Downpour: Chapter 31

Smoke hissed from the charred corner of the lodge as firefighters and ranch hands worked to get water on the structure. My brother had hauled down the pump they used for wildfires to keep the blaze at bay until emergency services could arrive.

The worst of it was contained to a section that connected the lodge to the restaurant.

The bullet had slammed into an acetylene welding tank and made it explode. The blast traveled along the path of least resistance, blowing out the windows and licking up the lumber.

Brooke was stiff in my arms, staring blankly at the flurry of activity.

“Baby, it’s not your fault,” I murmured into her hair as I gently rubbed my hand up and down her back.

Blue lights flashed across the sky as Nick and Chandler, her former roommates, were shoved into separate police cars.

“Everyone’s okay,” I said softly. “It’s gonna be fine.”

At least I hoped it would be fine. Cassandra was pacing close to the bunkhouse to get enough bars on her cell to make emergency calls to the investors forking out the money for the lodge and restaurant.

I cupped Brooke’s cheek. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I brought them here,” she whispered. “If I hadn’t taken this job they wouldn’t have come. They wouldn’t have stolen equipment from the construction site. They wouldn’t have broken into your house. They wouldn’t have been here tonight.” She cupped her hand over her mouth. “CJ… He—he almost got shot.”

“But he didn’t. He didn’t, okay? He’s just fine.”

“Nick had a gun,” she whispered. “I’ve never seen him with a gun.”

A body approached, striding through the grass with purpose. A badge glinted on his chest. “Sir. Ma’am,” he said.

Brooke wiped her cheeks and looked up at the cop who had taken our initial statements.

“What can I do for you, officer?” I asked.

“We’re about to head back to town,” he said. “As much as I told those two to save it for the judge, they just kept talking.” He looked at Brooke. “You’re the roommate with the rich grandma?”

“Former roommate,” Brooke said. “Am I in trouble?”

He shook his head. “No, ma’am. I’m just curious. Have they been harassing you for money?”

I stiffened and looked down at her.

Brooke’s tight lips told me everything.

“Baby—”

“I just… paid for a lot of things at the house we lived in,” she hedged.

The cop nodded. “Seems like they panicked when the easy money stopped flowing and started trying to get it elsewhere. I’ll tell you the same thing I told that lady who’s yelling at her phone.” He pointed over his shoulder to Cassandra. “You can lawyer up and try to get it back, but these kids don’t have two pennies to rub together. I don’t know how much you’ll be able to get back.”

Brooke nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

It made a lot more sense in hindsight. Trying to shake her down on the sidewalk for quick cash. They probably pawned the tools they stole from the construction site. Breaking into my house for drugs to sell.

“Come on,” I said as I cranked up the golf cart. “Let’s get home.”

Brooke was silent on the drive back, not saying a word as we entered and changed out of our smoke-filled clothes. I reeked from the bonfire. Ash coated my arms and hair.

“Shower with me,” I said as I led her into our bathroom.

The light had vanished from her eyes, leaving them empty like a day without sun or a night without stars.

I settled onto the shower seat. “Come here, baby girl.”

Brooke stood before me, completely naked, while I adjusted the water temperature and let the rain shower pour over us.

Sliding my hands around her hips, I pulled her closer, kissing a soft line from her navel to the swell of her breast.

“Sit,” I said, opening my legs and gesturing to the space on the bench between them.

Brooke sat between my legs without hesitation or protest. Still, there was a vacant look in her eyes, something I had never seen before.

Her warm skin pressed against mine, removing any barrier between us. Water droplets danced down our bodies, forming rivulets.

I grabbed her shampoo and poured some into my palm, gently working it into her heavy ringlets.

“Talk to me,” I urged, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

She sniffled and wiped her eyes as I ran my fingers through her hair. “It’s all my fault.”

“Brooke, I already⁠—”

“It is.” She shook her head. “I love you,” she whimpered. “But I … I love your family too. And I just wanted to be a part of it. I thought things were finally working out for me. That I had a place to belong. A really cool job. And a boyfriend. And a⁠—”

I grabbed her jaw and kissed her hard, stealing all her doubts away.

“You have all of it. Every single thing. You want me? You have me. You want my family? They adore you. You want to be part of this ranch? You’re the best thing about it. You want my last name? It’s yours. I didn’t want to come back here, but now I can’t imagine leaving. So, before those doubts consume you, let me fill your mind with something else. I love you. I fucking love you, Brooke. Nothing—absolutely nothing—will change the fact that you belong here.”

Tears filled her eyes and cascaded down her cheeks, only to be washed away by the shower.

“You’re wanted here.” I pressed my lips to her forehead as our hearts raced together.

“I hope so,” she whispered.

Every morning I woke up, that old saying about ashes to ashes and dust to dust floated in my mind. We were little more than skin and bones; just temporary vessels on a finite timeline.

Every morning, I’d open my eyes and inhale for eight seconds, then exhale for another eight seconds. Every breath reminded me that my life had changed in the blink of an eye. But in the finite time between ashes and dust, I was determined to find a greater purpose for the next breath than I had with the last.

Falling in love felt like the most profound breath I would ever take.

Brooke sat under the downpour as I washed away the smoke and ash from her body, and then my own.

It had been my experience that trials brought clarity. Brooke’s words reminded me of how true that was.

It broke my heart that she was hurting. I wanted to take away her pain. But her confessions of wanting my family, wanting to be a part of the Griffith legacy, and wanting to be with me was everything I had ever wanted.

Together, we finished rinsing off, dried ourselves, and slowly made our way to bed.

My sparse bedroom had begun to show signs of life. That damn love plant with its one pitiful bloom still sat in the window. A bag of candy I had started to sort was on my bedside table. Brooke’s pillows were wedged against mine. On her nightstand, there was a book she had started.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as we crawled under the sheets and wrapped our arms around each other.

“I didn’t know it was supposed to rain,” she said, yawning.

“I like the rain,” I said, kissing her goodnight and pulling her closer to my side.

Brooke rested her head on my chest. “Why is that?”

“It’s a reset. Tomorrow, we can go outside. The grass will be greener, the air clearer, and the pond higher. Sometimes, life needs to pause. And sometimes, it takes something beyond our control to make that happen.”

“You’re poetic,” she said, resting her head on my chest. “I would have never guessed that about you when we first met months ago.”

I chuckled. “I had plenty of months to think.” I kissed the top of her head. “Not all of those thoughts were positive. You should be glad you weren’t here during those months. They were dark.”

Her fingers danced across my chest, tracing abstract patterns. “Your darkness doesn’t scare me.”

I pulled her on top of me so that we were chest to chest. Brooke’s knees straddled my hips and she rested her head on my shoulder.

“How could it scare you? Light is never afraid of darkness.” I pressed my lips to her head. “But you know what?”

“What?”

I interlaced my fingers with hers and brought her hand to my lips. “The moon reflects the sun and stores its energy until the moment comes when the sun cannot be seen. During the moments when you can’t find your light, I’ll be here to give it back to you.”

I woke up the next morning with Brooke still straddling my torso. Her gentle breaths were soft and steady.

“I know you’re staring at me,” she said.

“Can’t help it.” I kissed her head. “But you gotta get off me. You have to get to work, and I have to get to PT.”

“I still feel bad about not taking you. I’m⁠—”

“Not on my payroll anymore,” I reminded her. “Besides, I told Bree she could take me into town. She’s gotta get thirty hours of driving time before she can get her license.”

“Do I have to face Cassandra today? Or is there a chance she’ll have something else to do all day?”

I chuckled. “I don’t think you’ll get that lucky. But I’ll go with you to the office before Bree picks me up.”

She pecked my lips. “Deal.”

Brooke wiggled into a pair of navy shorts while I got the coffee started. By the time we were dressed and caffeinated, it was a quarter till eight, and someone was knocking on the door.

“I’ll get it,” I hollered to Brooke as she finished braiding her hair. I unlocked the front door and pulled it open.

I wasn’t quite sure who I was expecting on my porch this morning, but it wasn’t Cassandra holding a bag. Christian was with her, so I assumed it wasn’t someone’s decapitated head.

“Morning,” I said.

Christian lifted his chin. “Figured we’d catch you and Brooke before the day started.”

I glanced at the oven clock again. “Your day started three hours ago.”

He shrugged. “Brooke here?”

“Who’s at the—” Brooke froze in her tracks when she spotted Cassandra and Christian.

I backed my wheelchair away from the door so they could enter. Brooke was still frozen in place.

“Y’all want coffee?” I asked, trying to break the silence.

“No. This won’t take long,” Cassandra said.

Brooke twisted her fingers together. “Am I fired?”

Cassandra cocked her head. “Why would you be fired? You’ve barely started.”

“I just thought that after last night⁠—”

Christian put his hand on her shoulder. “Brooke, none of that is on you. Don’t even give it a second thought.”

“So what brings you to my house?” I asked.

Cassandra sneered. “What are you? A swamp ogre who thinks he owns the pond? We live on the same fucking property. It’s not a different continent.” She reached into the bag. “Your jackets came in.”

Brooke edged closer, cautious but curious. “Jackets?”

Cassandra pulled them out and handed the smaller one to Brooke. “You’re part of the ranch now. You get a jacket.” She tossed the other one to me. “You too, Grumpy.”

The smile on Brooke’s face said it all as she tried on the tan corduroy jacket. But my last name stamped on her in the embroidered ranch logo was my favorite part.

She was here. She was ours.

She was mine.

Brooke threw her arms around Cassandra and squeezed. “Thank you!”

Cassandra stiffened. “Alright. That’s completely unnecessary. I’m leaving.”

I laughed.

Christian pulled Brooke into a gentler hug as Cassandra peeled herself away and dashed out the door. “Welcome to the ranch.” His eyes lifted to me. “Welcome back.”