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Chapter Twenty-Three

EVA

Cage had to work extra hard to catch up on the work he didn’t get done the past two days Betweenand our picking a tree and decorating it, he’d had very little free tie last night to tell hie had o I agreed He shouldn’t have to continue working here Not if he wanted to do other things

It was just after nine when Jere over the hill and across the field He was a good ht about that I loved him and I wanted hiirl who couldn’t iine life without him It would happen I kneould

He wasn’t Josh, but he looked just like him, and Josh had been beautiful Jeremy was just as special His truck stopped, and he stepped out then headed tohere I stood under the nolia tree beside the porch

"Froh for you two to fix things," he said as he put his hat on his head

"Yes Thank you For everything Thank you"

Jererinned and then turned his head to spit out that nasty tobacco I wish he’d stop dipping "You’re welcoonna let you get too far out of his reach again I hope you get everything in life you want, Eva You deserve it"

"You too, Jerehtened his hat and looked out at the barn "I’d hug you, but I gotta go ith your ht need to colanced back and, sure enough ,Cage was standing beside his truck with his hands on his hips and his hat pushed back off his forehead, a piece of straw sticking out of his mouth He looked like a television ad for sexy cowboys I blew hirinned before shooting Jeremy one more pointed look Then he turned and walked over to the barn door "Don’t see a ring on your finger Thought I’d see one of those when I got back"

I glanced down at e to purpose to me "Why would you think that?"

"Oh, I don’t know, nant with his baby," Jererown up thinking the way Jeree would ask me to marry him, but after the way I’d treated hifor a while I was okay with that I understood

"I just took another o, Jer I don’t think he’s ready to stick his on there He looks tough and he acts like a badass, but he is fragile He expects people to leave hiain I have a lot of proving to do before Cage trustslike forever"

Jere the blame for all this? How the hell did that happen?"

Jereuard completely down I’d only seen it a few times myself "I can’t blame him for his insecurities His momma screwed hi sorry for h to think about that"

Jere else about it

"I’ the road"

"Where are you going? I thought you didn’t want to go to school, that you wanted to stay here on the land?"

He nodded "I did I’ll be back But right noant to just ride Go see other places Not settle down anywhere, just find myself"

I wasn’t sure what to say I wanted him to be happy, but I didn’t want to be the reason he was leaving

"Let et me," he said with a wink, then headed down to the barn

He seemed happy This hat he wanted to do Maybe he’d find that girl to make him complete out there on the road Once he opened the barn door, I turned and headed back inside

CAGE

Jere pissed "Why don’t she have a ring on her finger, York?"

I grabbed loves fro on that Not that it’s your damn business"

The tension went out of his shoulders and he nodded "Oh Good She don’t seem to think you are She thinks you can’t trust her or so her I just kneas dumb"

Couldn’t trust her? What the hell was the wo from you I need to knohere her piano went"

Jererinned "Why?"