West kept his hands on her shoulders as she tentatively pushed open the creaky barn doors. The sweet smell of hay mixed with leather, along with the underlying musty smell of old wood wafted outside.

"Let's air this out, okay? Let in some light, too." He pushed both doors as far open as they would go. The sun streamed in, making the atmosphere seem less oppressive.

Penn drew a shaky breath and walked slowly inside, gripping his hand like a vice.

A few old cars were half-covered with tarps, while a box of tools and other auto parts littered the hay-strewn floor. Though the hay was fresh, the tools hadn't been touched. Obviously whoever had cleaned out the old hay had been ordered to leave everything else alone.

"Danny did all of his work over there." Penn pointed to the left side of the barn. "You could always find him under one of the vehicles or tinkering with an engine."

She picked up a small radio that sat on a rickety table and ran her hand over the dial. "He'd crank a rock station and work for hours. Sometimes, I'd even bring his dinner out here when he got really involved."

Her voice trembled as she spoke, and a feeling of complete helplessness swept over him. He knew she needed to keep talking to get through it, but he braced himself for the impending breakdown he knew was coming.

"Danny had a horse named King when he was younger. He loved that horse so much. It destroyed Danny when King got arthritis and had to be put down. I don’t think he ever got over that."

Penn paused, leading him over to an empty horse stall near the right side of the barn. "He shot himself right here. In King's old stall. I guess he wanted to go out around everything he loved." Her breath hitched and she shuddered.

West placed his hands on her shoulders again. It broke his heart to see her in this much emotional pain. Pain he couldn't fix.

Pain no one could fix.

"I thought he’d fallen asleep. He was lying in the hay. Sometimes he did that after a late night working. He’d crash out here with the radio on low. But then I saw the blood."

West pulled her back against him as her tears began to fall. She looked over her shoulder and into his eyes, her tear-stained face full of misery and hurt as she slid down his body and landed on her knees in the soft hay.

"I love him, West. But I'm angry at him. For leaving me, for keeping it all inside. I'm angry, because for the rest of my life, that's the last memory I’ll have of my brother—that horrible, awful morning."

West knelt down in the hay and pulled her close. "You said he probably wanted to be around things he loved at the end." He kept his voice soft and gentle as he spoke. "Things that meant something to him. That includes you, Penn. How many good times did you guys have out here together in this barn?"

She wiped at her tears with the back of her hand. "Plenty. We used to play out here as kids. Later on, we'd sit out here and talk for hours while he worked."

"He was in pain, honey, and not thinking about anything but that pain. He loved you. Look at that beautiful car he rebuilt for you. I'm sure he put one hundred percent into everything he did for you. Am I right?"

She broke down then, sobbing so hard her entire body shook violently. He held her tight and stroked her hair, blinking back tears for his own brother's senseless death. They’d all been dealt a shitty hand.

"Forgiveness might take a while. I'm not sure I've forgiven Drew yet, either." He swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut at the memory of his mother’s voice screaming into the phone that his brother had died. "It’s been three years, and I’m still struggling with it."

She leaned against his chest and wrapped her arms around him. "Why haven't you forgiven him?"

"He left me behind. He was the person I was closest to in this world. He was my confidant. My hero." His throat burned with unshed tears. "I lost everything when he died."

"It's why I got into so much trouble over the past three years. I've been partying my life away, not wanting to get close to anyone. Using people for my own selfish reasons."

Penn ran a hand through his hair. "West, you were in pain. You still are. I'm so sorry I've brought all of this pain to the surface for you."

"I'm not sorry," he told her. "For the first time in my life, I'm not running from everything. Because of you, I'm talking about it."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Hell, yes. I'm blown away by how strong you are, Penn. You’ve dealt with the fallout of all this, plus helped your family run the farm, and cared for your parents when they couldn’t care for themselves. You even managed to graduate from college while dealing with all of that."

She shook her head. "I’m not that strong. I’m pretty sure I escape my own emotions by throwing myself headfirst into caretaking."

"Well, you’re not escaping right now. You're here in this barn, with me, facing the truth." He kissed her forehead. "I’d say you're dealing."

"I guess so. I just miss him so much." She stood and glanced around. "I miss him every single day."

Penn led them out of the empty stall and closed the door. The sound it made-a loud click-echoed through the barn with a sense of finality. "I hope he's finally found some peace. He’d been chasing the idea of peace for so long."

"I hope the same for Drew, too."

"Now we have to find ours," she told him, leaning her head against his arm. "But I think it's going to take a lot longer."

"You’re probably right about that."

Pulling the flower she’d picked during their tour of the farm from her hair, she took a deep breath, then placed it in front of the empty stall.

"It’s time to go." She kissed her fingertips and placed them against the stall door, before turning and leading him back out into the daylight.

Once outside, she threw herself into his arms. "Thank you. It means so much to me, what you just did. It helped."

"Anytime, Pixie." He held her tight. "Anytime."

---

After finalizing their flight arrangements, West persuaded her to take a nap. She looked emotionally wrung out from their time in the barn, and he was exhausted from little sleep and too much traveling.

Later, West woke up to his stomach rumbling. Delicious smells wafted through the tiny farmhouse. He climbed from Penn’s bed and headed out into the kitchen.

"What's all this?" he asked.

Penn bustled around, stirring pots and turning chicken in the frying pan.

"Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn on the cob."

"You can cook? Damn, this smells amazing. Can I help?"

"I like cooking. It relaxes me. And I never turn down help. You can mash the potatoes while I make some more iced tea."

"Sure." He took the masher from her and walked over to the table.

A knock sounded at the door. "Mrs. Foster?” a male voice called. "Are you home?"

Penn grimaced. "Oh shit. Not now. I didn’t hear the car because of the stupid fan noise."

West raised an eyebrow. "What's the problem?"

"It's my ex. He probably heard about my dad. It's open, Matt," she called.

A tall, well-built guy with a buzz cut entered the kitchen. "Hey, Penn-Bug." He closed the wooden door behind him, then walked over and kissed the top of Penn's head. "Sorry about your dad. Of course, mom sent me over right away with a chicken casserole. Glad to hear it wasn't another heart attack."

"Yeah, we were lucky." Penn replied, taking a step away from him.

Matt paused and gave her a thorough once-over. "Damn, you look great, babe. Something is different about you, but I can't put my finger on it. Sexy, though."

West figured with his precise aim, he could probably take out the motherfucker with the potato masher in two seconds flat. The temptation was hard to resist.

Penn ignored her ex and took the casserole dish from him.

"I’ve missed you, Penn-Bug. I’ve missed you a lot."

Oh hell, no. West walked over to stand beside Penn. "You brought the food. Now I think it’s time for you to go."

"West." Penn’s voice held a warning.

Matt turned, his gaze landing on West. "Oh. I didn't see you there."

"Yeah, well, your attention was elsewhere." He crossed his arms.

"Wait. Aren't you West Keller? The Las Vegas Kingsnakes goaltender?" Matt asked, his mouth dropping open.

West didn’t reply. Penn darted another look at him before saying, "Yes, he is."

"But why is he here?" Matt asked. "How do you know Keller?"

"None of your business," West replied.

"West, I can handle this." Penn put her hands on her hips.

"Well, is it any of his business?" he asked. "You want to tell him how we know each other? Or how well we know each other? If not, I’d be happy to." Suck on that, douchebag.

"You two are together?" Matt asked. "No way."

"We're just friends," Penn told Matt.

"Like hell we are," West said. "And I already told you once to take a hike, kid."

"I'll leave when Penn tells me to leave." A cocky expression crossed Matt’s face. "And I don't give a shit who you are. No one tells me what to do."

"I’m pretty sure I just did. And I’d take my advice. Leave."

When Matt advanced toward him, West dropped his arms to his sides and stared the fucker down. He had six inches and at least forty pounds on this prick.

Penn slid between them. "Matt, you really should go."

"Why? Because the arrogant jock says I should?"

"No, you should leave because I told you to," she snapped. "I know why you're here, and I'm not interested."

Matt snorted. "Whatever. When you decide to dump your bodyguard here, give me a call." He stomped out of the house, slamming the door behind him. The walls shook and the glasses in the cupboard clinked together from the force of his exit. A minute later, his car peeled down the dirt road, stirring up dust.

"What the hell was that?" Penn asked, shaking her head. "Some kind of pissing contest?"

"He's a prick."

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know. But that was unnecessary, West. Why do you always feel the need to ride in and rescue me? I can handle things myself."

"I didn't like how he was talking to you. I didn’t like any of it."

She turned back toward the stove and began fussing over the food. "That's just Matt's way."

"He's the one who cheated on you?"

"Yeah. We were friends long before we ever dated, though. Can you believe people thought we would end up married? That's what happens in a small town. College sweethearts marry, buy a house, and have kids. Thank God I'm smarter than that."

West leaned back in his chair, setting the potato masher down on the table. "I still can't believe you had sex with that prick."

Penn's face flushed pink as she turned the chicken in the frying pan. "You have no right to judge me, West Keller. I’ve seen some of the women you've slept with." She yanked her apron off and tossed it on a chair. "Matt and I were together during college. Of course we slept together."

"You're too good for him, Pixie." He stood and tossed the potato masher in the sink. "I can't see you with someone like him, that's all."

"That's why I'm not with him." She avoided his gaze and set the table quickly, then handed him a plate heaped with food. "Here. Put this in your mouth and stop talking."

"That’s a favorite line of mine."

She covered her face with her hands. "Oh, God. West!"

He grinned. "That’s another one."

She started laughing. "Stop! I’m annoyed with you. Don’t make me laugh."

He took a huge bite of the chicken. "Holy shit. This is fucking fantastic. I didn't know you could cook like this. Best chicken I've ever had. Seriously."

"Thanks. My mom is a really great cook. I learned from her. She was always in charge of the big extended family functions. I think everyone gains ten pounds when they come to Christmas dinner at this house."

They polished everything off within twenty minutes. West leaned back in his chair and put a hand on his stomach. "That was delicious, Penn. Thank you."

"I guess we’re finished here, right?" She looked down at the empty plates. "We should probably get ready to go."

"Yeah, we're finished." He hated the sound of the words, even though she’d only been referring to dinner. Soon enough, they really would be finished, and he didn’t want to think about it. He wanted to get her back to Vegas as fast as he could and out of this depressing fucking town.

He’d make sure to find a way to show her some happiness.