Page 69 of Enticed
“I hope for Gabe’s sake whatever is going on only started after he moved back to town. If he ever did anything inappropriate with you when you were younger, they’ll never find his body.” His jaw hardened, and his features grew cold and calculating. It was a dark side of Nash I hadn’t seen in a long time.
“No!” The word tumbled out of my mouth in a rush, and I nearly dropped the saddle at his implication. “Never.” I implored him with my eyes to believe me. I couldn’t say more without admitting his suspicions weren’t unfounded.
He eyed me like he couldn’t decide if I was telling the truth or lying to protect Gabe. I had to level with him so he wouldn’t think there was any possibility that the man I loved was a monster.
“Gabe never once touched me before I turned twenty-one. He’d never even looked at me as anything other than a kid until he moved back.” I silently pleaded for him to believe me.
He studied me for a moment longer before nodding, satisfied I was telling the truth. “You need to be more careful. If I noticed something, someone else will too.” He headed toward the door but stopped short a few feet away. “And figure out a way to tell Dad soon without giving him another stroke,” he called over his shoulder before exiting.
Guilt settled in my gut like a lead weight. Nash was right. We needed to tell Dad soon, but I wasn’t ready to face his wrath. I wasn’t ready to see him look upon Gabe with the disgust and contempt that would come with finding out his best friend had been seeing his daughter in secret.
A few minutes later, Rory burst through the door with Gabe following close behind her. I plastered on a smile as I greeted them, and some of the anxiety from my conversation with Nash melted away as she hugged me.
Gabe drank me in, the yearning in his eyes setting my skin ablaze. Then they filled with regret, a disgruntled scowl creasing his brow. “Are you good if I run up to the other barn? Rowan needs my help with the new rescue that just came in. They can’t get him out of the trailer.”
“Of course. We’ll be fine,” I replied, doing my best to hide my disappointment.
Rory and I began the lesson, and before we knew it, the hour was up. We were just about to return Petunia to her stall when Dad pulled up in the side by side with Gabe. He used it less often now than he did when the injuries from his fall were fresh, but by the end of the week, it became harder for him to get around. The aches and pains wore on him to the point he even struggled to ride his horse sometimes.
“How’d it go?” I asked, eyeing Gabe’s dusty clothes as they came toward us. He winced, and Dad suppressed a chuckle.
“We managed to get the horse out of the trailer, but he was quite … spirited about it,” Gabe replied. Dad recounted how the horse had tried to bite Gabe, and he was so caught off guard he fell on his ass then had to roll away so he didn’t get stepped on. That would explain why he was covered in dirt.
“You all staying for dinner?” Dad asked, clamping a hand on Gabe’s shoulder. His gaze flicked to me in confusion, and he shifted on his feet before clearing his throat.
“What’s the special occasion?” he asked.
Dad’s brow pinched like he was searching his recent memory for something that eluded him. “Shoot, I thought I told you,” he began, scratching at the scruff covering his jaw. Even after four years, the stroke still impacted his memory from time to time. Witnessing his frustration over a deficit he had no control over made my chest ache. “We’re celebrating Mom’s birthday tonight. Sunny’s putting out a big spread. We’d love for you and Rory to join us.”
“Will there be cake?” Rory interjected before Gabe could respond.
“Why of course. It’s not a birthday without cake,” Dad replied.
“What kind of cake?” she asked, eyeing him skeptically.
“Pineapple upside down cake,” he answered.
“It’s my favorite,” came my grandmother’s voice from behind my father. He startled and turned to her. She stepped around him and into view. “You know what upside down pineapples mean, right?” she asked, turning to face the adults in the group and wagging her eyebrows with a conspiratorial grin. “I am turning sixty-nine after all.” Gabe choked out a surprised cough, and she shot him a wink.
“Here we go,” Dad muttered and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
“I’ve never had that before,” Rory mused, eyes alight with excitement.
“RaeAnne is making it right now if you’d like to go help her,” Gigi offered.
Rory turned wide, pleading eyes to Gabe. “Can I, Dad?”
“Uh … sure,” he replied as all eyes landed on him. My grandmother was always putting Gabe on the spot and using Rory to do so. The woman had no shame.
“So you’ll stay for dinner?” Dad asked.
Gabe glanced down at his dusty clothes and dirt-covered boots. “I might need to run home and shower before I’m fit to sit at your table.”
“That’d be just fine. We all need to wash up before dinner. Rory can hang out with us. Jacek and Asher will be up soon. My grandson will be delighted to see his best gal,” Dad said, smiling fondly at Rory.
“Okay,” Gabe agreed, doing his best to avoid looking at me so he didn’t raise any suspicions. Before Gigi could spirit Rory away, Gabe planted a kiss on top of her head. “I’ll be back in a bit, pumpkin. Don’t get into any mischief while I’m gone,” he warned, his expression playfully stern.
“She’ll be with me the whole time.” Gigi’s Cheshire cat grin wasn’t the least bit reassuring.
