hard. "All right, then. I'll get Jacob and we can eat; he's making sure he's got everything he doesn't need in the next week ready to be boxed. I think he's hoping Tor
will take some of it back with him."
Jake was hoping so, too. It would mean less boxes he'd have to help take into the house, and the
fact that Jacob was actively participating in moving was something he wanted to encourage. They'd
had a week of slowly sorting things out and Jake thought that both he and Jacob were ready to be
done so they could move on a bit.
The three of them ate in near silence, the kitchen and living room an organized chaos Jake tried to
ignore. He'd been working steadily toward the upcoming yard sale all week, but living in the disor-
der was unpleasant.
It just wasn't right. Nothing about the two weeks he'd just lived through was right.
He took the plates to the kitchen sink and was running the water when Jacob silently passed him,
his soccer ball braced between his cast and his side. Cath, just as silently, joined Jake at the sink,
drying cloth in hand. He wanted to say something, anything, but they all seemed stuck in limbo,
70
Chris Owen
each of them lost in their own heads.
The dishes were done and Cath was putting the last of the glasses up in the cupboard when the
kitchen door opened and Elias sauntered in, a broad grin on his face.
Jake stared at him, then at Tor who was following in Elias' wake. "Exactly who the hell is running my ranch?" he demanded, something tight in his belly letting go. He grinned right back at Elias and shook his hand, then tugged him closer. "It's good to see you," he said quietly.
"You, too. Holding up all right?" Elias patted Jake's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, his eyes suspiciously bright.
"Yeah," Jake nodded. He let go of Elias and nodded his head to Cath. "Cath, this is Elias. My sister, Cath."
"Miss Taggart," Elias said, swiping his hat off his head. "I'm sorry for your loss."
Cath looked a little bewildered, but she smiled. "Thank you. Please call me Cath. And Tor, you get your ass over here and give me a hug."
Tor snorted and tossed his own hat on the counter and headed to her, but veered suddenly and
wrapped himself around Jake. "Hey, you."
"Hey, you." Jake wrapped himself right back and probably wouldn't have let go in any rush if Jacob hadn't come in, calling Tor's name.
"Later," Tor whispered and let him go, opening his arms to give first Jacob and then Cath both tight hugs.
It took a few minutes for everyone to get sorted out and settled down, for Cath to get snacks out
and order up some dinner for Tor and Elias, and for Jake to get the coffee pot on. Jacob and Elias
introduced themselves to each other, Elias being a little stand-offish and quiet and Jacob a little
shy, but then Tor settled it all by telling Jacob that Elias was going to be in charge of Jacob's barn
work.
They both looked a little terrified at that, and Jake hid a grin. His man was brilliant, really.
"So, what are you doing here?" Jake asked, glancing at Elias. "And seriously, who's running the ranch?"
"Kirk and Tommy, but Bobby's really taking care of things," Elias said. He shrugged a shoulder.
"Nothing major going on, just their usual work--it'll be fine."
Jake nodded and looked at Tor. "So?"
Tor sighed. "Got a mess of things to do next weekend, Jake. Vet's coming out, got fence to fix and cows to move to fresh pasture. Be real hard to get away."
71
Natural Disaster
"Impossible," Elias said softly. "Could spare Tor, but not the truck, not without--"
Jake waved a hand. "All right. I hear you. So I take it you have a plan of some sort?"
Cath and Jacob were sitting at the table, eyes and heads turning as they tried to follow the conver-
sation, looking like they were at some fancy tennis match.
"Got my truck out there," Tor said, pointing toward the driveway, "with the trailer. We're going to help out with the sale tomorrow, deliver all the donations, take what Cath wants moved to
will take some of it back with him."
Jake was hoping so, too. It would mean less boxes he'd have to help take into the house, and the
fact that Jacob was actively participating in moving was something he wanted to encourage. They'd
had a week of slowly sorting things out and Jake thought that both he and Jacob were ready to be
done so they could move on a bit.
The three of them ate in near silence, the kitchen and living room an organized chaos Jake tried to
ignore. He'd been working steadily toward the upcoming yard sale all week, but living in the disor-
der was unpleasant.
It just wasn't right. Nothing about the two weeks he'd just lived through was right.
He took the plates to the kitchen sink and was running the water when Jacob silently passed him,
his soccer ball braced between his cast and his side. Cath, just as silently, joined Jake at the sink,
drying cloth in hand. He wanted to say something, anything, but they all seemed stuck in limbo,
70
Chris Owen
each of them lost in their own heads.
The dishes were done and Cath was putting the last of the glasses up in the cupboard when the
kitchen door opened and Elias sauntered in, a broad grin on his face.
Jake stared at him, then at Tor who was following in Elias' wake. "Exactly who the hell is running my ranch?" he demanded, something tight in his belly letting go. He grinned right back at Elias and shook his hand, then tugged him closer. "It's good to see you," he said quietly.
"You, too. Holding up all right?" Elias patted Jake's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, his eyes suspiciously bright.
"Yeah," Jake nodded. He let go of Elias and nodded his head to Cath. "Cath, this is Elias. My sister, Cath."
"Miss Taggart," Elias said, swiping his hat off his head. "I'm sorry for your loss."
Cath looked a little bewildered, but she smiled. "Thank you. Please call me Cath. And Tor, you get your ass over here and give me a hug."
Tor snorted and tossed his own hat on the counter and headed to her, but veered suddenly and
wrapped himself around Jake. "Hey, you."
"Hey, you." Jake wrapped himself right back and probably wouldn't have let go in any rush if Jacob hadn't come in, calling Tor's name.
"Later," Tor whispered and let him go, opening his arms to give first Jacob and then Cath both tight hugs.
It took a few minutes for everyone to get sorted out and settled down, for Cath to get snacks out
and order up some dinner for Tor and Elias, and for Jake to get the coffee pot on. Jacob and Elias
introduced themselves to each other, Elias being a little stand-offish and quiet and Jacob a little
shy, but then Tor settled it all by telling Jacob that Elias was going to be in charge of Jacob's barn
work.
They both looked a little terrified at that, and Jake hid a grin. His man was brilliant, really.
"So, what are you doing here?" Jake asked, glancing at Elias. "And seriously, who's running the ranch?"
"Kirk and Tommy, but Bobby's really taking care of things," Elias said. He shrugged a shoulder.
"Nothing major going on, just their usual work--it'll be fine."
Jake nodded and looked at Tor. "So?"
Tor sighed. "Got a mess of things to do next weekend, Jake. Vet's coming out, got fence to fix and cows to move to fresh pasture. Be real hard to get away."
71
Natural Disaster
"Impossible," Elias said softly. "Could spare Tor, but not the truck, not without--"
Jake waved a hand. "All right. I hear you. So I take it you have a plan of some sort?"
Cath and Jacob were sitting at the table, eyes and heads turning as they tried to follow the conver-
sation, looking like they were at some fancy tennis match.
"Got my truck out there," Tor said, pointing toward the driveway, "with the trailer. We're going to help out with the sale tomorrow, deliver all the donations, take what Cath wants moved to
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