“I miss you so much,” Paige said quietly. I knew that she was silently crying, and I could feel my own heart break a little bit more for the pain that I was putting her through.
“I know. I miss you too,” I said, hating the turn that my life had taken. I should be back home in Allenville living my best life with Paige. Not here in Duketon, Connecticut waiting to die.
“When are you coming back home?” I could hear the hope in her voice and knew that I was about to crush it.
Taking a deep breath, “Paige, we have talked about this. I am not coming back home. I am going to spend the rest of my days doing as many of the things that I always wanted to do as I can. I want to see the leaves change colors and pick apples.”
“Let me come up there and do it with you,” Paige pleaded through her tears. She was no longer hiding the fact that she was crying, and I didn’t know how much more of this I could take for the day. Our conversations lately always ended the same way. Paige begging me to let her come be with me, me putting my foot down and saying no. I didn’t want her to see me like this. I wanted her to be able to remember me at my best.
“Oh! I didn’t know you were out here,” Jax said as he stepped onto the back porch.
Turning my head to look at him, I wiped the tears that had started to fall. “Paige, I have to go,” I whispered into the phone. This was just the excuse that I needed to get off the phone with her.
“Autumn! Don’t you dare hang up on me!” Paige yelled into the phone as I clicked the button ending the call. I knew that I would never hear the end of it from her, but Jax was totally worth it.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” Jax said as he walked past me and started down the stairs leading toward the stables that housed Gus’ horses.
“You didn’t,” I informed him as I pushed the blanket off myself and started to stand up.
Turning to look at me, “Where do you think you are going?” The tone in Jax’s voice told me that I was the last person that he wanted to be bothered with right now. I didn’t care. I wasn’t letting him get away from me easily today. My pain was increasing, and I knew that my time was drawing near. I didn’t have time to waste if I was going to get to know this handsome man a bit more.
“I thought I would take a walk down by the stables. Maybe feed the horses some apples while I was down there.” I was never really good at thinking on my feet. I was actually surprising myself.
“I don’t think that is a good idea,” Jax huffed out as he continued down the steps.
“Why not? I think it is a great idea,” Gus said as the screen door slammed behind him. Placing a gentle kiss on my cheek, he looked at me and smiled. “Your mother used to enjoy watching the sun rise from this very chair when she was younger. You really are the spitting image of her.” Focusing his attention on Jax, “Why don’t you show my grandbaby the new foal that was just born. She needs a name.”
“Fine!” Turning to look back at me, “You coming?”
“Watch out for her,” Gus called out to Jax as I started to slowly make my way down the stairs. I was not going to pass up this opportunity.
Chapter Thirteen
“Wait up!” I called out as I tried to keep up with Jax’s quick steps. His long strides were purposeful, and he was clearly on a mission. I was afraid that his mission was to get as far away from me as possible.
“I have a lot of work to get to,” he huffed out under his breath as he kept his current pace and continued on his way.
“Wait up,” I repeated as I tried to keep up. I was looking forward to spending some alone time with him and the horses, hopefully getting to know more about the mystery that was Jax Morgan. Since being at Arrington Farms & Orchards, I learned that I am definitely an animal kind of girl. I have taken a particular liking to Gus’ horse, Rain Dancer. He said that my mother would have taken a liking to her too if she were here.
The sun was still climbing in the sky and the heat of the day was settling in around me. Glancing up at the now blue sky, I noticed all the white fluffy clouds in the sky. A cloud in the shape of a turtle caught my eye and I couldn’t help myself from stopping to look up at it and imagine a story that went along with it. It was something that my mother and I used to do all the time when I was little. I recently found out that it was also something that my mother used to do with both Gus and Clara when she was a little girl. Today was going to be a good day. It felt like my mother was looking down on me and smiling. I knew that she would approve of me being back here. I just wished that she would have made the trip back home with me.
Finally reaching the open barn door, I paused to catch my breath as I watched Jax sitting down in the middle of an open stall bottle feeding a brand-new baby horse while her mother was resting. I didn’t know if my eyes were playing tricks on me, but I saw stars floating around Jax. I also didn’t realize how much the short walk from the house to the barn had actually taken out of me. I was feeling the recently familiar tiredness creep in, but I also felt something more. Feeling my breath catch in my throat and my heart beat a bit faster, I couldn’t help my newly developing feelings for this man from multiplying. Looking up at me, he held up a finger from his free hand to his luscious lips, signaling for me to be quiet. Not wanting to disturb the baby from its meal, I stayed still and watched Jax and the horse. Focusing his attention back to his task, I watched as his free hand moved to the horse's head and started gently rubbing it. A smile pulled at his lips as he got lost in the serenity of the moment. There was something so sexy about a man taking care of a baby.
Feeling the ground underneath me start to spin, I reached out for the door to steady me. Missing the door completely, I felt my legs give out underneath me.
“Autumn!” Jax’s voice was the last thing that I heard before the darkness claimed me.
*****
“Autumn!” Jax’s voice called out, bringing me back to reality. His voice was filled with something that I hadn’t heard directed toward me since my first day here...concern. Could he really be concerned about me? The thought of Jax actually caring about me made my heart beat a little faster in my chest and wake me up a bit more.
“You gave us quite a scare,” Gus’ voice rang out. The concern for me in his voice made me cringe a little bit. I never wanted to cause this kind, teddy bear of a man a second of worry or pain. Maybe I made a mistake in staying here once I found out who he was. At least if I would have left, I would have spared him the heartache of watching another person he loved leave him forever.
Snapping my eyes open and staring up into Jax’s stormy eyes, I tried to sit up. “What happened?” I didn’t recognize my own voice. It sounded tired and weak. When did that happen? I knew that my time was running out, I just didn’t think that it would be so quick. I wanted more time.
“One minute you were leaning up against the door and the next you went down like a ton of bricks,” Jax said as he gently brushed some rouge hairs out of my eyes.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” I said as I continued to struggle to sit up. Jax was holding me tightly and not letting me move. I guess the concern that I heard in his voice was really meant for me. I thought he hated me. This moment was everything that I ever wanted since I met him.