Gabe shoved open the door, and stomped into his house, kind of pissed that she would even suggest that he ignore her like that. Fine if the Parkers wanted family time, but wouldn’t her family think it strange if he wasn’t there? Absentee fiancé—her mom at least would imagine something was up.
He pulled to a stop at the sight of Cassidy sitting smack dab in the middle of the kitchen. The young man looked up slowly from the book he had spread on the table. Puss in Boots, as usual, had managed to find a lap to curl up in.
Cassidy’s blond hair was wet from a shower, the bruises on his face colouring up to a variety of rich blues and purples. The split on his lower lip nicely highlighted by the swelling. But he was vertical. Vertical was good.
“You look a hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you.” Gabe stepped in closer and held out his hand. “Gabe Coleman.”
Cassidy carefully put the kitten on the floor before rising and accepting the handshake. “Thanks for offering sanctuary.”
“No problem.”
“Travis had to work. He said he’d be back later to drive me to my truck.” Cassidy rubbed his jaw carefully. “Sorry about bleeding on your sheets. I’ll leave some money for—”
“Don’t need to do that.” Gabe stared at the other man for a moment, distracted enough to be tempted to go beyond his policy of not asking more information than was offered. Cassidy had to be barely twenty-five and he was built like a bloody tank. It really must have been a fight to get him as messed up as he was.
Cassidy’s smile twisted. “I still look like shit, don’t I?”
“Worked-over shit,” Gabe admitted. “You feel okay?”
“No, but I don’t feel like I’m dying anymore. I’ll take that as a positive sign.”
How do you know Travis? What the hell happened? All the questions he wanted to ask, Gabe shoved down. None of it was his damn business, and over the years he’d had more than enough experience stifling his curiosity. “You need anything you let me know. There’re a couple of frozen dinners you can microwave if you’d like.”
He ignored his guest and hurried through his shower, packing a bag for the night. Grabbing a nightgown for Allison seemed strange on all kinds of levels. She hadn’t been wearing anything for the past week since they usually fell asleep right after wearing themselves out with sex. He’d been waking her up to take her again in the morning. It was heavenly to have nothing but warm woman in his arms before he was even fully awake, the smooth curves of her filling his hands, her softness against his rising cock.
She might have an issue with being naked in her mom’s house, though, so he dipped into her drawer.
That was the second weird part. Going through her underwear made him feel like some kind of perverted stalker. He’d have to take the depraved title and stamp it on his head after he grabbed a pair of panties that seemed to have too many straps for a thong. He held the garment up and twisted until he figured it out.
Holy shit.
He tucked his find into the bag before he could change his mind.
His brain was tangled between wanting to see her to make sure she was fine, and needing to bend her over something and thrust in deep. She was driving him insane, and she wasn’t even in the room.
Gabe stopped in the doorway of the bedroom. Cassidy had his head resting in his hands, body slumped forward as if totally exhausted.
Damn it anyway. Gabe snapped to an instant decision. If it was the wrong one, he’d take the damages out of Travis’s hide for having brought Cassidy to the house in the first place.
“Cassidy.”
The blond lifted his head, glassy-eyed stare pulling into focus after only a few seconds. “Yes, sir.”
Gabe dropped his bag by the front door before opening the freezer and pulling out one of the dinners. “I’m heating you up a meal. You go on and crash here for the night.”
Cassidy went to shake his head, stopping immediately with his fingers pressed to his forehead. “Fuck, that hurt.”
Gabe snorted. “Yeah, you might be better to get a solid night’s sleep before you try anything else on for size.”
“I can’t take advantage of you like that.”
“Hell, you won’t be. You’ll be doing me a favour—I’ve got an emergency and have to be gone all night. Allison’s kitten will need some attention. Other than him, you’ll have the place to yourself. His food bowl and water are over by the fridge. Pull the door shut when you leave in the morning, and we’re square.”
Cassidy lifted his gaze to meet Gabe’s, brilliant green shining back from his blackened eyes. “Damn decent of you.”
“Pay it forward.” Gabe grabbed a bottle of Tylenol out of the cupboard and plopped it on the table. “If you need them. Otherwise, stay out of trouble. Maybe we’ll see you around sometime.”
Cassidy smiled cautiously. “Maybe you will. You’re a good man, Gabe Coleman. I won’t forget this.”
Gabe grabbed his bag and left.
Chapter Seventeen
Elle poked her head around the doorway to mock whisper, “You going to tell me why you smelt like dirt earlier today?”
“You want me to share secrets when you’re trying to get out of dishes? Forget it.” Allison slipped another plate into the dishwasher.
Paul had gone to the Timberline alone and left them to a girls-only evening, at least until he organized for closing and could return. Maisey lay down on the couch after dinner to rest, and the house had stilled to nothing but the light sounds of the clock ticking and the wind against the eaves.
“I’m working, I’m working.” Elle shook the salt and pepper shakers in her hands. “Heavy lifting going on here.”
“Heavy? Good grief, don’t give yourself a hernia. Besides, you’re too young for details on dirt.”
Her sister laughed out loud for a moment before cutting off, her smile fading rapidly.
Allison wiped her hands on her skirt and snuck across the room to grab Elle by the arms. “Oh, sweetie, don’t do that to yourself. It’s okay to laugh.”
“It hurts. Like I’m breaking something delicate, or walking into a solemn church service wearing a clown suit. How can I laugh when…?” She dropped her forehead against Allison’s shoulder and sighed.
Allison hugged her, petting Elle’s head the way she used to when they were younger. The ache inside throbbed like a living creature trying to break free. This was why she’d come back to Rocky. Why she had to be there for the family. She was so grateful to be in the right place to give to them.
“I get it. I really do. Remember, you just heard the news. That makes the pain sharp. I’ve known for longer and the cut doesn’t feel as raw, even though it still hurts. I guess I think Mom would prefer us to laugh than to be all mopey, right?”
Elle nodded as she stepped back. “You going to head out after dishes?”
Changing the topic. Well, it was going to take time for all of them to figure out what they had to do. Elle would deal with the grief in her own way.
“I called Gabe. I’ll stay here tonight.”
Elle turned on the taps to fill the sink with water, getting the pots ready for hand washing. “Really? You remember you don’t have a room here anymore.”
“Room thief.”
“Hey, I waited years to take over that space. You can sleep in the guest room.”
Yeah, she’d figured. “The sun is going to wake me at five in the morning.”
Elle pushed her toward the dishwater. “Which is why I switched into your old room so I wouldn’t have to get up early all summer long.”
Allison dug into the washing, passing the pots and lids over to her sister to dry. It was a bit of a time warp, back to their teen years. Not all the memories of that time were good, not with the long illness they’d faced with their dad. The little chores, though, like cleaning the house or doing the dishes. Those things felt comfortable and familiar. Something to fall back on to help the hurt fade.