his next interaction with Cassie.

Their door was still closed, so he headed downstairs to the kitchen. He started frying bacon and eggs and cutting up some fruit. He pulled out yogurt, juice, and milk.

Finally he heard footsteps above him, but it was another twenty minutes before they came down.

“Easton!” Presley screamed, pumping down the stairs and into his arms.

He hugged her tightly. Easton got hugs from his mama all the time, and beautiful women every weekend, but Presley’s hugs were unique and heartwarming. He’d give a lot to have Cassie hugging him as well.

Her cautious look as she came down the stairs told him he wouldn’t get a hug anytime soon. They had regressed from last night. Why? It still rankled at him that she’d cheated on him and here he was being the bigger man and trying to forgive and forget. He was wholly committed to her. He’d never forget that shift in Clint’s office. It was terrifying to wonder how he’d cope if she never felt the same.

They ate breakfast and cleaned up. Then he wasn’t certain what they’d do with themselves. “I need to deal with some things for the wedding,” Cassie said.

“Presley and I can hang out,” he offered.

“Yeah, man,” Presley cheered.

“Thank you.”

Cassie got Presley dressed in her snow clothes and the two of them went out into the stinging cold winter day and piles of fresh snow they’d been blessed with overnight. They built a snow fort and had a snowball fight. He felt like he was young again and loved each time Presley giggled.

Cassie came out onto the porch, and he was happy to see she was dressed to be in the snow as well.

“Hit your mama with snowballs,” he said in an undertone to Presley.

“Yay!” Presley started forming snowballs and tossing them at the porch. They fell short. Easton helped, forming soft balls so they wouldn’t hurt but making sure he hit his target.

“Hey!” Cassie cried out, hiding behind the porch timbers. Then she dashed down the stairs and ran right at them, scooping snow and throwing it as she came.

“Fall back, fall back,” Easton cried, swooping up Presley and running for their fort. They dodged behind the wall.

Presley giggled. “She won’t find us here.”

Footsteps approached, and Easton put his finger to his lips, setting Presley behind him. “I’ll protect you, my princess,” he vowed.

Cassie appeared around the side of their fort. Easton dove at her, tackling her back into the snow but rolling mid-air like the ultra athlete he was. He landed on his back, absorbing the impact of her weight. The snow was soft and didn’t hurt at all.

She cried out in surprise, splayed on top of him. Her grin was wide, and it felt amazing to play around with her.

“Sneak attack,” she cried.

He held her tight and grinned up at her. “The sneak attack is still coming.” He arched up toward her.

Her eyes widened, but instead of telling him off, she leaned down toward him.

Easton’s heart raced out of control. This might finally be their moment .

An armful of snow fell on their heads.

“I got you, I got you,” Presley crowed.

Easton and Cassie both sputtered and laughed. He grabbed Presley and yanked her down into the snow, singing Logan Mize’s song, “You can’t get away from a good time”. The three of them rolled around and laughed and played until they were soaked even through their snow clothes.

They went in to get dry and have hot cocoa and roast beef sandwiches for lunch. Easton stared at Cassie over the top of his hot cocoa cup. This was not his normal day, far from it, and he loved every moment. Nobody else would believe that the confirmed playboy was hanging up his spurs, but he was dedicated to Cassie heart and soul. He always had been. Now to talk through the past six years of being apart.

After lunch, Presley needed to go down for a nap. Even though she protested loudly, she was tired and rubbing at her eyes.

“How about if I sing you songs?” Easton offered.

Cassie threw him a grateful look. He would sing for hours to get her to look at him like that. What had she gone through being a single mom? It sounded like her husband had been a nightmare the entire time. The opposite of a supporting and loving husband and father like Easton had grown up with.

Cassie had not grown up with a supportive and loving father, yet she was a devoted and loving mom and had succeeded at her career. She was impressive. He wanted to ease her load, and he wanted to make her his. The song from Parmalee played through his head: “Take my hand and make me yours”. He wished he could sing it to Cassie. Would she agree? It was fifty-fifty at this point. He needed to hold that song for the perfect moment with her.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Presley cheered, clapping her dimpled hands together. “But my legs are p’sghetti and so I can’t walk up the stairs.” She ran to him, and he gathered her in his arms. They giggled together as he carried her up the stairs.

Cassie didn’t follow them. Did that mean she trusted him to get her daughter to sleep by himself? Of course she could trust him with her daughter.

He settled Presley into the bed, then sat on the edge and sang her song after song. He was a new man with Cassie and Presley, in the best possible way. Finally, her eyes drifted closed.

Creeping out of the room, he strode down the stairs. Cassie was at the table on her laptop. She looked up at him. “Thank you. You’re amazing with her.”

“She’s easy to be amazing with.” He settled down in the seat next to her. “Is there anything I can do to help with the weddings?”

“No.” She shook her head and focused on her laptop. “Honestly, I don’t know if there’s anything I can do for the weddings. I think it’s all ready to go.”

“I’m sure it’ll be incredible.” He held her gaze, then slowly pushed the laptop closed. “If there’s nothing you need to do right now, can we talk?” His voice pitched up with nerves. They had a lot of garbage between them to talk about. Sunday night, she’d thrust him away again. Her mom being killed and her needing him had softened her to being around him, but he wondered what would set her off. How could he show his devotion to her, no matter what they had to work through?

She twisted her hands together. “I don’t know, Easton. It’s … a lot.”

“I don’t want to push you when you’re upset about your mom.” He tried to be magnanimous when inside he was dying for answers. What had happened to make her cheat on him and push him away in the first place? What had happened in all those years they’d been apart? Was she still his sweet but sassy Cass? He prayed that she’d let down her guard. His entire future hinged on her letting him into her heart again.

“I’m not upset about my mom,” she admitted quietly, then drew in a breath. “Is that awful? I feel bad she’s dead and it makes me sick that she had a horrible death, thanks to my awful ex, but I’m more upset about Baxter coming here and somehow knowing I’m here. I can’t let him hurt Presley.”

He covered her hand with his. “He won’t get near Presley, and he won’t hurt you again.” He swallowed and then asked, “Do you want to tell me about it?”

“My marriage?”

He nodded. If he could get her talking, maybe he could get her to talk through everything he’d missed and everything that had pulled her away from him. If he didn’t know, how could he fix it?

She sprang to her feet and paced into the kitchen, pulling a glass from the cabinet and getting ice and water from the fridge. He stood, watching and wondering if she would avoid him once again.

She drank some water, then paced around the kitchen. Finally she stopped, set the glass on the counter, and asked, “What do you want to know, Easton? That I made the biggest mistake of my life trusting Baxter? That he manipulated me and snow-jobbed me? That he comforted me after I lost you and I had nobody else? I was alone in a big city. I couldn’t come home. It was so lonely.” Her voice caught, and she fell silent.

Easton slowly approached her. He didn’ t know what she needed, but he wanted to be here for her. Opening his arms, he simply waited.

She gave a little cry and slammed into him. He wrapped her up tight and held her close. He still didn’t understand why she couldn’t come back to Coleville when she was all alone or why she thought she had ‘lost’ him when she was the one who’d thrust him away. But at least he could comfort and hold her for this moment.

Cassie clung to Easton. He soaked in the beauty of holding her and being here for her.

Finally, she pulled back, wiping at her face and smiling at him. “Sorry. I should’ve never dated or married Baxter. I suppose it’s no excuse, but at the time, he was there for me. He seemed genuine and in love with me, and truly he was all I had.”

“I’m sorry you felt like that, Cass.” He chose his words carefully and realized a song might help. “‘I know that you have built up these walls surrounding your love,’” he sang Ryan Clark’s song slow and soft, studying her. “‘Let me help you tear them down, I'm here to stay around.’”

She looked like she was teetering, maybe ready to fall.

“You can turn to me, Cass. I’ll always be here for you.”

Her eyes narrowed and she folded her arms across her chest. “Really?”

“Really.” He spread his stance and his hands. He hoped this was the moment to talk it out. “After you cheated on me with Baxter?—”

“Are you serious right now?” she yelled.

His eyes widened. Her cheeks were flushed. She uncrossed her arms and flung them around. He’d seen her angry before, but not like this. Before, he could always tease her out of her anger. Now, she was furious. With him. And teasing would definitely fall flat.

“After I cheated on you? That was the instigator to our breakup? Is that what you’re trying to claim?”

Easton was confused and getting a little frustrated himself. “What I’m trying to claim? Cass, I went to that wedding to surprise you and found you dancing with him and then he bent down and kissed you, and you didn’t push him away.”

She stared at him for a few beats and deflated a bit. “I guess I could see how it looked that way, but I was stunned by the kiss. I didn’t move away, but I didn’t return it.”

He lifted his hands. “Even if you didn’t want to kiss him?—”

“I didn’t,” she cried out.

“You not only didn’t push him away …” Maybe he was being a bit obstinate, but they had to get through this somehow, and the only way was forward. “But you yelled at me after I knocked him down. You told me you never wanted to see me again. That was harsh after I caught you cheating. I should’ve been the one making irrational demands.”

The color was back in her cheeks. She stormed up to him and poked him in the chest. “How dare you?” she said in a deadly quiet voice. It was more terrifying than her anger. “How dare you cheat on me and then act like I was the one who cheated?”

“Excuse me?” He was befuddled. “When have I ever cheated on you?”

“Oh, come on.” She rolled her eyes. “You’ve kissed every woman from here to the east coast. When did you cheat on me? When didn’t you?”

“Cass.” He kept his voice even and pushed down his frustration. “I have dated, and I know what the media makes it look like, but I haven’t kissed that many women and I never cheated on you when we were together.”

Her nostrils flared. She glowered at him but didn’t say anything.

“After you cheated on me and thrust me out of your life,” he continued, “I did date. I dated a lot. I was trying to get over you and find someone I could love, who could measure up to you in my mind. Nobody could.” He prayed she’d be reasonable about this. How could it be counted as cheating if she’d already dumped him?

“Liar!” she screamed.

“Cass.” He was so confused by her anger and accusations.

She tried to dart around him. Easton turned and wrapped her up.

“Cassie, please. I want to forgive and forget, but you can’t seriously think I cheated on you when we’d already broken up before I even looked at another woman, and then I swear it was only because I was heartbroken and trying to somehow move on and resurrect my pride.”

She pushed at his chest. “Let me go, you liar.”

“Cass. I am not a liar. You know that about me.”

He let her go. He wasn’t going to hold her here and try to convince her he wasn’t lying. He’d never been one to lie. Exaggerate and boast? Sure. Lying? Never.

“You cheated on me before you even came to that wedding.” Her teal-blue eyes spat fire at him. “My friend sent me a photo of you from an online Western magazine and you were dipping some redhead back and checking her tonsils with your tongue!” Her voice rose as she all but screamed at him.

“Redhead? What magazine? I have no clue what you’re talking about. ”

“I can’t believe you! Just own it up to it, Easton!”

“Own up to what? I never cheated on you.”

A door opened upstairs and footsteps pattered out. “Mama? My Easton?”

Easton couldn’t help but groan. He adored that little girl, but her timing couldn’t have been worse.

Cassie spun from him and ran up the stairs. He watched her gather Presley close as Presley asked why she was yelling. Cassie apologized for waking her up, making no excuse for the yelling.

Easton was frozen. All of her resentment, standoffishness, and anger made sense now. Cassie truly thought he’d cheated with some redhead and it was in a magazine.

He stewed, trying to wrap his mind around this revelation and rewrite the past six years from her perspective. No wonder she couldn’t trust him or love him again. He felt like he’d been flung off of a bull’s back, slammed to the ground, and was paralyzed, unable to move. The bullfighters couldn’t get to him and the bull was coming to finish him off.

How in the world could he find the magazine and prove she was wrong? If he couldn’t, would she ever believe him, forgive him, and be his again?

His chest felt tight, and despair cloaked him like a foggy day. He saw no way through or around this.