Someone Special
Emrys
Something shifted and rustled letting me know I was no longer alone in the quiet, rustically decorated guest room. I wasn’t a deep sleeper even before the attack in the mountains. Now, any little thing that went bump in the night pulled me awake and away from the reoccurring nightmares. I saw Sutton die a million times when I closed my eyes. I felt the burn of that knife against my skin and angry hands in places they shouldn’t be as I tossed and turned endlessly. However, last night after Leo strong-armed me into leaving the hospital when Sutton still wasn’t awake, I was too tired to fight the pull of oblivion. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out and I didn’t move. It was the best night’s sleep I’d had in forever.
I peeled my eyes open as that peaceful escape was disturbed by the feeling of being watched. I knew Leo was worried about me. It was there in her eyes and in the fierce way she hugged me. She watched me like a hawk and had offered to put me up in one of the bunkhouses they used for the guests who came to the ranch for wilderness retreats, careful not to remind me that I was the reason we’d booked the wilderness retreat in the first place. She was being cautious with me. Not wanting to rush me or push too much on me at once. I was sick of my own company and gladly agreed to take one of the empty rooms in the massive ranch house that served as both the home base of the luxury vacation business as well as Leo’s new home. I needed to be around people. I needed to remember how to function with those who cared about me and those whom I cared about. I was done letting one single moment, no matter how horrific it was, dictate the rest of my life.
I got what I asked for.
I definitely wasn’t alone anymore. I blinked against the sun shining into the room and rolled over to come face-to-face with a pair of curious green eyes that were the exact same forest green color as her father’s.
The little girl was holding a stuffed unicorn with a glittery saddle on its back. She had her head cocked to one side and was looking at me like she was cataloging everything about me. She couldn’t be more than five or six, but her intense scrutiny made her seem older and had me lifting a hand to my sleep-rumpled hair.
“Hi.” I cleared my scratchy throat and pushed the covers back so I could swing my legs over the edge of the bed. I ran a hand over my face and cocked my head to match the little girl’s pose. “I’m Emrys. Who are you?”
There was no mistaking she was Sutton’s child. The little girl was the spitting image of her dad. She had sunshine-colored ringlets that stuck out in wild disarray and the same wary, untrusting slant to her mouth. Plus, there was no missing those eyes.
“Emrys?” She muttered my name, drawing out the riss at the end like she was a hissing snake. I lifted an eyebrow and grinned at her.
“You can call me Em, if it’s easier. Everyone else does.”
She nodded solemnly and stuck out one of her hands, which I promptly shook, melting a little on the inside. She was utterly charming. “I’m Daye. You’re real pretty.”
I let her hand fall and cleared my throat. I was pretty, but it was a different kind of pretty than I had been before. When I looked in the mirror now, it took everything I could do not to obsess about the way my right eye dipped a little lower than the left due to the surgeries I’d needed in order to erase the scars the knife had left all over me. I had a naturally golden complexion thanks to my Hispanic heritage, so the thin, white lines that crisscrossed my cheek and curved around the side of my jaw were never going anywhere. Still, even though they were barely noticeable to anyone else, especially when I wore makeup, sometimes they were all that I could see.
“Thank you. You’re very pretty, too.” I watched as the little girl preened under the compliment.
“I know. My daddy tells me I’m the prettiest girl in the whole world. This used to be his room. He’s sick right now.” Her lower lip trembled and she squeezed the stuffed animal in her arms so tightly that I was worried the stuffing might pop out of it. “I miss him. I want to see him, but Auntie Leo won’t let me.”
I ran my fingers through my long, dark hair and cringed. I wasn’t touching that one with a ten-foot pole. I was also going to kill Leo for sticking me in Sutton’s room. She’d mentioned that he’d moved into one of the bunkhouses permanently when he finally came home from the hospital after he’d been shot. She didn’t mention I was sleeping in the same room where he had grown up.
“I’ve known your Aunt Leo for a long, long time. She’s a smart lady. If she says you shouldn’t see your daddy right now, I bet she has a good reason.” I put my hands on the edge of the bed and leaned closer to the little girl, lowering my voice conspiratorially. “I wanted to see your daddy, too. I didn’t get to either.”
Cy had given me a minute with his unconscious brother before relegating me to the waiting room. He insisted Sutton wouldn’t want anyone to see him at his lowest, but I knew the oldest Warner well enough to know that he was the one who didn’t want anyone to witness Sutton’s downfall. He was the family protector. He was the shield anyone had to penetrate to get close to the Warners, and now Leo, as well. He took his job seriously.
Daye’s dark green eyes widened and she dropped the stuffed animal so that she was holding it by one arm, the rest of it dragging on the floor. “You know my daddy?” The excitement and adoration was evident in her voice. This little angel clearly believed her dad hung the moon and the stars. I felt a sizzle of annoyance pop along my spine that Sutton had been drinking himself into a stupor at that bar instead of being at home, cherishing this precious child.
I got to my feet and lifted my hands over my head so I could stretch out muscles stiff from both the long plane ride and hours-long drive. When I did, my oversized t-shirt rode up on my stomach and the jagged, puckered scars that still lived there showed. I saw Daye’s curious eyes land on the ravaged flesh and braced for her innocently invasive questions. It had taken six months to fix my face, to erase the daily reminders of what had happened. I still had scars across my chest and running up and down my stomach that told anyone looking close enough that I was lucky to be alive. It was on my to-do list to get them looked at and see if there was any way to lessen their impact, but until then, I was stuck answering questions that made me uncomfortable and catapulted me back to the worst thing that had ever happened to me.
I didn’t get a childish inquisition. Instead, Daye grabbed my hand and told me that Brynn had made French toast, which was her favorite, and if I didn’t hurry her Uncle Lane was going to eat it all. Brynn Fox-Warner was the brothers’ much younger stepmother. She was also Lane’s best friend from high school and the caretaker of both the home and the ranch. It was a weird dynamic, one that had a complicated history, but at the end of the day she was a Warner and that was all that mattered to the brothers. Daye was tugging on me insistently, telling me all about Brynn chasing Lane out of the kitchen once already, and as much as my mouth watered at the idea of hot, buttery French toast and eating Brynn’s cooking again, I needed a shower and a minute to think before I could pretend to be human.
I dropped down to my knees in front of the little girl and gave her a brief hug which she immediately returned. She was so cute and looked so much like Sutton that it was doing funny things to my insides. “I have to get ready and then I’ll be down. Tell your Uncle Lane I’ll fight him for the last piece of French toast.” I twisted one of her ringlets around my finger and grinned at her. “We’ll gang up on your Aunt Leo and see about going to see your daddy. I’m sure seeing you will make him feel much better.”
She smiled at me, eyes shining. “Will Daddy be happy to see you, Em?”
I bit my lip to stop from blurting out that I was the last person he wanted to see. Luckily, Leo appeared at the top of the stairs and saved me from having to lie to the little girl. “Daye, go down and eat breakfast with Lane and Brynn. Your dad is feeling better today so we’re gonna go see him as soon as everyone is ready.” Daye squealed in delight and bolted toward the stairs, stopping to give my best friend a hug before her sneakered feet pounded down the steps. I watched her blonde curls bounce until she was out of sight. I heard feminine laughter and the lower rumble of a male voice, indicating she had found her uncle and Brynn.
I climbed to my feet and put my hands on my hips, narrowing my eyes at Leo. She was the kind of woman who would eternally be classified as cute. She was on the short side with a curvy figure and wild, strawberry-blonde hair that seemed untamable. She had freckles across her nose and warm brown eyes that were deceptively kind. Leo was more barracuda than bunny rabbit, but no one would ever know that based on her looks alone.
“Sutton’s room? Really? There was no other place in this big ass house you could have put me?” I raised an annoyed eyebrow at her as she shrugged unabashedly.
“One of the rooms is Daye’s. Cy won’t let her stay in the bunkhouse with Sutton. We had a regular guest room, but every time Cy and I got into a fight I would try and sleep in there. He got sick of hauling me back to our bedroom. One day I came home from a meeting and noticed he’d emptied the room out. No bed, no dresser, nothing. One of the rooms is Brynn’s and one is Lane’s. There are two more, but neither have furniture or are ready for guests. Cy keeps telling me I can do whatever I want with them, but I haven’t decided yet. Sutton’s old room is the only one that had a bed and an attached bathroom. I didn’t plan on Daye spilling the beans. I wasn’t going to tell you it was his.” She shrugged again. “I forget how smart that little girl is. I should have known she would be curious about what was happening in her dad’s old room.” She gave me a lopsided grin. “Kids. I’m learning as I go.”
“She’s adorable and very sweet.” I wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know.
Leo nodded. “She’s very special. We’re all hoping Sutton isn’t too far gone to remember that.”
Leo had never been the type of woman who spent hours pontificating about getting married and having kids. She was fiercely independent and often isolated. She was driven, successful, and determined to make it on her own. That was part of the reason I’d glommed onto her when we were younger. Leo always seemed to know exactly what she wanted out of life, she never questioned her path. Her confidence made me feel less like I was untethered and flailing out in the wind. Being around someone as together as Leo always had been up until her ex, Chris, got into her head and played with her heart, made it easier for me to fake having my own shit sorted. A failed relationship and an undeniable attraction to Cy Warner had changed everything about Leo. My best friend was still successful and driven, but now she was the furthest thing from alone in the world. She had more family surrounding her than she’d ever had, and she’d never looked happier.
I shook my head at her and pushed my heavy hair back over my shoulders. I decided to lighten the mood a little. We’d both had enough serious between us to last a lifetime. “You’re ridiculous. If I had a guy who looked like Cy waiting for me in bed, I don’t care how pissed at him I was, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Of the three brothers, Cy looked the least like he belonged on a ranch in the middle of nowhere Wyoming. The oldest brother dressed more like a biker than a cowboy and had a thing about his stylish, salt and pepper hair. He was ruggedly handsome in a different way than his brothers, and I wasn’t lying to Leo. There was no way I would sleep anywhere that wasn’t right next to him if he were mine.
She wiggled her rust-colored eyebrows at me and gave me a leer that made me laugh so hard I had to put a hand on my stomach. “Trust me, making him come get me was well worth it. The man is inspired when he has to work to get what he wants.”
I felt my lips quirk into a helpless grin. “You look happy, Leo. Really, really happy.” It hadn’t been an easy trip to get there, but it was obvious she had found the place where she was always meant to be.
“I am happy now that you’re here.” Her eyes skimmed over my messy hair and still-soft-from-sleep eyes. “You look better, Em. So much better.”
I knew she wasn’t talking about the barely-there scars on my face. “Not better, but getting there.” One slow, painful step at a time. “Is Sutton really awake?”
Leo gave a quick nod. “He woke up early this morning. Cy said they’ll release him tomorrow. Lane had a trail ride scheduled with a family from Atlanta this afternoon so they had to switch out who was sitting with him. Normally, I’d keep Daye here and wait until Sutton was home before letting her see him, but she’s been so upset. She had a really hard time when he was in the hospital in Montana recovering. We’re looking at a meltdown if she doesn’t get to see him for herself soon.”
I understood her need to make sure he was okay, to see that he was breathing and that his eyes were open. Those same things made my skin feel too tight and forced my jaw and shoulders to tense anxiously. “I’m anxious to see him myself.”
Concern crossed Leo’s face but she quickly tried to hide it under a bright smile. “Well, hop in the shower and get a move on. Those Warners don’t like being confined in small spaces. The longer he’s in that bed, the crankier he’s going to be. I’ll make sure Lane leaves you something to eat. He’s a human garbage disposal.”
I laughed like she intended, but before she could walk away I asked quietly, “How come you’re Aunt Leo and Brynn is just Brynn? Didn’t Daye grow up around her?”
A genuine smile pulled at Leo’s mouth and her eyes went warm and soft. “Because Sutton calls me her Aunt Leo and he only calls Brynn by her name. Daye worships the ground that man walks on. He’s her hero and her most favorite person on the planet. She emulates every move he makes and repeats every word that comes out of his mouth. Even the ones she shouldn’t.”
That made my throat tighten and my eyes burn. He knew exactly what he risked losing but had no qualms about sharing all the goodness in his life with someone who deserved it. No matter how self-destructive and dangerous he had become, Sutton was still a good man.
Clearing away the lump in my throat, I turned on my heel and headed for the bathroom. I let the warm water from the shower wash away the lingering effects of sleep. It would take forever to dry my long hair, so I braided the wet tresses and dressed carefully. I was used to seeing the scars on my chest when I moved the wrong way or my clothes shifted. They didn’t make me cry anymore. They didn’t define who I was. Instinctively, I knew that Sutton wouldn’t feel the same. The man couldn’t even meet my eyes in that bar a few days ago. I had a feeling that if he saw the marks on me he’d tried so hard to prevent, he would do his very best to send me away again. He was in no shape, mentally or physically, to come face to face with the very visceral reminder of what we’d survived.
I put on a tight t-shirt and covered it with a fitted denim shirt that covered everything it needed to. I added black leggings and boots that hit me right below the knee. I’d kept a lot of the cute stuff I bought for my first foray into the wilds of Wyoming. Now, noticing I was dressed very similarly to both Leo and Brynn, I was glad I held on to most of it. It didn’t occur to me until we piled into Leo’s shiny, new SUV that I wanted to blend in with them. I wanted to look like I belonged here. It was such a startling revelation that I didn’t say much as both the other women kept up a steady stream of chatter to keep Daye occupied for the hour-long ride to the only hospital in Sheridan.
“Lane high-tailed it out of the house after breakfast. I thought he would be too worried about Sutton to focus on his ride this afternoon.” Leo threw the statement out conversationally, but even from the front seat of the SUV, I could feel the way Brynn stiffened in the back.
I turned my head to look at the gorgeous redhead and lifted my eyebrows when I noticed she was tugging frantically on her lower lip. Brynn was several years younger than both Leo and me. She had beautiful, coppery hair that looked like it was filled with flames. Instead of being pale and petite, she had skin that was a shade darker than mine and legs a runway model would kill for. Her eyes were the color of midnight and full of secrets she didn’t share. She had a sweet kind of innocence about her that made her impossible not to like—even though Leo had tried really hard when they first met because she thought the younger woman belonged to Cy. She belonged to all the brothers, but not in any kind of romantic or sexual way, much to Lane’s obvious disappointment. She was part of their family, as unorthodox as it was.
Brynn caught my questioning look and shifted her gaze so that she was looking out the window. “I have a date tonight with Jack Hendrix. He’s one of the ranch hands who works over on the McKenna property. He’s been asking me out for months and I finally caved. I don’t think Lane likes him very much.”
Brynn was close with all the brothers, but her relationship with Lane was the most complicated. They were the same age and had known one another all through school. Brynn’s home life had been brutal and horrific. What she’d suffered made what I’d gone through look like a day at the park. To get her out of her home permanently, the boys’ terminally ill father had married the young woman and opened his home to her. Lane had stepped in and offered to put a ring on her finger first, wanting to protect his friend from her violent father and a system that kept letting her down. It hadn’t gone over well when Brynn refused him and everyone else told him he was too young to sacrifice himself that way. As a result, Brynn was technically his stepmother and Boyd Warner’s widow. It was a convoluted mess because Lane still cared deeply for his childhood friend and she seemed oblivious to his feelings. It wasn’t that Lane didn’t like Jack. He wouldn’t like anyone Brynn was dating, no matter how good a guy he might be.
I turned back and noticed Leo was grinning. I shook my head and told her, “Never a dull moment around here, is there?”
She laughed. “Nope. Not really.”
We turned the topics back to safer and less embarrassing things for the rest of the ride. My hands started to shake and my palms got sweaty when the hospital came into view. I tried wiping them off on my leggings but it didn’t do any good. Everything passed by in a blur as we all followed Leo down the long corridors to the room where they had moved Sutton.
She paused and knocked on the closed door waiting for the gruff, “come in,” before turning to look at me. “Cy’s in there with him so he’ll behave. You want to go in first or do you want to wait until after Daye sees him?”
I was opening my mouth to reply that I would wait when the choice was taken out of my hands by a small and surprisingly quick Daye. She darted around Leo, pushed open the door, all while snagging my hand and pulling me forward with her. I was hustled through the doorway, stumbling to catch myself, as the little girl shrieked at the top of her lungs, “Daddy! I missed you! Look, your friend came to see you and help you get all better.”
She released me as soon as she laid eyes on her dad. Her little feet couldn’t carry her fast enough to his bedside. It was a good thing Cy was there to catch her because she was intent on throwing her little body into her injured father’s. Cy put his massive hands on the little girl’s waist and carefully set her in the bed next to Sutton, but not before placing a tender kiss on the top of her head.
“You gotta be gentle with your old man, Goldilocks. Your dad’s in rough shape.” His deep voice was gruff with emotion and it made me suck in a sharp breath.
Sutton wrapped an arm around his mini-me and pressed his forehead next to hers. “Missed you, too, baby girl. Sorry I haven’t been home.” He sounded like he’d been eating chalk and chewing on razor blades.
It was a private moment between father and daughter and I felt terrible for interrupting. I was turning to go, to give them time and space, when that rough, broken voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Em.” He didn’t sound like he hated me, but he didn’t sound like he was happy to see me, either.
I took a fortifying breath and lifted my chin so I could meet Sutton’s hard, questioning gaze. “Sutton. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
He grunted and looked between me and his brother. “How long you staying for?” His tone indicated the sooner I left, the better.
I wished I hadn’t pulled my hair back so I had something to do with my hands. I always played with it when I was nervous. I forced myself to stand totally still and tell him the truth. “As long as it takes.”
I had nowhere else to go, but he didn’t need to know that.
I wasn’t going anywhere until he forgave me . . . and until he forgave himself.