Tattered Stars

by Catherine Cowles

  My gaze traveled to the paddock behind him. A paint mare who would’ve been gorgeous if she wasn’t skin and bones was behind the fence, along with a miniature donkey who limped away from Miles. Then I caught sight of another figure. This one moved with practiced ease, her hair piled up in a messy bun. Everly looked my way for just a moment before turning her attention back to the horse. And I turned my focus back to the man in front of me.

  He didn’t even deserve to be called a man. He was the lowest of the low. I took a step closer. “Praying on innocent animals doesn’t make you strong. It makes you lower than dirt.”

  “Hey! You heard that. He insulted me. Told lies. I’m gonna sue.”

  Ruiz let out a low whistle. “You know, I didn’t hear a thing. Did you, Young?”

  “Just the wind. And maybe the phantom sound of a jail cell locking.”

  “I’m not going to fucking jail,” Samuel blustered. “They’re my animals. I can do whatever I want with them.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. And I’m going to make sure the judge throws the book at you this time.”

  His eyes narrowed on me. “You already told a bunch of lies about me. Said I was an animal beater. I had to go to Idaho to get those two useless fucks.”

  I’d done everything I could to keep Samuel from hurting another creature. But apparently, not even spreading the word around the county had been enough. “Good thing you won’t be able to buy any more while you’re sitting in a cell.” I looked at Ruiz. “Keep an eye on him. I need to talk to Miles.”

  “Happy to, boss.”

  I left Young with Ruiz and moved towards the paddock. My steps were slow and measured, not wanting to spook the paint. Everly’s were the same as she spoke to and stroked the horse. “You’re okay now. No one’s going to hurt you ever again. Hayes will make it so. He might be overbearing, but he’s a great defender.”

  “Is that so?”

  Everly didn’t jump, but when she turned to glance at me, it was with a scowl on her face. “You might have a few redeemable qualities.”

  I couldn’t help the fact that my mouth started to kick up at the corners. But that smile died when I took in the wound on the mare’s neck. “What the hell happened?”

  “Keep your voice easy, Hayes. This beautiful girl doesn’t like the sound of anger. I’m not sure how it happened, but it was never treated, and now it’s infected.” Everly moved a gauze pad with some sort of antiseptic gently over the wound. “That’s it, girl. We’re going to get you fixed up.”

  The mare rested her head on Everly’s shoulder as if exhausted to the bone. Everly used her free hand to rub soothing circles on the unmarred side of the horse’s neck. “We’ll have to get her on antibiotics and a high-calorie diet so she can get back some of the weight she needs. Miles said he’d take them both to his barn for a while.”

  “That’s good. It’ll be a lot calmer there than at the county shelter.” They always lacked space at the shelter and needed more hands on top of it.

  “She can’t go to a shelter, Hayes. It took me an hour just to get her to let me touch her. Another hour to look at her wound. She’ll freak in a place like that.”

  “Maybe you should take her, then.”

  Everly’s eyes swiveled in my direction. “Me?”

  “You’ve got one paddock done, another almost there. That’s enough space for these two.” I inclined my head towards the tiny donkey Miles had managed to catch. He was now examining it while the animal chowed down on some grain.

  “I don’t know…I wanted to get a barn up before I took on any animals. Have some storage sheds built. A few other things.”

  I leaned against the fence. “You’ll never be completely ready. But you have to start somewhere.”

  Her fingers ran along the paint’s coat. “You have a point there.”

  “I know my family can pitch in this weekend and get you as set up as possible.”

  Everly tipped her head back to look the horse in her eyes. “What do you say, beauty? Want to come live with me after you’re all healed up?”

  The mare blew air out through her lips, making Everly laugh. The sound was light and free as if all the things that weighed on her shoulders had been lifted in that one moment. I wanted more of those laughs. I could drown in the sound and be a happy man.

  I cleared my throat. “I think that’s a yes.”

  Everly pressed her forehead to the horse’s cheek. “I think so, too. I’ll take good care of you, girl. And I promise you’ll never have to be scared again.”

  30

  Everly

  I’d made an art out of avoiding Hayes for the past few days—at least when other people weren’t going to be around. I didn’t trust myself. That kiss had been too much. And now it haunted me. It had been the perfect mix of heat and comfort, a feeling I could sink into, get lost in, and never return from.

  So, I’d stayed busy. So busy that I’d poured myself two cups of coffee this morning. I listened for sounds of Hayes stirring but only heard Koda’s soft snores from his dog bed. Chip was perched on the edge of the pillow, looking at the dog with fascination.

  “Careful, buddy. He could eat you in one bite.”

  Chip’s head jerked in my direction, and then he ran back into his hidey-hole. I wanted to do the same thing. But the entire Easton clan would be here in less than an hour. I’d opted to hold off on the barn and focus on the paddocks and a couple of storage sheds instead. I could make do with that for a year or two and let my savings grow.

  I had the exact plans I wanted. Gabe had been kind enough to go over them with me, suggesting a few tweaks or places I could save money, so I was ready to go when the time was right.

  What could only be a large truck sounded from the gravel road leading up to the property. I set down my coffee and headed for the front porch. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head when I saw the eighteen-wheeler coming over the ridge. I had no idea how it had even made some of the turns on this road, let alone how it would turn around to get back.

  Gabe hopped out of his truck and directed the massive vehicle towards the area where the barn had once stood. The trailer carried a huge load of lumber and other materials. I moved down the steps like a robot, not even noticing when Hayes came up alongside me, and an array of different vehicles parked in open spots.

  “Morning. You sleep okay?”

  Hayes’ voice was full of concern as he took in my face. I blinked up at him. “What is happening right now?”

  “Don’t be mad.”

  “That is never a good start to any statement.”

  Hayes’ expression seemed to battle between amusement and worry. “Dad wanted you to have your barn now.”

  “What?”

  “He said your plans were sound and simple. His buddy who runs a construction crew heard what you were doing, and he and his crew said they’d love to help. They’re between jobs right now and can give this project a week of dedicated work.”

  “What?” It was the only word I seemed capable of saying. My head turned as people began spilling out of trucks, SUVs, and cars. They laughed and chatted—faces I knew and ones I didn’t recognize. “Why?”

  “You want to do some good here, and people want to help with that.”

  Tears stung the corners of my eyes. “Even though they know who I am?”

  “Ev.” Hayes took my face in his hands, turning me towards him. “Who you are is an amazing, brave, selfless woman. Why wouldn’t they want to help someone like that?”

  A few tears slipped free, and Hayes wiped them away with his thumbs. I grabbed hold of his arms, worried if I didn’t, I might lose my stance. “I can’t afford to pay all of them.”

  “It’s a gift. And we got the materials at cost. Those are a gift from my family.”

  My head shook between his hands. “No. I can’t accept that. It’s too much.”

  “They’ve wanted to do something. Needed to. Let them.”

  “I can’t—”

  He s
ilenced me with a swift kiss. That mix of heat and comfort I’d felt before nearly brought me to my knees. “Please, let them do this.”

  The pleading in his tone had me giving in. “Okay. But there’s something I want to give them, too.”

  Hayes released his hold on my face and straightened. “What’s that?”

  “I’ll show you.”

  Hayes called his dad over, and I motioned to Shiloh and Julia. Hadley had to untangle herself from a Birdie piggyback ride, but she came, too. I took in the family. One mine had stolen so much from, who still gave to me freely anyway. “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me. I wanted to do something for you. And I couldn’t think of what that might be.”

  Julia reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “You don’t need to give us anything.” Her eyes darted towards Shiloh. “You’ve already given us everything.”

  A burn lit in the back of my throat. “I think this is something we can do together.”

  I moved to a crate I’d set at the foot of the porch steps. Lifting the lid, I looked up. “There’s one for each of you.”

  Hadley bent down and picked up one of the items in the crate. “A sledgehammer?”

  I met Shy’s gaze and then looked behind her to the shed in the distance. We’d kept our distance from the space every time we’d worked together. Consciously or subconsciously, I’d woven the paddocks we’d created away from that area. But if any of us had a prayer of moving past what had happened here, we needed to face it.

  “The shed.” The structure Shiloh had been kept in for five days all those years ago still stood strong. While the main house was barely habitable, and the barn was gone, that damn shed was still there. “It’s time to tear it down. I thought it might be a good place to put a garden. Pour some life into the space.”

  I looked around at the faces, seeing a mixture of reactions. And for a heartbreaking moment, I wasn’t sure if I’d overstepped my bounds. But then Shiloh stepped forward and picked up a sledgehammer. “I think that’s a great plan.”

  She started walking without waiting for the rest of us, but we followed. Julia first, giving me a tight hug and whispering, “Thank you.” Then Gabe, who seemed to be wrestling with tears. Hadley simply shot me a grin. “Let’s beat the hell out of some wood.”

  Hayes bent, picking up the last two sledgehammers. “How do you always seem to know what Shy needs?”

  I took one of the hammers from him and started walking. “I don’t know that I do. I just know that ignoring what happened here hasn’t been good for any of us. I hid from it for so long, and it chased me, haunted my nightmares, influenced everything. It has to give us a better shot to actually face it.”

  Hayes wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I wanted to burn this place to the ground so many times I lost count.”

  I stiffened in his hold. “Hayes—”

  “But I was wrong. I’m ashamed that was my reaction.”

  “You’re allowed to feel whatever you need to.”

  He tipped his face down to look at me. “It’s so much better to create good here. To make new life where one was almost cut short.” His voice hitched on the words. “Doing what I do, you’d have thought I’d have learned this by now. More destruction won’t heal or cast out that darkness.”

  “We’re about to do a little destruction right now.”

  “This is different. It’s clearing the way to create something new.”

  “I like looking at it that way.”

  “Me, too.”

  He bent to press a kiss to the corner of my mouth, but I stepped out of his hold. “Hayes,” I hissed. “Your family.”

  He grinned. “I think I’m going to try making a habit of kissing you wherever I can and as often as possible.”

  My cheeks heated. “I can’t talk about this right now.”

  “But we are going to talk about it sometime. And that means you’re going to have to stop running away from me.”

  “I’m not running.”

  He arched a brow.

  I picked up my pace. “I’ve just been busy.”

  “Suuuure.”

  “Later,” I hissed as we came to a stop where his family gathered.

  He moved in close to me. “That’s a promise.”

  I tried to ignore the heat coming off him in waves, the promise of safety and comfort I wanted to lean into so badly that it hurt. Instead, I focused on the faces around me. “Shiloh, you get the first blow.”

  She didn’t say a word, simply stared at the structure that had taken so much from her. It seemed so small now, yet it had been a prison. She arced her hammer back and swung. As the first plank splintered, it sounded like freedom.

  31

  Hayes

  I leaned back on the couch, kicking my socked feet up on the coffee table. Koda’s exhausted snores sounded from the dog bed in the corner. All of the excitement today had worn him out, but we’d made more than a little progress. More paddocks were finished, and the barn might even be done by the time the mare and donkey were well enough to come to their new home.

  The door to the bathroom squeaked, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Everly appear. Steam billowed out of the bathroom, and I instinctively reached for my beer. Her hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, her tank top hugged each dip and curve, and those damned shorts she wore to bed... They had my mind delving into places that she wasn’t ready for.

  Her cheeks pinked. “Bathroom’s free if you need it. Or there’s an outdoor shower on the back deck.”

  An outdoor shower. My brain went in all sorts of new and unhelpful directions. “Sounds like a storm’s coming. I don’t think an outdoor shower is a good idea right now.” A crack of thunder sounded as if to punctuate my point. “Come here.”

  She stayed put. “Why?”

  “Please?”

  Everly rolled her eyes. “Because you asked so nicely.” She paused in the kitchen to pull a beer out of the fridge and pop the top. Then she made her way over to the couch, settling herself on the opposite side as me.

  “How does your head feel?”

  “Fine.”

  I arched a brow.

  “All right. It’s hurting a little, but nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix.”

  I reached out and tugged one of her bare feet onto my lap and then the other. As my thumbs dug into her arches, Everly let out a moan. The sound shot straight to my bloodstream, making my entire body stand at attention. I ignored it and kept up the ministrations.

  “I’ll pay you a million dollars if you never stop.”

  I chuckled. “You pushed yourself today.”

  “So did you.”

  “I’m not recovering from a concussion.”

  Everly stared out the window at the dark sky with stars dotting the black. “Think Shiloh’s okay?”

  My sister had more than pushed herself today, and she’d kept her distance from everyone while she did it, opting to run fencing alone instead of helping in any group project. “She’s processing.”

  “I really like her. She’s not afraid of what anyone thinks about her. Just does what she needs to. And she’s kind.”

  I switched my attention to Everly’s other foot. “Do you worry about what other people think about you?”

  “I wish I didn’t. But I think it’s inescapable with my history.”

  My movements stilled for a moment as I took her in, studying the shadows behind her eyes. “Was Seattle not a fresh start for you?”

  “It was, eventually. But the few times Ian and Allen showed up…they made a scene. At Jacey’s house. At my school. The school was the worst. The cops were called. But I was young enough that kids were jerks about it. I already struggled to fit in, and there was so much I’d never experienced. I didn’t know the tv shows, the video games, popular music. It was all out of my reach. So, I was the oddball.”

  A thick coating of shame swept over me as I realized this woman had dealt with even more than I knew, things I hadn’t
given the first thought to. “I can’t imagine how hard that must’ve been.”

  She shrugged and took a sip of her beer. “A lot of kids were worse off. I was safe and cared for. Once we moved to the new place, I never had to look over my shoulder.”

  Even though Everly hadn’t needed to be on alert, I had a feeling she remained that way. That kind of thing was burned into you and was hard to let go of. “So why come back?” She stiffened a bit, but I kept digging my thumbs into the arch of her foot. “If you finally broke free, why come back here?”

  “Because I wasn’t free. Not really. I…” Her gaze drifted out the window. “I was hiding. Doing everything I could to keep my family from knowing where I was, even though I don’t think they ever looked after those first few visits. I just needed to face it. To prove that I could. If I did, I thought maybe I wouldn’t be so scared all the damn time.”

  “I think if you look at something dead-on, it takes some of its power away.”

  “Exactly. So that’s what I’m doing.”

  I leaned forward, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think you’re damn brave for it.”

  Everly laid a hand flat against my chest. “I can’t. Not right now. And not because I don’t want to. I just need to wrap my head around all of this. Make sure it’s wise for me.”

  I leaned back in my spot on the couch and picked up her foot again. “I can give you time. Just make sure you’re not taking that time to talk yourself out of something you want.”

  Everly blew out a breath, sending wisps of hair flying around her face. “You sure don’t lack any confidence, do you?”

  “Not when it comes to this. Because I’ve lived some years, and I know one thing for sure: I’ve never felt how I did when I kissed you, Ev. I’ve never been so drawn in by someone.”

  Her fingers drifted to her lips, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread over my face. She’d felt it, too. I just had to trust that the pull between us would be enough to make her take that leap.

  “You’re up early,” Everly mumbled as she walked into the kitchen in bare feet, her hair a mess.