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This time, on the way back, I held Bodhi’s hand in mine, and it oddly felt like something was stitching together. Something that hadn’t been broken, but something… incomplete. My breath hitched, and Bodhi immediately squeezed my hand harder.

We’d just gotten through the gate to the ranch, so I only needed to hold it together for a while longer. I think he knew that, maybe felt it in his bones in the same way I felt some of his deeper emotions, so he said nothing.

He slowed down to a crawl when we got closer to the cabins just in case anyone was asleep, and then stopped.

“I’ll be busy tomorrow,” I said pre-emptively. “Mike promised to come put down the fenceposts with me. I want the pen up as soon as possible so there’s somewhere to put the horses we might ride there. I know you had something too?”

“Yeah, Nick and I are prepping for the next group of guests and for Sky’s arrival. We’re taking inventory and then restocking next week.” He brought our hands up and kissed the back of mine gently. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

I loved him even more for asking that. I could see in his eyes that he wanted the answer to be yes, but I wasn’t sure.

“I’ll let you know?” It was all I could promise right then.

Pain flashed through his gaze when he nodded solemnly, then gave me another little smile. “I can live with that.”

I leaned forward and kissed him gently, letting the press of our lips linger but not deepen. Then I pulled back, smiled, and got out of the truck with Nyx.

She stayed still by my side until Bodhi had turned the truck and was driving away. Then she headbutted me and walked up the cabin stairs. She had a dog bed there—Emery’s doing—so she had something soft to sleep on.

If it got too cold, she’d go to the closest dog house, because those were heated—or cooled in the summer—and would return in the morning.

I petted her, then carefully went inside.

Ville and Emery’s bedroom door was closed in the back, but there was light coming through the gap beneath it. I got undressed and pulled on my sleep clothes, then went to brush my teeth. I still slept on their couch, but it was a pretty damn decent one.

The thing was, none of us minded me being there, mostly because we didn’t really hang out in here except in the evenings. Someone had made my bed for me, which I appreciated. The pull out part of the couch had a really good mattress and the whole thing didn’t creak in the way many of the cheaper ones would.

I sat on the edge of the mattress and sighed. I was putting off the thinking bit now that I was alone. I really wanted to talk with Ville, but I was too tired and emotionally wrung out to put together good enough sentences.

As if summoned, my platonic soulmate walked out of their bedroom.

“Hey, you’re back,” he said quietly, padding closer.

His feet were bare and he was wearing boxer shorts and a t-shirt, clearly read to go to sleep.

I could see the worry on his face, and that was what crumpled me. My bottom lip wobbled and he saw it in the dim light.

“Hey, hey….” He sat next to me and pulled me into his side, hugging me as much as he could. “It’s okay.” He held me as I trembled, tears rolling down my face. “Do you want to talk about it?”

I shook my head, then chuckled wetly. “No. In the morning?”

“Yeah, of course.” He kissed the top of my head and squeezed me tight. “You feeling better?”

“Yeah. And no. But yeah.” I laughed, the sound tired and clogged.

Ville got up and went into the kitchenette, then came back with a tissue box. “There. Mop yourself up. Get some sleep. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

My smile was shaky, but I nodded anyway. “Thank you. Good night.”

“Good night.” He walked a few steps toward the bedroom door, then turned around. “Come wake me up if you need me. I mean it, Wren.”

“Of course.” And I would. I had before. I wouldn’t want to disturb Emery’s sleep, because he was working tomorrow, but I would if I felt like I had to.

I turned off the lamp on the end table by the couch and then sighed, because I had tossed my phone on top of the covers and it was too dark to see where it was now. I spent a moment feeling around the bed, until I found it, and then curled up under the covers.

I felt like texting something to Bodhi. Something meaningful. I thought for a while, but nothing came to mind. It was kind of sad, given that I wrote lyrics for a living.

In the end, I just sighed.