by Kaia Knight
Chapter 5
Kailani
Kailani chewed the inside of her cheek as Gabriel walked away, the sharp sound of the glass door closing making her jump. She flopped on her back; her arm slung across her eyes. What is wrong with me? Why couldn’t I just enjoy the moment?
Her day with Gabriel felt surreal, each moment more perfect than the last. More than anything, she was surprised by how comfortable she felt with him. He did not ask questions about her past or expect anything from her. With him, she was lulled by the lightheartedness of living in the present. As he kissed her, she was drawn towards him in a way she had never known, and she could see herself growing comfortable in his embrace.
No. She shoved those thoughts aside. The relentless urge to run away tugged at her, years of instinct kicking in and pulling her away from her newfound comfort. I can’t afford any distractions. I came here to start over, not put my dreams on the back burner again. She sighed, rolling over on her side to try and sleep.
Squeezing her eyes tight, she recalled the expression on his face when he laughed, as if he were surprised at the noise. How he searched her face thoughtfully before leaning in, and the soft warmth of his lips. She tried to hold onto those thoughts as she drifted to sleep, but they quickly gave way to dark, twisting shapes that held her captive as she slept.
Kailani woke up to the sounds of birds and a damp morning chill. The sun streamed in from above, and she looked around in confusion. A strange urge to laugh bubbled inside her.
I couldn’t be further from where I was the last time I slept. From Hawaii to here. A lot can happen in a day, I guess.
Her thoughts settled on Gabriel as she recalled how the night ended. A restlessness nagged at her, and she threw her blanket off. She carefully slipped off the mattress and headed inside. The clock in the living room told her it was six in the morning.
“Shoot,” she muttered. She was supposed to check in for her internship by eight but had no idea how to get there from Gabriel’s house. Tiptoeing to the main hallway, she pulled her clothes from the dryer and ducked into the bathroom to change. She tapped at her unresponsive phone, cursing. She returned to the main room, fully dressed, and chewed on her cheek as she thought. No phone, no car. Should I just run into town and figure it out from there? Hesitating, her eyes lingered on Gabriel’s closed bedroom door, knowing he would give her a ride in a heartbeat. Should I knock?
But her pride tugged her away from his door. He had already let her stay the night, cooked for her, and took care of her. She couldn’t dig the debt any deeper. She took a steadying breath and paused at the notepad on the kitchen counter on the way out, jotting a thank-you note. Grabbing her bag, she laced up her shoes and ducked out the door, closing it behind her, feeling better. Her heart sank as soon as she turned around.
Eli was walking towards the house still in uniform, his face drawn in exhaustion and smudged with dirt. When he spotted her, frozen by the front door, a smile grew on his face.
“Well, well, what have we here?” Eli drawled. “Sneaking out?”
“No, I’m just—it’s not like that.” Kailani stammered, but she knew her stealthy exit gave her away.
“Slipping out after the crack of dawn? Man, he must have really messed up.” He frowned and glanced around the driveway. “How are you getting home, exactly?”
She set her jaw. “I’m running.”
“Literally running away! Oh, this is gold. I’d pay to know what he said to you to scare you off so fast.”
“Actually, I’m the one that messed up…” She trailed off, fidgeting with her ponytail.
Eli looked thoughtful and he crossed his arms. “Well, that’s a lot less fun for me. Now I can’t rag on him.” He sighed. “Either way, would you like a ride? Truck’s still warm.”
“No thanks, I’m in need of a good run anyways.”
“You either accept my ride gracefully right now, or I trail behind you in my truck to make sure you make it home safely. The choice is yours.” He grinned smugly, as if he had won.
Kailani sidestepped Eli slowly, then broke out in a run towards the main road. She heard a curse behind her, but her ragged breath drowned out any other noise. Elated at calling him on his bluff, she kept up the breakneck pace until she reached the main road.
A cramp pinched her stomach, turning her breath into shallow gasps, and she knew she could not hold her speed. She slowed to a walk, lungs straining with exertion. She lifted her arms above her head to breathe through the cramp, kicking a few errant pebbles at her feet. Well, looks like I’m walking.
A loud rumble beside her made her jump. Eli rolled the passenger window down and called, “That doesn’t look like running to me. Are you getting in, or do I just drive real slow?”
Kailani threw her hands up in exasperation.
Eli took that as a win and stopped the truck with a triumphant grin. As she climbed in, he covered a big yawn with his hand before fiddling with the radio. “Where to?”
She dug into the canvas bag, pulling out a strip of paper. She read out the address, squinting at the smudged numbers.
Recognition lit his eyes. “Oh, yeah! I know exactly where that is. Lilac Ranch, owned by the Flockharts. Super nice folks. Walt taught my dad everything he knows about running a farm. What are you going there for?”
“I’m their new intern.”
“Huh, small world! Well, looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of you.” Eli said with a grin, looking at her sidelong. “Gabe especially is close with the Flockharts.”
She grimaced and looked out the window. Oh, great. So much for my new beginning. One day in and I’ve already made a mess of things. They rode in silence for a few minutes, the sleepy country homes passing by in a blur.
“Hey Eli?” she said hesitantly. “Could you not tell Gabriel that you saw me this morning?” She recalled the disgust etched in his furrowed brows last night.
Eli glanced over at her and sighed. “You know, yesterday, seeing Gabe with you…that’s the most I’ve seen him smile in a long time. Not to get too cheesy, but I’ve missed his laugh. It’s been pretty quiet at home for a while now.”
Kailani continued to stare out the window, not knowing how to respond. That’s the most I’ve smiled, too.
The truck slowed down, pulling her out of her thoughts. A peeling wooden fence held a sign painted with scrolling letters: Lilac Ranch. Turning into the driveway, she saw it was aptly named, with lilacs lining the driveway for a quarter of a mile. As they pulled around the bend, a faded white farmhouse with lavender shutters peeked out from a cluster of aspens, its window boxes overflowing with bright, draping flowers. In a field adjacent to the house was a tall, chicken-wire fence framed with more wood in need of a layer of paint.
As they slowed to a rumble in the circular driveway, Kailani turned toward Eli. “Thank you for the ride, I really appreciate it.” But Eli cut the engine, hopping out with her.
She glanced sharply at him. “What are you doing?”
“Visiting old friends.” Bounding up the creaking front steps, he brought his fist to the turquoise door and rapped with one knuckle. No answer. He waited a minute and knocked again.
“Walt!” cried a woman’s voice, piercing the peaceful silence. “Stop them!”
Eli and Kailani exchanged an alarmed glance and sprinted towards the frenzy coming from the rear of the house. A blur of hooves and jumping creatures whizzed by, and a man in a white netted suit wobbled after them.
“The goats! Get ‘em in the pen!”
“Uh…” Kailani hesitated, glancing at Eli for help, but he looked just as dumbfounded as her.
“Quick!” The man shouted as the goats headed towards the woods.
Kailani hurtled forward in a dead sprint, chasing to the front of the line so she could turn them around. She lifted her arms above her head as she ran and yelled as loud as she could. Suddenly, about half of the herd froze, and they keeled over onto the ground where they lay, rigid and unmoving.
&
nbsp; “Oh my God!” Kailani’s hands clapped over her mouth, panic welling up within her. “They’re dead!”
The couple in the bee suits and Eli caught up to her, and she turned towards them, her throat tightening. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know—did I kill them?” She wrung her hands and bit her lip. Great, I haven’t even introduced myself and I’m probably already fired.
They all looked at each other and laughed. Kailani blinked, frowning as she glanced from them to the goats, who were beginning to twitch and slowly stand up.
The short woman shook her head. “No, dear, they’re not dead. Some of the herd are fainting goats, so if they’re startled, they go into a brief paralysis of sorts.”
“Oh.” Heat flushed Kailani’s cheeks.
The woman’s eyes crinkled, deep lines revealing a lifetime of laughter. “Let’s get them back in the pen.” They ushered the goats towards the fenced-in yard behind the farmhouse. The herd bleated and filed into the pen with a little encouragement, butting Kailani’s legs.
Kailani brushed her shorts off, laughing as she breathed heavily. “Well, that was a rush. I take it I didn’t pass the test?”
The elderly man clapped Kailani on the shoulder. “I certainly couldn’t have caught them. I assume you’re Kailani?” He peeled an enormous glove off that wound up to his elbows and extended a weathered hand. “Walter Flockhart. Welcome to Lilac Ranch.”
The woman stepped forward and hugged her around the shoulders with one arm, “I’m Josephine, but you can call me Josie. We’re so happy to have you here. Let’s head inside and get you settled.”
“Ow!” A piercing pain pinched Kailani below her elbow, and she looked down as a bee fell to the ground.
“Oh dear! Sorry!” Josephine huffed as she shuffled Kailani inside. “He must have been hanging on my sleeve for a ride, we’ll get something on that right away!”
Kailani rubbed her elbow as she followed Josie inside, and Eli leaned in and muttered, “Rough start to your first day.”
She gave him a weak smile, but doubt continued to tug at her. Am I cut out for this?
Kailani sat on a stool in the enormous, cheery kitchen and accepted the ointment that Josie passed to her. The throbbing on her arm immediately abated as she dabbed the cool cream to her elbow.
Josie gave Eli another hug, squeezing him so tight that he coughed. “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about us; it’s been so long! Did you get my Easter package?”
Eli grimaced. “Uh, yeah I did. I’m sorry I didn’t send a note, the sweets were really good. You always make the best truffles.”
She shooed a hand at him as she beamed at his compliment. “No need for a note. I just miss seeing you McEwen boys around. And we miss your father, too, we haven’t heard from him since…well, you know.” Her voice dropped as he nodded silently.
Kailani busied herself with capping up the ointment, feeling like an intruder.
Eli let out a dramatic yawn, stretching his arms. “Well, I should head out. Got another overnight shift tonight and I’m about dead on my feet. Great to see you, Josie. Seeya Kai!”
She waved, thanking him again as Josie kissed his cheek and sent him off with a napkin full of scones. Josie called for Walt to join them at the table and set a pamphlet in front of Kailani.
“All-righty then,” she said in a singsong voice. “Everything you need to know about your internship is in this little packet. We’re so thrilled we were approved for the intern program; as you can tell, we need the help around here.” She chuckled. “Those goats get faster every year.”
“Since you mentioned in your application that you’re on a varsity athlete scholarship and a full-time student, I know you’ll be quite busy, but you’ll have a few obligations to attend to here. You’ll have your daily tasks, and then a weekly checklist which is more flexible. It amounts to about twenty hours of work a week, but of course we understand that school comes first. You need to keep your grades up to continue working here, so don’t let it slip! It’ll be hard work, but it builds character.”
Walt leaned on the counter, shaking his head at his wife. “Josie, you’re going to scare her away. It isn’t all work and no play! There is plenty to do around here that doesn’t include elbow grease.” He jerked his thumb out the window, where the corner of a stony building stood in the distance. “You’ll be staying at the inn. There are two bedrooms, so you’ll get your pick since you’re the first one here.”
Kailani furrowed her brows. “First one?”
“We thought two sets of hands would be better than one, so we requested another intern. But don’t worry, like I said, we have two rooms in the guest house and a large communal space, so you won’t need to worry about privacy. Speaking of which, let’s get you settled in, I’m sure you’re exhausted from your travels.”
You don’t even know the least of it. Kailani chewed on the inside of her mouth absentmindedly. She shouldered her weathered bag, following Josephine to the guest house for her tour, grateful for a room to finally call her own. If only I could have the place to myself…let’s just hope it’s someone nice.
Chapter 6
Gabriel
Gabriel sat on the back deck, fishing pole in hand and toes in the water when he heard Eli’s truck pull up. A few minutes later, the door slid open and Eli huffed as he seated himself by Gabriel’s side.
“Hey man, how’d you sleep?” Eli was disgustingly cheerful, a goofy smile plastered on his face.
“Not great. Why are you so damn chipper?”
“More like slap happy. I haven’t slept yet. I went out with the guys after our shift ended, then took a little detour this morning.”
Gabriel looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean? Have you seen Kai?”
Eli didn't answer. He looked torn, tapping his work boots on the bottom step.
“Eli?”
He sighed. “Yes, fine. I saw her. She was heading out when I drove in.”
Gabriel abandoned his pole and stood. “So she’s still nearby? I didn’t see—”
“No, dude.” He tugged Gabriel back down to sit beside him once more. “Earlier this morning, like over an hour ago. She was bent on running all the way to town, literally ran off when I offered a ride.” He shook his head. “You picked a stubborn one. She’s kind of terrifying…in a warrior-princess ‘I don’t need no man’ kind of way.” He chuckled as he nudged Gabriel, who just glared ahead. Why didn’t she ask me for a ride?
“What happened with you guys?”
Gabriel sighed, dragging a hand over his face. “I have no idea, honestly. I must have misread the signs, it was all going well, then…”
“Ah.” Eli said wisely. “You were a letdown in bed?”
“Eli! We just kissed, and it was honestly…amazing.” That shut Eli up, his eyes fixed intently on Gabriel. “There’s just something about her. She’s obviously beautiful—”
“Way too good-looking for you,” Eli interrupted, earning himself a sharp jab in the ribs.
“When we were together, for the first time in a while…I felt like I was allowed to be happy.” He glanced at Eli warily, expecting another insult-laden joke from his little brother.
“The only one stopping you from being happy is yourself. You need to stop beating yourself up.”
“If only it was that easy.”
“Well, a good start would be to chase down that girl you scared off,” Eli teased, dissolving the rare moment of intimacy with a gruff punch on the shoulder.
“It might be a little late for that. She left a note, but I didn’t even get her number.” He raked his hand through his unkempt hair and snorted. “I guess I’ll just wait until I run her down on a bike again.”
Eli assumed a knowing grin.
“Eli? Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Eli stood up, whistling as he walked away. “I may know a thing or two…but it’ll cost you.”
“Seriously? What do you want?”
“Let’s see.�
� He looked up, bringing his brows together as he counted demands off on his right hand. “You cook dinner this week, do my laundry for the next month…hmm…Oh! And invite me to your team party since that’s my only chance at social interaction with my flipped schedule.” He finished with a smirk.
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “No poaching my team! You know my girls are off-limits. But otherwise, fine, I agree to your terms.” They shook on it, then he tucked his little brother in a headlock. “Alright, now tell me what you know.”
Gabriel walked towards the inn on the Flockhart’s ranch. Their retro yellow Chevy wasn’t in the driveway, so he assumed they were out. He followed the flagstone path that wound through freshly mulched garden beds. The inn had a stone facade like a cottage straight from Scotland, and a heavy wooden door with a smoothed-out rut where Gabriel lifted his fist to knock. A few moments later, Kailani opened the door and froze in surprise.
“Gabriel? Eli must’ve told you. Traitor.”
“Yes, but it took some convincing. Can I come in, please?”
Kailani hesitated a moment before she nodded, stepping back from the door. She wore a plain white tee and faded jeans that showed every angular line of her toned legs.
He tried not to stare as she walked in front of him, looking around at the cottage instead. It was exactly as he remembered it when he stayed there several years ago. He had been the one to refinish the hardwood floors and brighten the living room with a fresh coat of paint.
When he could no longer pretend to be taking in his surroundings, a taut silence stretched between them. Gabriel took a deep breath, ready to deliver the speech he had rehearsed on the way over, but Kailani beat him to it.
“Hey, Gabriel. I’m sorry I ran off this morning. I was a little embarrassed to ask you for more help after all you did yesterday, I guess. And about last night…I didn’t mean to run hot and cold. I really enjoyed being with you...I just panicked a little.”
He sighed in relief, the bubble of tension that had kept him tossing all night deflated. “So it wasn’t that I was a horrible kisser?” he joked.
