Bri slapped a hand over her mouth. “She did?”
“Yeah.” He shook his head, recalling his punishment. “I was grounded for a week and I had to clean the entire house while she got to go to a movie.”
“No way.” His niece giggled a little.
Kyler laughed too. Laughter was another part of the process. “I loved your mom very much,” he told his niece. “She was the best sister in the world. She took care of me a lot. She watched out for me, even when we were grownups.” He still battled guilt that he hadn’t called her more, that he hadn’t had the chance to thank her before she left. “I miss her.”
Tears brightened Bri’s eyes, but her smile didn’t fade. “I miss her too. Sometimes it feels like I can’t breathe I miss her so much.”
He’d had those moments. When the emotional pain became physical. That’s why he could walk her through this. “We can miss her together.” He ruffled his niece’s bedhead. “Maybe that’ll make it a little easier for both of us.”
His niece nodded, the tears finally slipping down her cheeks.
“We talk about your mom and dad anytime you want.” He would keep telling her that as often as he needed to. And this might be a good time to bring up the other thing he wanted to talk to her about too. “We’ll always have good memories no matter where we go or what we do.” He paused, unsure of the best way to go about this conversation, finally settling on a question. “Do you like the ranch? Do you feel happy here?”
“I love it.” Instead of steering her gaze away from his like she’d done so often before, Bri looked into his eyes. “I love the animals. And Miss Agatha and Miss Emery and Miss Mack and Mr. Nash. They’re so nice.”
“They are nice.” In some ways they’d saved both he and Brielle. “Mr. Nash talked to me about a job here. He said if someday—in the future—we wanted to move here, I could work for him. It doesn’t have to be n—”
“We could live at the ranch?” Bri popped off the bed, almost knocking him backwards. “We could live with them? And with Cookie?”
“Only if that’s what you want. I’ll stay in Texas forever if that’s where you want to be—”
“I want to be here.” His niece walked to the window and peered outside. “I love it here. I don’t feel so sad all the time.”
“We can keep talking about it.” Kyler pulled on a sweatshirt. He didn’t want her to make any fast decisions. Thankfully his sister and brother-in-law had made sure to have their will in order. And with his savings, they’d be okay for a while. “But right now, maybe we should get out there and go say hi to Cookie.” And Emery.
“Yes!” His niece shot out of the room. “Let’s go!”
Kyler chased her down, grabbing her coat off the rack in the hall. Nash and Mack were in the kitchen making coffee. They laughed as he jogged by.
“Breakfast will be served in an hour,” Mack called.
“Thanks!” he managed to respond before Bri had pulled him out the door. While they walked down the steps, he helped her into her coat. “It gets colder here than it does in Texas,” he reminded her.
“And Miss Agatha said they have lots of snow.” Bri skipped alongside him as they crossed the yard. “I can’t wait to see snow.”
He found himself smiling, thinking of all the new experiences she would have as a Colorado girl.
At the top of the hill, Emery came into view. She was leading Cookie, who’d been all saddled up. Cupid, who’d been sniffing the ground behind them, looked up and barked before sprinting at husky speed all the way to Kyler and Bri.
“Good dog.” He gave Cupid a good scratch behind the ears but was unable to take his eyes off of Emery. She had such an effortless natural beauty about her, especially with her cheeks rosy in the brisk morning air.
“I thought you two might be heading my way soon.”
Her smile immediately brought out his. “Well, Bri wanted to sleep in, but I told her we’d better get a move on,” he teased.
“Nuh huh,” his niece argued, looking a heck of a lot like her mother with her hands on her hips. “I had to drag him out of bed.”
Emery’s laugh had to be one of the best sounds he’d ever heard. “Well, Cookie is ready to give this riding thing a try, if you are.”
“I’m ready!” Bri petted the pony. “You’re such a good boy,” she cooed.
“Okay.” Emery tightened her hold on the halter. “Your Uncle Kyler can help you climb on. We’re going to have to move pretty slowly, since Cookie isn’t used to riders yet.”
“We can be slow,” his niece whispered.
Sharing a smile with Emery, Kyler lifted Bri and helped her slid into the small saddle on Cookie’s back. The pony didn’t even flinch.
“Good job.” Emery gave his rump a pat, and Kyler couldn’t help but be jealous. “All right, Cookie,” she said softly, tugging on the halter. “Let’s go.”
Without hesitation, the pony started to walk.
Bri giggled, her body swaying side to side slightly with the pony’s swagger. “This is so much fun.”
Kyler hurried to move in front of them, grateful he’d though to grab his phone on the way out the door. “Say Cookies,” he called positioning his phone to capture a picture. He finally understood why his sister was always taking pictures. It was fun to capture the joy on Bri’s face.
He likely took about fifty more pictures as they walked Cookie and Bri around the meadow. It seemed his niece would never get tired of riding. They were passing by Nash’s house when the front door opened, and his friend came out.
“Look at me, Mr. Nash!” Bri called. “I’m riding Cookie!”
“And you’re doing an awesome job at it.” He approached them and gave a low whistle. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a seven-year-old as good at riding as you are. You’re a natural.”
“I am?” Pride seemed to sit his niece up taller.
“Definitely,” Emery agreed. “Cookie is loving this. Afterward, he’ll need a good brushing too.”
“I can do that. I know how,” Bri told Nash.
“Perfect.” His friend turned to Kyler. “Then maybe I can borrow your uncle to go into town and help me find the perfect green chili sauce for Mack’s famous egg casserole.”
“Sure. He’d always been a green chili connoisseur. He raised his eyebrows at his niece. “As long as Bri doesn’t need me here.”
“Nope.” The girl gave him an exaggerated shake of her head. “I’ve got Cookie and Emery. You can go for a while.”
Kyler tried not to wince. It was good that she had other people in her life, even if it meant she didn’t need him for everything all the time. If they moved here, he’d best get used to being chopped liver. He glanced at Emery. “You don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” When their eyes met, her lips softened like they always did before he kissed her. “Bri and Cookie and I will have a blast. Won’t we?”
“We sure will!” His niece seemed to have no limit to her energy when she was out in the fresh mountain air.
“Okay then.” He waved goodbye and let his gaze linger on Emery until he had no choice but to turn and follow Nash to his truck.
They climbed in, and his friend didn’t waste any time catching up. “So, you and Emery spent some time together last night, huh?” he asked, putting the truck into gear.
“Yeah.” Kyler clicked in his seatbelt and stole one more glance at the woman. “Hope I didn’t wake you and Mack up when I came in.”
“Nope.” His friend grinned at him. “Even if you did, it wouldn’t be a problem. Mack thinks you two would make the cutest couple. Her words, not mine.”
Kyler laughed. “There something there.” He couldn’t deny that. There was something between them that had never been there with any other woman he’d met. Not only sparks and chemistry but also…depth.
“You’re not worried about whatever it is she’s dealing with?” He knew his friend wasn’t asking him to reveal Emery’s secret. Nash was laid back about things like that. Ev
en more so since he’d met Mack. He’d never been one to butt into anyone’s business.
“I’m worried about her.” Kyler couldn’t hide the truth. “I wish I could do something to help her.” He’d been trying to think of a solution, a way to fix things so she wouldn’t always have to wonder if that loser was going to show up wherever she lived...
“Maybe you should talk to the investigator.” Nash turned the truck out onto the highway. “To get more information about why he’s looking for her. You don’t have to tell him where she is.”
The man had a point. “I don’t even have to tell him I know her.” He didn’t have to give up any information about Emery. But if he talked to the man, he could figure out if Nick was really the one looking for her. “We could stop by the coffee shop. That’s where he was when Emery and I saw him hanging out when we were in town.”
“Sure.” Nash glanced at his watch. “We’ve got some time. I could use a cup of coffee anyway.”
They drove into town, and Kyler searched the streets, which weren’t too busy given the early hour. No sign of the man yet.
After his friend parked the truck in front of the coffee shop, they got out and Kyler saw the guy through the window. He was sitting at a table reading a newspaper. “Looks like we’ve got him.”
“You go talk to him. I’ll get some coffee.” Nash held the door open for him. “Give me a signal if you need backup.”
“Will do.” Though he didn’t anticipate things getting ugly. He planned to keep his cool so he wouldn’t create new problems for Emery.
Keeping his expression neutral, he walked to the man’s table and sat down across from him.
The guy didn’t look all that surprised to see him. “Did you run into Kelly Pryor?” he asked, folding the newspaper into neat squares.
Kyler couldn’t give anything away yet. “What makes you so sure she’s around here?”
“Multiple people have told me she looks familiar.” He set down the newspaper between them. “And in my line of work, I’ve learned that most people who don’t want to be found change their appearance.”
Kyler glared at him. Basically, this man wasn’t going to leave until her found her. “Why are you looking for her?”
“Like I said, I need to talk to her.”
The mounting frustration simmered over. “Who hired you?” he demanded, raising his voice. Hell, maybe he could find Nick and take him down himself.
Nash walked over and stood a few feet away drinking his coffee.
Even with Kyler’s outburst, the man sitting across from him kept his expression neutral. “You obviously know Miss Pryor, or you wouldn’t be here asking questions.”
“I might.” It would be pointless to deny it. “But I won’t tell you how to find her unless you tell me what you’re after. Who’s looking for her?”
The man assessed him as though considering his options. Then he shrugged as if it didn’t matter to him either way. “There’re a group of female veterans who are going to come forward with some accusations against a staff sergeant in the Army.” He left it at that, but it was possible he was lying. Kyler needed more information before he said anything about Emery.
“What’s they guy’s name?”
“Nick Moreno.” He leaned in and spoke in a quieter tone. “From the sound of things, Mr. Moreno got away with assaulting more than one female under his command. This group of veterans hired me to find Miss Pryor because they think she might have information that could help their case. Apparently, she served under Mr. Moreno and was honorably discharged, though no one seems to know exactly why.”
This was it. Exactly what Emery needed to get rid of her fears. If they brought Nick down, it would all be over. “They want her to a be witness?”
“Either that or join them in bringing the bastard down. It really depends on what her story is.”
Kyler knew her story. He knew her fears. He knew her pain. And he wanted to help her move past it all. This was her chance. “I can’t tell you where she is, but I’ll talk to her. I’ll bring her to see you.”
Then she could put this whole nightmare behind her.
Chapter Ten
Cookie was getting a diva complex.
Emery went to put the brushes back on the shelf, but the pony followed, nudging her butt with his head.
“He wants us to keep brushing him,” Bri said with a giggle.
“We’ve already brushed him for a half hour.” They’d combed him first, then sponged him down, then brushed him, and it still wasn’t enough. She’d never seen such a high-maintenance animal. “Sorry boy.” Emery gave him a good scratching. “But we have to head down to breakfast.” She’d heard Nash’s truck rumble up the driveway a few minutes ago, which meant Kyler was back too. And there went her smile again. “Come on, Bri.” She tucked the girl under her arm. “Let’s go see if we can help Mack get breakfast on the table.”
“Okay.” The girl planted a kiss on the pony’s nose and then let Emery lead her out the door. “Uncle Kyler said we might move here,” she said as they stepped outside.
Cupid came running over to greet them. He’d probably been hunting rabbits in the meadow. Not that he ever caught one.
“Oh wow.” She pretended to be surprised by the girl’s revelation, even though she’d thought about the possibility of Kyler moving here all night long. “And how would you feel about that?”
“I would be so happy.” Bri smiled up at her. “I hope we can. Then we can be with you and Cookie and Cupid, and Miss Agatha and Miss Mack and Mr. Nash all the time.”
“That would be wonderful.” How long would it last for her though? If Nick was looking for her, he wouldn’t give up. He knew she’d reported the assault. And he’d promised he would find her.
“There you are.” Kyler strode up the driveway and met them.
Of course, Cupid did his happy dance, wiggling his whole backside as he wagged his tail. Emery felt the same way, though she couldn’t exactly run into his arms with his niece right next to them.
“Uncle Kyler!” Bri hugged him tight. “I rode Cookie for a really long time and then we gave him a bath and brushed him.”
“Wow.” Emery loved how he gave his niece his undivided attention when she spoke to him. “Sounds like you two have gotten a whole day’s worth of work in already.”
“But we have more to do this afternoon, right Miss Emery?” She took Emery’s hand and then took Kyler’s hand and the three of them continued down the driveway with Cupid weaving between them. “We still have to feed the kittens and play with the goats because they need exercise and Emery promised she would show me how to ride one of the big horses later.”
“Sounds like a full day.” Kyler glanced at Emery over his niece’s head and melted her heart with a grin. Thanks to him, she’d gone from having a heart of steel to having a heart of fluff in the span of only a few days.
Just before they reached the porch steps, Kyler paused and knelt in front of his niece. “Why don’t you run in and wash your hands real good for me? I need to talk to Emery for a few minutes.”
Talk to her? Or kiss her? She wouldn’t mind doing a little bit of both.
“Okay!” Bri jogged up the porch steps. “Come on, Cupid. Come on, boy. Let’s go get some bacon.”
“Not too much bacon,” Emery said with a laugh.
The two of them disappeared into the house while Kyler faced her.
“What did you want to talk about?” She rested her hands on his chest, ready for him to tease her or kiss her, but his weighted expression snuffed out the warm glow in her chest. “What’s wrong?”
Kyler took her hand and guided her to sit down on the porch steps next to him. “When Nash I were in town, I went to see that private investigator who’s looking for you.”
“What?” She gaped at him. Was he serious? “Why would you do that?”
“I wanted to talk to him,” Kyler said in the same voice he used on Bri. “To see if we could figure out if Nick really hired hi
m to find you.”
Emery pushed off the steps, her blood alternating between hot and cold. She hadn’t thought about Nick this much in years. She’d blocked it all out of her mind. But now he seemed close again, and it sent her fear spiraling.
“It’s good news, Em.” Kyler stood too. “Nick didn’t hire him to find you.” He approached her, but she backed up. She couldn’t believe this. She couldn’t believe she’d told Kyler her secret.
“There are a group of female veterans who want to bring Nick down. Somehow, they found out you were under his command before you were discharged, and they want you to be a part of bringing him to justice.”
“Justice? Justice?” She’d already tried to report him, to get justice for herself, and it had failed miserably. That haunted her every bit as much as the assault itself. She’d been made to feel like she’d done something wrong when they’d gotten rid of her, like it was her fault it had happened. “You had no right to do this.” Her voice shook. “You had no right to talk to him without my permission.” He’d taken away her control, her power in the situation.
“I was trying to help.” He reached out his arms as though he wanted to touch her, but he seemed to know better. “We can fix this. You won’t have to be afraid anymore.”
“I didn’t tell you about the biggest trauma in my life so you could fix it,” she spat. “I don’t want to go back. I can’t go back.” She’d already moved forward, and even just the thought of having to look at Nick, let alone sit in front of a courtroom and relive every horrid detail in front of everyone, made her want to drop to her knees and vomit.
“Emery…this is your chance.” His eyes begged her. “Don’t you see that? If you help them bring Nick down, you won’t have to worry about him anymore.”
That statement right there proved he didn’t understand. He would never understand. “I will always feel the impact of what that man did to me, whether he’s in prison or not. It will never go away.” That scar would remain on her soul for the rest of her life.
“I know.” A defeated sigh lowered his shoulders. “I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant.” He shook his head and walked away a few steps before turning back to face her. “Let me at least take you to talk to him. We can do it together—”
This Thing Called Love (Forget-Me-Not Ranch Book 2) Page 7
