Sitting at the huge dining table I couldn’t help but look around at everyone. They all seemed so happy. It was obvious that Claire and Ryan adored each other, and in spite of the playful banter between Savannah and Brody, I could tell they were close. Up until Evan, it had only ever been me and Mom. I’d had a good childhood, and Mom had done her best, but I had been lonely. Mom had worked long hours to pay the bills, and I had spent a lot of time being looked after by an elderly neighbor. I would have loved a sibling or cousins for company.
Dinner was amazing. It was only lasagna, but it seemed like an eternity since I’d eaten a home-cooked meal. Well, a home-cooked meal I hadn’t had to prepare myself and then eat in my room. Evan had liked a meal on the table when he got in, and I enjoyed cooking. I’d never wanted to sit and eat with him though, for fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. I’d always taken my food upstairs. It had been a long time since I’d sat around a table and eaten.
The main conversation over dinner was about the stables, and what needed to be done to get what was left of the building removed and another one built.
“I’ll get on the phone to my dad tomorrow,” Josh announced.
“Thanks, son. I appreciate that,” Ryan replied. “The insurance company have been informed and they’ll be sending someone out early next week. The sooner we can get things started the better.”
“Did all the horses make it out?” I asked, remembering that nearly all the stalls had been occupied.
“All but two,” Savannah said sadly. “It’s thanks to Brody that most of them managed to escape. If he hadn’t opened the stalls as he went past, none of them would have gotten out.” I looked across to Brody who was sitting opposite me and smiled.
“Looks like I’m not the only one he rescued that night then?” I said, my eyes still fixed on him.
“Thank God Brody found you,” Claire said. “I never want to have to go through a night like that again.”
“Me either,” Savannah said, leaning into Josh. “And don’t think you’ll be helping your dad tomorrow; you need to rest.”
“Josh’s dad owns a construction company and Josh works for him. Dad’s hoping they’ll be able to rebuild the stables,” Brody explained after seeing the confused look on my face.
“What do you do on the ranch, Brody?” I asked, reaching for a slice of garlic bread from the center of the table.
“Everything.” He laughed, and I raised my eyebrows in question. “Pretty much whatever needs doing around the ranch: repairs, maintenance, the occasional excursion when we're busy. I’ll show you around tomorrow if you want? We don’t have any guests right now, so I’ll have some free time.”
“That would be great.” I was excited to look around the ranch. “Oh, but I'll be working.”
“No working for a while yet, Quinn. Not with two broken ribs,” Claire warned. “You need to rest up.”
“Oh no, Claire, I’m fine. Honestly. I can start work right away.” I couldn’t stay at the house without earning any money. I wasn’t comfortable with that.
“Quinn, honey, I wouldn’t be a great employer if I let my staff work when they weren’t fit to. You need to rest.”
“But,” I began.
“You can go out with Brody next week if you really don’t want to stay around the house. He can show you how things work, and when you’re feeling up to it, you can start the cleaning job,” Claire suggested.
“What a great idea!” Savannah said. I stole a look at Brody and caught him scowling at her. I knew she’d been wrong about him liking me, and now it looked like I was going to be an inconvenience to him until I was able to work.
“Err, I don’t want to put anyone out…” I trailed off, my eyes on the leftover lasagna on my plate.
“You’re not putting anyone out, honey. You don’t mind, do you, Brody?” Claire asked. I raised my head and saw her looking expectantly at Brody. He shrugged his shoulders and sighed.
“Fine with me.” I wasn’t convinced with his reply, he sounded less than pleased. “It’ll be an early start. I need to check all the perimeter fences on Monday.”
“It’s okay. I can do early.”
“That’s settled then,” Claire exclaimed. “Now who wants dessert?”
Dessert was just as good as dinner, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so stuffed. We moved to the sitting room once we’d finished eating, and I sat on the large corner couch. I sat quietly while everyone chatted. I felt as though I was intruding on their family time even though I’d been made to feel welcome. My eyes felt heavy, and I was struggling to stay awake. It had been a long few days, and I was exhausted.
Waking with a start, I opened my eyes, finding myself nestled against a hard chest. Lifting my head, I realized Brody was carrying me.
“Hey,” he muttered when he realized I was awake.
“What are you doing?”
“You fell asleep on the couch. When we couldn’t wake you, I offered to carry you up to bed,” he explained as he pushed the door to my room open and flicked on the light. Exhausted, I dropped my head back onto his chest and tried not to notice how incredible he smelled. He crossed the room and placed me gently on the bed. “You should get some rest.”