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I woke up without an alarm, not unusual for me, but normally, by the time I wake up, Sunny is usually gone. As much as I want to let her keep sleeping, I should probably wake her up. I shift again, trying to see my watch, but therein lies another problem. Somewhere in the night, her head started using my arm for a pillow, and between her real pillow, and her hair, it’s hard to see the time.
Her head twists in her sleep, edging back and forth against my arm as a soft hum breaks from her lips. From the first time I saw her, I acknowledged how beautiful she was. I’ve never ignored it, but I’ve tried to keep things easy between us, knowing how attraction and romance tend to complicate things. But watching her sleep, being able to look at her without anyone knowing, or Sunny wondering my motives, it’s hard to deny some of those feelings. For a few seconds, I let myself dream about what it be like to kiss her. My gaze flicks to her full bottom lip for a split second, but I shake the feeling off. We’re friends. Friends don’t fantasize about each other.
Clearing my throat, I shake her shoulder while edging away from her. “Sunny, wake up. I think you slept in.” I shake her shoulder again. “Sunny?”
Her eyelids flutter. I remember the other times I’ve woken her and give her space to remember where she is before I speak again. The recognition comes faster this time, but when she sees me, her eyes widen. “I’m so sorry. My dreams scared me, and I thought…I planned to leave before you woke up.”
“It’s fine.” I don’t need to tell her that holding her this close makes me feel like my throat is closing up and my mouth has gone dry. “I get it, trust me. I won’t tell anyone.”
I say it because I know she has a tough reputation with the guys, but somehow saying it out loud, it hits differently. Before things get tense, I ask, “Are you feeling any better?”
“Yes,” she says it a little too quickly, like a rehearsed answer. It’s not hard to see that whatever she faced in her dreams still haunts her. I’m not a doctor or a shrink, but it feels like whatever was keeping her from dealing with her past, whatever wall she put up to protect herself in her mind, it’s breaking to pieces. Before I have a chance to say something, Sunny rolls from the mattress, knocking me off balance in the process.
“I’m late. I better get a move on.” She sets to work around the room, gathering her clothes from yesterday, shoving her boots on without socks, anything to get out the door a little faster. I watch her, worried I’ve done something wrong, though I wouldn’t know what. She starts to leave, but hesitates, hand on the knob.
“You know what?” Sunny turns back and drops the bundle of things on the bed. “I realized something last night.”
I pull myself up, drawing my knees in to lean against them. “What’s that?”
She breaks the stare between us, almost ashamed. “I’ve never told you thank you.”
Her statement knocks the words right out of me. I don’t know what to say and only mumble, “You didn’t have to.”
“But I am,” she tucks her auburn hair behind each ear before she looks at me again, “you’ve stood up for me, and protected me and it’s just…” Her voice trails off, burdened with emotion for a second before she recovers. “I’m really grateful. It’s been a long time since I had someone outside my family who actually cared enough to help me like you do.”
“You mean a friend?”
“Yeah.” Sunny smiles, but it’s short. “That’s exactly what I mean. A real friend.”
“I feel the same way.” I look at my hands, realizing I’m fidgeting more than I mean to. “It’s been nice having you around.”
Her smile turns bashful, adding a glow to her cheeks. I find it hard to believe that no one has ever told her that, but it’s sure how it looks.
“I better get to work. Houston hates it when I’m late.” She scoops up her stuff but pauses. “Seriously, thank you, Rhett, for everything.”
I nod, a little overwhelmed, but I manage a soft, “You’re welcome, Sunny.”
She scurries from my room like a mouse running for cover in the barn. Once she’s out of sight, I fall back on the air mattress. Staring at the ceiling, I think about our time together. That first night on the beach, the night I rescued her from Whitlock and Stolls, karaoke, the endless hours spent in the yard, watching her work, putting in the hours side by side. I wish I knew what she’s running from or how I could protect her. My heart feels twined with hers. When we’re apart, I miss her. It doesn’t feel like a boyhood crush like I used to have in high school or like one of my daydreams from my youth. She really is one of my better friends, and I can’t imagine what it would be like if she left.
I have to get ahead of this threat, whatever it is that might send her running in the dead of night, I have to know. Mom’s right, I’ll start with Dad’s old vet friend, Dr. Walter Hutchings. He’s taught and trained for years. With his ear to the ground, I stand a chance of figuring out what’s going on.
Chapter 16
Sunny
I
I keep my head keep my head down through breakfast, and while getting the horses out of the yard. I don’t know who knows about yesterday, and I’m not keen on finding out. With everything, it’s too close to the surface. Embarrassment would burn in my cheeks at the slightest mention of the treatment I received. Last week Silas got toss from his horse. He was sore and bruised, but no one took him into the house. No one took special care of him. I don’t want them to think I’m weak. I’ll get the work done and put it all behind me.
Around about the time I’m finishing the stalls, I hear a soft voice call, “Sunny? Are you out here?”
I recognize Clara’s voice and duck my head around the side of the barn. “I’m back here Ms. Clara.”
She steps into the main runway, all smiles. “There you are, hard at work. I trust you feel better and you’re not working yourself into a pit again, right?”
“Yes ma’am. I’m being careful. Rhett did a great job, so the workload is pretty light.”
“He’s a good boy.” She smiles, but there are words she’s not saying. I wonder if this is the moment where she’ll choose to insist that I give her the answers they want. She doesn’t look like the type to strong arm someone, but I find you receive some of the worst treatment from people you’d never suspect.
