Page 127 of Chasing Home
I hunch my shoulders and lean over my lap, sighing. “No. I’ll do it. They’re staying here, right?”
“I’m damn sure Bernice has been watching us from the living room window from the moment you pulled up.”
Glancing at the window, I catch the blinds smacking against the glass and stifle a laugh. “You don’t mind if I speak with them now?”
“Go ahead. Investigate every route.”
I dip my chin at her before standing and leaving her to continue crocheting. The inside of the house smells like cinnamon and bacon, and suddenly, I’m wishing I came earlier to catch breakfast. But then again, maybe it’s better I have an empty stomach. Just in case.
Bernice is perched on the edge of one of the two armchairs in the living room, while James stands beside the fireplace with Wade. It’s been a few days since I’ve seen all three of them, but the last time I saw Wade, he didn’t look as bothered as he does now.
I don’t know if that hard expression is pointed at me or if he just naturally looks like that under normal circumstances. There must be a reason why all the ranch hands always straighten up when he’s near. Maybe who I’m seeing now is the Wade Steele the world knows and not the one who melts around his wife. The brutal rancher who has the respect of every single person in Cherry Peak and those hundreds of kilometres outside of it.
Bernice perks up when I step into the room and clasps her hands in her lap. “Aurora! Good morning.”
“It’s Rory to everyone but Johnny,” Wade corrects her gruffly. I didn’t know that he had picked up on Johnny’s nickname for me or that he realized I loved it. Darlin’ of all things shouldn’t make me as happy as it does. “She prefers Rory, just like I already told you both.”
Blushing at the mention of Johnny, I stare at him questioningly. He simply lifts his shoulder. Appreciation flutters in my stomach, a sense of acceptance following.
“Rory,” James echoes. “I think I like that even more.”
“Did your mother choose that name for you for a certain reason, or did it just call to her?” Bernice asks.
“I’ve never asked her that.”
The corner of her mouth lifts. “Maybe I will, then. If I get the chance one day.”
The statement is simple, but it has a much weightier effect than I think she was intending. The insinuation that she’s planning on being in my life long enough to see my mom again has me dreading telling them what I need to all that much more.
I look at James and gesture to the second armchair. “Do you want to sit so we can talk?”
He takes a seat quickly, whether he wants to or just doesn’t want to risk telling me no. I wouldn’t have cared either way.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“I’m gonna head out,” Wade announces, stepping my way. Stopping shoulder to shoulder with me, he lowers his voice and meets my stare head-on. “Already told ’em to answer all your questions. So grill ’em, Rory. If you need Eliza or myself, just shout. I’ll be wranglin’ that man of yours back into shape before he runs over my cattle with a fuckin’ tractor.”
“Thank you,” I blurt, a lump building in my throat.
“Don’t thank me. I take care of my family” is all he says before leaving.
My eyes burn as I focus on my grandparents, my next words sounding dead wrong. “I know you came all the way down here to meet me, but I’m leaving tomorrow. Lee asked me and Wanda to go back to Toronto with him.”
“He what?” James asks, that soft tone of voice hardening. “Why?”
“Bonding, I guess. You came all this way, so I just wanted to apologize.”
Bernice raises a dainty, wrinkled hand to her chest. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
I don’t believe her, but I push forward anyway. “I had things I still wanted to ask. Is that okay?”
“You leaving changes nothing,” Bernice declares.
Seeking confirmation from James, I look his way. He nods quickly. “Sit first. If you pace, I’ll start pacing, and I already went for my walk this morning.”
“Don’t act like your doctor hasn’t told you multiple times to take more than one walk a day,” his wife chides as I sit on the love seat. Then she tells me, “High blood pressure. Too many bags of ketchup chips in his younger days.”
“You can never have too many bags of ketchup chips.”