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He dove into his chores, working faster and more efficiently than he could remember. Athena might not have come out of the house to join him after she had breakfast, but she couldn’t hide away all day. He had plans—for both of them.
From what he knew about her, she didn’t like spending time with a lot of people. He’d make sure that she wouldn’t have to interact with anyone until dinner. Thankfully, Charlie was in on it and would let him know when he could pick up the lunch he had her make for them.
The closer it got to lunchtime, the more antsy he became. There still wasn’t any sign of Athena when he finally finished up and headed for the house. By all accounts, he had about two hours he could spend on whatever he wanted, then he’d have to head out with his brothers to tend to the cattle in the pastures.
Henry took the stairs in two big leaps and immediately headed for the kitchen, where he could hear voices and the clanking of dishes. The only people in the kitchen were Charlie and Annabel. His sisters stood close together but didn’t bother keeping their voices down as they spoke with their backs turned to him.
“Really? You think he likes her?” Charlie asked.
“I know he likes her. Henry hasn’t shown interest in anything up until this Sam girl showed up. He’s crushing on her hard.”
“Maybe he just wants to make her feel welcome. She probably needs a stable place to live.”
Annabel bumped her hip into the countertop and folded her arms. “Take it from me. If Henry didn’t have any interest in her, he wouldn’t have stuck to his guns when Hudson threw his tantrum. He likes her. He might not know it yet… but he definitely likes her.”
“Don’t you have some kind of meeting to attend somewhere? Those people actually like listening to your voice.”
Both of his sisters jumped, but Annabel glanced in his direction first, an irritated look in her eyes. “It’s supposed to be anonymous for a reason, Henry.”
“You probably should have thought about that before you spilled it to the whole family.”
Charlie chuckled and then turned around. “I got your lunch ready. Did you want anything besides the sandwiches and potato chips?”
Henry ignored the forced scowl from his older sister and moved closer to Charlie. “Do we have any fruit? I don’t know what she likes…”
His baby sister nodded and moved to the fridge. “We have strawberries, grapes, and apples.”
“How about a little of everything?” Henry shot a look over his shoulder. “Did she eat a good breakfast? I couldn’t eat with everyone if I wanted to get done early enough to take a long lunch.”
Charlie nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone eat like she did. I know we say that Daniel has a knack for putting it away, but man, I think she even out-ate him.”
Annabel nodded. “I don’t know where she put it either. That girl is a twig.”
“Probably has something to do with being all alone,” Henry said as he reorganized everything in the pack that Charlie had set out for him. “I bet when she doesn’t know where her next meal is coming from, she figured out a way to make sure she’d survive.”
“You’re probably right.” Annabel moved closer and this time she did lower her voice. “So, how long will she be staying?”
Henry shot a quick look at her. “I don’t know.”
“You… don’t know…”
“Is that a problem? We have the space. Everyone who got married has moved out except for Wade. You’re all just here throughout the day to help with the ranch and get some of Charlie’s cooking.”
Annabel studied him like she might be able to decode everything he didn’t even know was going on inside his head. “No reason. I was just curious.”
Henry paused. There was something about the tone in her voice that threw him off guard. It was as if she knew something he didn’t. He couldn’t put his finger on what it was, but he knew it was there. Was she hinting at a bit of concern? Annabel didn’t need to worry about him. It wasn’t like he was throwing everything he had into a relationship that would be doomed from the start.
He simply wanted to help a girl who was down on her luck.
And that was what he’d continue telling himself and anyone else who bothered to ask.
He zipped the pack closed as soon as Charlie deposited the cut fruit she’d quickly prepared. “Well, I’ll let you know when I do. As of now, I have no idea how long she’s going to stay.” He slung the brown bag onto his shoulder. “I’m taking her out to see the property.”
Annabel’s brows lifted. “You’re taking her out to see the… property. Like on a picnic?”
“How else are we going to eat if we’re all the way out by the perimeter of our land? Sheesh, Anna, when did you become so nosy?” He shook his head and left the kitchen, shrugging off the quiet chills that told him she was holding back something important.
Whatever she wanted to say, she’d either say it or she wouldn’t. He wasn’t going to waste his time waiting.
