Page 28 of The Little Things

He looked around at his surroundings like he was just noticing where he was for the first time. “I think I fell down.”

As soon as he spoke, I reared back at the stench of cheap, stale booze on his breath and leaching from his pores. “Oh my God, you smell like a dumpster that’s been drenched in gasoline and set on fire.”

Zach lifted the bottle clutched in his hand. It was that same brand of disgusting bourbon that I’d found stashed in my cabin. He put it to his mouth and took a giant swig before I was able to grab it out of his hands.

“All right, I think you’ve had enough.” I gagged when I was hit with another whiff from the bottle. “I didn’t take you for a fan of cheap booze that would burn a hole through your stomach lining.” I shook the bottle in his face, my top lip curling up in disgust. “This stuff is terrible, Zach. If you’re going to tie one on, at least do it respectfully. What, you didn’t have any battery acid on hand?”

He lifted a shoulder in a shrug and listed to the side, nearly toppling over. “It’s some shit Hal left in the tack room,” he slurred. “Stuff’s awful, but it’ll get the job done.”

I wanted to pry, to ask him why he felt the need to get shit-faced after running out on me in the grocery store, but there were more pressing matters at hand, such as getting him off the floor before Roam accidentally stepped on him and went out of the barn.

“How full was this when you got a hold of it?” I asked, inspecting the bottle that was barely a quarter full.

Zach’s hands came up before flopping back down at his sides. “Dunno. A lot.”

Something in his eyes tugged at my heart, creating an ache I couldn’t rub out. There was a sadness lingering behind the haze of alcohol. A pain I couldn’t even begin to understand.

“Come on, big guy.” I pushed to my feet, holding my hand out to him. “I think it’s time we get you to bed, yeah?”

He heaved out a sigh and dropped his head back, thumping it against the rough wooden wall. “You look like an angel,” he slurred softly. “Did you come to save me?”

“Do you need saving?” I asked, tilting my head to the side in concern.

“Who the fuck knows? But I’ll tell you what I do need. More booze.”

He reached for the bottle I was still holding, but there was no way I was letting him have it. It was already going to be a struggle to get his drunken ass back to his house. One more sip and he was liable to pass the hell out. Sure, I had a crush on the guy, but that didn’t mean I wanted to sleep in a freaking barn just so I could make sure he didn’t choke on his own vomit in the middle of the night. I might not be living with the same comforts as I had in L.A. but a girl had to draw the line somewhere.

“Not a chance in hell.” I exited the stall just long enough to throw the bottle in a nearby trash can before going back for my drunken boss. “You’re done for the night.” I grabbed his hand in both of mine and let out a grunt as I tried to pull his considerable bulk off the floor. “Work with me here, would you? I can’t do this all by myself.” I heaved again to no avail. Instead of trying to help, he started singing some country song, and even though I didn’t recognize it, I was pretty sure he was getting at least half the words wrong. “Damn it, Zach.” I let out a frustrated huff and blew a strand of hair out of my face. “Get your feet under you, or so help me God, I’ll let you spend the night out here with Roam.”

The horse in question whinnied like he wasn’t a fan of the idea of sharing his bed with anyone else. And given the way Zach smelled just then, I didn’t really blame him.

It took two more tries, but he finally cooperated and wobbled to his feet as I yanked on his arm. Roam nudged at him like he was worried for his owner. That made two of us. Still, I assured the big, gentle giant. “It’s okay, big guy. He’ll be fine. He just needs to sleep it off. He’ll be good as new tomorrow.” Depending on how bad the hangover was.

His arm lay heavy over my shoulders as I began to shuffle us out of the barn, nearly tripping over my own feet when I felt his nose nuzzle into my hair and inhale deeply.

“Mmm,” he hummed pleasurably, a deep rumble that made my belly swoop and my core squeeze. “You smell so good.” He inhaled again. “Always smell so good. It drives me crazy.”

I let out a shaky exhale, telling myself that these were just the drunk ramblings of a guy who’d gone through something earlier that day and not to take anything he said to heart. It would lead nowhere good, that was for damn sure.

It took double the amount of time it should have to get from the barn to Zach’s house, and more than once, I was afraid he was going to fall right over and squish me underneath him. “You know, when you decide to tie one on, you go big,” I grunted as I struggled to keep us both upright and shuffling in the right direction. “You barely had an hour to get this drunk after you left me at the grocery store.”

A pained sound expelled from his chest as he leaned harder against me. “I’m so sorry, Hollywood. Never should’ve left you there,” he slurred.

I tried to remember to lift with my legs as I hefted his weight more firmly on my shoulders. “It’s all right.”

“It’s not. Was a dick move.”

I cut my eyes sideways to look up at him in the deepening twilight. The sun hadn’t quite lowered all the way just yet, but the moon and the stars were already starting to put on their show. The whiskers on Zach’s jaw were longer this time of day. His eyes were dark, smudges of purple underneath that normally weren’t there.

“Stop being so hard on yourself. At least you called Lennix to come get me.”

He grunted, but I couldn’t tell if it was in agreement or if he was still beating himself up. My cabin came into view just then, and Zach nearly threw us off balance when he turned, heading in that direction instead of his own house.

“Whoa, big guy. Come on. I need to get you home.”

“Don’t want to go there,” he grumbled, digging his boots deeper into the ground to fight against my pull. “I’ll stay with you.”

My mouth dropped open, a sputtering sound coming out before I was able to form words. “But... there’s nowhere for you to sleep, Zach. There’s only one bed.”