Chapter Three
Olivia sipped coffee at the kitchen table while Aunt Mae flipped strips of bacon at the stove. Sizzles and pops filled the room in a sound as comforting as it was familiar. A large stack was piled on a draining plate and two of the men had already stopped by for a bite.
“Have you seen Nate this morning?” Olivia moved scrambled eggs around her plate, hoping it looked like she’d eaten more than she had, else Aunt Mae would fuss.
“No, but he’s probably comatose if he drove straight from Illinois.”
No doubt. “I should’ve discussed him living here.” It had been an impulsive offer after she’d read Justin’s letter, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret the decision. According to her brother, he suspected Nate had no family and wanted him to find a place to call home once he was out of the service. Justin had said other things, stuff she didn’t want to dissect yet, but she’d process later. “Is it okay with you?”
Up went Aunt Mae’s brows. “I don’t get involved in your hiring, baby girl.”
“I know. But it’s different since he’s staying in the house.”
Her aunt transferred bacon and added more to the skillet. “Well, our boarding houses are full, so I don’t know where else he’d go.”
“True.” They had two large farmhouses edging the northern property line that her ranch hands occupied. Part of their salary was rooming because it was easier than driving in from town at all hours.
“Justin wanted him here. Besides, he’s not bad to look at.”
Laughing, Olivia set her coffee aside. “He’s a giant, isn’t he?”
“Pfft. Mountain, I’d say.”
With a smile and a sigh, Olivia laid her head back on the chair. She’d been enveloped by that “mountain” last night for a few brief moments, and the safety he’d invoked had carried her through the night straight into this morning. Odd, since she’d never considered herself in need of protection.
“I didn’t stick around long, but it seems to me he was a little smitten by you.” Aunt Mae grinned. “Didn’t take his eyes off you, in fact.”
Lord. “Don’t tell me your getting dirty speech again. It didn’t go over well yesterday.”
Her aunt laughed. “If you weren’t already thinking dirty thoughts with that hunk around, there’s no hope for you.”
The hunk himself strode in the back door, wearing lose sweatpants on his lean hips and a gray t-shirt soaked in sweat. His bald head and bulging arms glistened with perspiration, and Olivia nearly swallowed her tongue.
Bones trotted in behind him and sat at Aunt Mae’s feet, begging for bacon.
Olivia forced her gaze to Nate’s when it really wanted to wander. Man, he made her skin hot. “I didn’t realize you were awake.”
He pulled a set of earbuds out of his ears and glanced around. “I run a couple miles every morning.” When Aunt Mae handed him a bottle of water, he stared at it in confusion. “Thanks. Am I late?”
“Nope.” Olivia took her plate to the sink. “I just got up. Nakos will be doling out assignments to the guys soon. We don’t have to meet him for another ninety minutes or so.”
Nate nodded and drank from the bottle, looking like a pornographic version of a sportswear ad. “I’ll take a quick shower and meet you back here.”
“Eat first.” Her aunt handed him a plate and, again, he stared at it like he’d never seen eggs before.
“You don’t have to feed me.”
“Room and board.” Olivia smiled and reclaimed her seat. “You’ll want protein. Trust me. The men come and go all day snatching food.”
“Okay.” He stood where he was and ate a few bites as Olivia and her aunt exchanged concerned glances. “That reminds me. Where can I pick up a few things?”
“I’m going shopping today. What do you need?”
He blinked at Aunt Mae. “Gatorade. It’s an electrolyte thing since my injury. Keeps the leg from stiffening. I can get it, though, if you tell me—”
“I’ll add it to the list.” Her aunt waved her hand when he tried to object.
Rico, one of the ranch hands, rushed through the door, kissed Aunt Mae’s cheek, and grabbed two slices of bacon. “Love you.”
Her aunt tsked. “You love my bacon.”
“That, too.” He turned and stopped dead, wide gaze roaming over Nate. “Uh, hello.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “Rico, meet Nate. I just hired him. He’s an Army buddy of Justin’s.”
“Gotcha.” Rico held out his hand. “Thanks for your service.”
Silent, Nate shook his hand, his dark eyes assessing as they ran over Rico’s blond hair, jeans, and denim shirt.
“Remind me not to piss you off, yeah?” Rico kissed Aunt Mae again, high-fived Olivia, and rushed out the door.
Nate’s gaze slowly traveled to Aunt Mae’s back as she resumed cooking and then to Olivia. Poor guy seemed a little overwhelmed and unsure what to do next. After his first tour, Justin had been like that for a few days once he had returned home.
She got the impression Nate was forcing himself to breathe, judging by the wrought expression and tightening of his jaw. She didn’t know what had him out of sorts, but she tilted her head and offered him a reassuring smile.
He shook his head as if to clear it, quickly ate the rest of his breakfast, and walked the plate to the sink. “Thanks for...feeding me.”
While her aunt nodded and Nate left the room, Olivia got tripped up by his odd phrasing and the humble note to his tone. Perhaps he wasn’t used to people or their ways here on the ranch yet, but she was beginning to suspect no one had ever been kind to him before. The same inkling had hit her last night on the porch when she’d complimented him on the box he’d made, offered the job, and showed him to his bedroom.
“I think you should take him with you on your walk.” Aunt Mae spooned eggs into a warming plate and washed her hands. “It might give him some closure.”
Olivia nodded. “I will.” He’d been unable to attend Justin’s funeral, but she could take Nate to see her brother’s grave. She’d planned on it, anyway, if only to show him where the cemetery was located.
He came downstairs ten minutes later, wearing jeans, a black baseball cap, and a sweatshirt. She led him outside and they walked in silence up an incline, Bones trotting at Nate’s side. Her dog typically didn’t accompany her to the cemetery.
“I think you made a lasting impression.” She jerked her chin toward the sheepdog.
He glanced at Bones. “I found him outside my bedroom door this morning. He followed me on my run.”
“Really? He likes you, then. They say dogs are an excellent judge of character.”
He sent her a disbelieving look. “He seems very mild-mannered. Doesn’t he sleep in your room?”
“Sometimes.” She shrugged. “He kind of does what he wants. You’re a great companion, aren’t you, boy?”
Bones barked as if he understood.
Nate’s lips curved as he glanced from the dog to his surroundings. “This place is massive. How many acres do you own?”
“Two-thousand.”
“Christ.” He shook his head. “I can’t fathom.”
She laughed. “It’s all I’ve ever known. To the north,” she pointed to give him a sense of direction, “is mostly wheat crops. We keep some of the harvest for feed, but the rest goes to suppliers. There’s two farmhouses the ranch hands live in beyond the field. And before you ask, they’re full, so you’re stuck with me.”
He grunted, but otherwise kept silent.
“To the south and west are pastures. We have about a thousand head of steer and five hundred sheep. The east side is mostly the main house and barns. We have twenty-five horses, plus a large storage structure for equipment. A lot of the guys prefer ATVs to horseback.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, seemingly uncertain.
“I’ll teach you everything you need to know. You’re a smart guy. You’ll catch on quick.”
His gaze whipped to hers and he studied her like she was an alien life form. “You remind me so much of your brother.”
There was no higher compliment in her book. “Thank you. We were very close. More like best friends than siblings.”
Frowning, he jerked his gaze ahead, leaving her to wonder what she’d said to upset him. He’d spent a lot of time in precarious and dangerous situations with Justin. Perhaps being around her was difficult or brought up painful memories.
After a few moments of silence, she chewed her lip. “How did you sleep? I’ll bet you were tired after the long drive.”
Appearing to mull that over, he took a deep breath. “I caught a couple hours. I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No.” Her chest pinched. She wondered if he had some PTSD or if it was the change in setting that had disturbed him. “Too quiet around here for you?”
“Yeah, maybe.” He adjusted his hat and stopped walking to face her. Head down, he set his hands on his hips. “I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t sleep much, not for long stretches, anyway. I tend to wake suddenly and...” He closed his eyes, jaw tense.
Her stomach bottomed out. “From nightmares?”
He didn’t open his eyes, but his brows pinched. “Yes.” The reluctant tone belied his discomfort with the situation, and a hint of embarrassment tinged his cheeks. “This is why I prefer to stay somewhere else.” With a sigh, he refocused on her, and the torment in his gaze was gutting. “You should be aware of the situation if you hear me. Or if I wander around.”
Lord. He sleepwalked, too? “You must’ve seen some terrible things over there,” she whispered.
In answer, he pivoted and continued ahead as if they’d never spoken.
She strode quietly beside him, her heart aching. Justin had never said much about his time overseas, but he hadn’t had the walls in place like Nate did. He didn’t know her, either, so maybe he’d talk about it in time.
At the cemetery fence, he paused. “He’s buried here?”
“Yes, along with four generations of Cattenachs.” She faced him, watching the hard edges of his profile. “Our parents died in a car wreck when we were eight. I didn’t sleep well for a long time afterward and I refused to get in a vehicle for a year, thinking I’d die, too. I won’t pretend to understand what you’re going through, but what helped me was coming here, talking to them.”
He turned his head and looked at her, gaze sweeping over her face like a caress. Understanding and respect shone in his eyes before he broke the connection and glanced at the cemetery again.
Bones nudged his hand and, with a blink of surprise, Nate looked at the dog.
“I think he senses what troubles you. Maybe you should let him sleep in your bed, see how it works out.” She opened the gate and walked to Justin’s grave.
Nate’s quiet footsteps padded behind her, but he said nothing. He spoke very little, actually, but his eyes gave a lot of him away. Guilt and regret collided with turmoil and indecision. After only a day, she didn’t have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times she’d seen the wide array of his emotions. None of them good.
“You have company, Justin. Look who’s here.” She knelt and picked a couple weeds from around the stone. Shielding the sun with her hand, she looked up at Nate. “I come here every morning to tell him stuff. I bother him as much now as I did when he was alive. It’s a sister’s right.”
After a slow shake of his head, he stared at her with furrowed brows and a hint of amusement like he didn’t know what to make of her. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but shut it again.
She glanced at her brother’s grave, and for the first time since dirt had been dumped over his casket, her throat didn’t close. She blathered about ranch duties and let him know she’d gotten his letter. After a few minutes, she rose and brushed off her knees, Nate watching her the whole time.
“Go ahead and try it. Talk to him.” She blew Justin a kiss and headed for the gate. “I’ll wait over here.”
He watched her leave as if she’d smacked him upside the head, then reluctantly faced the headstone. He didn’t say anything aloud, not that she could hear, anyway, but he bowed his head like he was conversing mentally, his shoulders tense. Not long after, he met her on the path.
They walked back in silence, and she breathed in the familiar scents of soil and hay the closer they got to the barn. Nakos stood outside, clipboard in hand. He looked up and did a double-take.
“Hebe, Olivia.” His tone was flat as always, but his expression was pure what-the-hell as he glanced from her to Nate.
“Good morning. You remember Nate Roldan? I hired him for some handyman stuff. He’s going to follow me around for a little while.”
Nakos didn’t move. Not even to blink.
“He’s going to be staying up at the house with me and Aunt Mae.”
Nada. Nothing. Zilch. Dark eyes glared into hers and, if not for Bones trotting into the barn, she’d have sworn time stopped.
“Nice to formally meet you.” Nate nodded.
Nakos’s gaze narrowed on Nate’s for a blip before settling on her. “Olivia, a word.” He grabbed her elbow and turned her away.
She hadn’t taken a step and Nate shoved between them, using his ginormous arm to push her behind him. “Hands off.” The growl of his low, menacing voice stalled the breath in her lungs.
“Back the hell up.” Nakos must’ve pushed Nate, because he stumbled into her, not that she could see around the wall of his body.
Whoa. “Time out.” She ducked under Nate’s arm and stepped between them. “Nakos would never hurt me.”
Nate, jaw ticking, nostrils flared, dropped his gaze to hers. In a flash, he raised his arms and took a step away. “Sorry. Gut reaction.”
Interesting. More on that later.
She turned and set her palms on Nakos’s chest, maneuvering him several paces backward. “Testosterone, party of one. Follow me.”
With a parting glare for Nate, her foreman followed her to the other side of the barn and removed his cowboy hat. “Have you lost your mind? You don’t know a damn thing about this guy.”
“I know he was injured serving with Justin and he said I could trust Nate.”
Up went his arms in an are-you-kidding-me move. “Says who? The stranger who showed up on your doorstep six months after the fact?”
“Says Justin in a letter Nate brought to me.”
Shoulders sagging, he let out a long-winded huff. “He could snap you in half with one arm tied behind his back and without breaking a sweat.”
Men. Such a headache. “Yet he stepped between us when he thought you were a danger.”
“We make all hiring decisions together. And why does he need to bunk at the house?”
She scrubbed a hand over her face. “He’s mostly going to be fixing stuff around the ranch. If he takes well to other things, we can discuss adding more duties. And the boarding houses are full. You want him staying at your cabin?”
His eyes narrowed.
“That’s what I thought.” She tilted her face heavenward. “You could be a little more welcoming.”
“I could chew glass, too. Doesn’t mean I will.” He glanced away. “You’re giving me a coronary, little red. I don’t like him alone with you two.”
“Noted.” She crossed her arms. “Trust me like you always have before. I’m not an idiot. Can we get to work now?”
“I’m calling Rip by the end of the day to do a background check.”
Rip being Meadowlark’s sheriff. “Fine.” Whatever calmed Nakos down was okay by her. The nearest she’d seen him angry was a low simmer. Today? He was boiling the lid off the pot.
He let out a string of muttered words in his native tongue, which she assumed were curses, and stomped back to the front of the barn. He stopped a few feet away from Nate. “You lay one finger on her and they’ll never find your body.”
When he disappeared into the barn, Nate looked at her, his expression unimpressed. “Nice guy.”