Page 52 of Forever By Morning
“Yeah. They rolled it.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.”
Casey yipped from the ground beside Justin. I glanced down and his tail was wagging like a feather duster on speed. He plopped his rump down then sat on his hind legs waving at me. “Well, come on then.” I reached across and opened the door on the passenger side and got a whiff of Helena’s perfume. My chest tightened and I bit back a groan.
I got a face full of fur for my trouble, with an extra helping of dog breath and a tongue bath. “All right, I missed you too.” I let Casey plant his paw on my shoulder with happy squeals before I pushed him away with a ruffle of his ears.
“Which orchard?”
“Out by the springs. They tried to impress one of Rachel’s city friends by taking a ride out there.”
I straightened on my side of the truck and closed my eyes, worst case scenario reels playing behind my eyelids. “When?”
“Just before the storm.”
We’d been right there. If we hadn’t left, they’d have either crashed our party or probably plowed into our picnic. I sighed. “Anyone hurt?”
“A few drunken bruises and a sore head from too much of our apple pie moonshine. Otherwise, no. But Jolene took a drink.”
Jolene was our smaller tractor, the one we used for tending the younger trees in the orchard as well as the pear trees we were trying to revitalize. They were a bitch to grow, but the taproom had done well with a pear blend for hard cider, and I was determined to get them established again.
My never-ending list of projects sat heavy on my shoulders. Harvest was still months away, but it would be here before we knew it, and I was still finalizing the rental units we wanted ready for late summer.
I did not need this.
But it also reminded me why I had no room for mooning over Helena Danbury. Casey sat where she’d been, his stupid tongue lolling out with a goofy smile. I reached over to rub his silky ears one more time.
“I’m assuming I’ll need a winch?”
“I got it hooked up on my truck. But Jolene is gonna take both of us. Maybe even Hayes’ Jeep. I’ve got your gear in my truck. We’ll call in Hayes if need be.”
“Great.”
I glanced at the ornate doorway leading into The Lodge. The urge to go after her was strong. Stronger than it should be with the current bullshit I had to deal with.
But it was better to keep my mind off of thecould have beensandmight have trieds.
I glanced at Justin. “Need me to drive you to your truck?”
“Nah, I’m over near the bakery. I’ll bring breakfast burritos.”
I gave him a half grin. “Least you can do.”
He punched my arm. “Gotta work after we play.”
“There’s always work waiting.” I put the truck in drive and Justin stepped back, shielding his eyes against the bright morning sun.
I pulled my aviators down from the visor and headed out to the spring. It wasn’t as easy to get to as on horseback, but there was a reason why I had four-wheel drive on my truck. The jarring dips and roots forced me to concentrate on the drive instead of memories of our picnic.
Of her—
“Dammit,” I muttered as I hit a dip. “Get your shit together, man.”
Casey barked out an affirmative, which made me laugh.
As I pulled up the hill, all thoughts of my perfect afternoon with Helena disappeared. Jolene’s signature black and green tire was sticking up from what once was a gorgeous rock formation.