Page 101 of The Lucky Heart (Jamison Valley 3)
This had been his fifth nightmare in a week.
I glanced at the clock and cringed.
It was just after five in the morning. There was no use trying to go back to sleep so I slipped out of bed and shrugged on some gray leggings and a plum hoodie.
By the time Silas emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, I had the coffee made and was nearly done with our oatmeal. “Do you want raisins?”
“Fine,” he muttered and went upstairs to dress.
He joined me at the bar and we ate in silence. It had been nearly a week since Sabrina’s dramatic appearance, and all but one morning had been like this. The nightmares had started two days after she’d gone into the mountains with Beau.
I had no clue what he was dealing with, but something about her visit had triggered the nightmares. Was it memories from his time in the army? I could only venture to guess. Every time I had asked, he’d locked down and shut me out.
“Thanks for breakfast.” He placed his bowl in the dishwasher. “I’m going to head out. Get an early start on fencing.”
“Okay. I don’t have anything going on today. Can I help?”
“You don’t need to do that.” He barely kissed the top of my head as he walked toward the door.
Fuck this. “Stop.”
“What?”
I hopped off my stool and met him in the hall. He spun around and didn’t try to hide his annoyance that I’d hindered his escape. I mirrored his stance, fisting my hands on my hips.
“I said stop. You don’t get to keep closing me out, Silas. Something is wrong and if you don’t want to talk about it, fine. But avoiding me and spending all day wearing yourself out until you’re utterly exhausted? That’s not working either.”
“I’m not avoiding you.” He started to turn but I grabbed his arm and held him back.
“Do not lie to me.”
His annoyance vanished. “Shit. I’m sorry.” He stepped into my space and pulled me in for a hug. “I’m in a bad mood and didn’t want to make you deal with it.”
“You are always there to cheer me up when I’m in a bad mood. Don’t take away my chance to do the same for you.”
His cheek pressed against my hair. “You’re right.”
“I know.”
He chuckled and let me go. “Is your offer to help me with the fencing still on the table?”
“It’s going to cost you.”
“I’m willing to pay. What’s the price?”
I smiled. “You have to watch Top Gun with me tonight.”
He smiled back and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. “Deal.”
“And you have to find someone to talk to about what’s bothering you.”
He shrugged. “We’ll see.”
It wasn’t a yes but I hadn’t really expected one. Silas buried his demons. He let their bad juju fester and grow until he couldn’t keep them locked down anymore and they let loose his roaring temper. I considered it a personal miracle that he’d ever opened up to me about the ranch and his dad. Somehow, he’d trusted me with those troubles. Maybe in time, he’d trust me enough to spill the rest.
“Okay. Let me change real quick.” I tipped my chin up for a quick kiss before hustling upstairs. I came down wearing ripped jeans and the Mustangs sweatshirt I’d stolen from him.
He tossed me my leather gloves, and we walked to the barn, where he collected a roll of barbed wire, a pair of fencing pliers and a bundle of steel fence posts. After loading up his truck, he drove me down a gravel road not far from his parents’ house and into a wide, green meadow filled with wildflowers of every color.
