Priceless

Chapter 21: Recovery

Thane pulled his truck into a parking space at the nature preserve, glancing over at Nessa as he shifted into neutral and put on his brake. She'd been quiet the whole ride, save for the brief conversation about grabbing some dinner to bring with them.

He couldn't tell if she was pensive or nervous or both. Maybe she was simply exhausted. He couldn't imagine how emotionally draining it had been to sit with Kylie, crying for his friend and for herself.

"Here we are," he announced, offering her a smile. He motioned out the windshield to the man-made lake that stretched below them.

A low stone wall enclosed the parking lot and beyond that an expanse of grass led up to the water's edge. The preserve boasted a busy crowd during the summer months, usually full of picnickers, hikers, kayaks and canoes. Though a few people remained scattered across the pavilions and picnic tables, no one occupied the wall in front of him.

"We can sit on the wall while we eat. If we're here long enough, you'll get to see the sunset over the lake. Even better is all the stars that come out at night."

Nessa looked over at him with a weary smile. "Is the view as good as the one from the top of the ridge?"

Thane cocked his head, thinking that over. "Hmm, I'll say they're about equal, just different."

"Well, then, I guess I'll have to stay long enough so I can compare it to the view from the ridge."

"But you've never been to the ridge at night," Thane pointed out.

Her smile widened. "Then a certain cowboy will have to find time to rectify that situation." She gave him a wink before reaching for their bag of Smashburgers and sliding from the truck.

Thane's pulse picked up its pace at her flirting and he couldn't stop the silly grin that tugged at his lips. He really didn't know what to expect from this point on. Now that they were in agreement about their budding relationship, he had no idea what it would look like. He felt as if he'd only been getting a small part of the real Nessa. Now that she freed herself from her own chains, he looked forward to learning all of her.

He grabbed their milkshakes, leaving his wallet and keys tucked inside the console. If someone was bold enough to hop in and steal his truck while he sat directly in front of it, then they needed it more than he did.

He joined Nessa on the wall where she sat, unpacking their dinner of Smashburgers and fries. She'd never heard of the chain before, much like he'd never heard of the Sheetz she'd mentioned when they first met. While he'd opted for the classic burger and fries, she'd decided to try their avocado burger and the sweet potato fries. Said she needed a break from Reba's hearty home cooked meals. Despite that, he did manage to talk her into a salted caramel milk shake. They were too good to pass up.

She looked up at him after they'd exchanged food and taken their first few bites. "You never did tell me if you found those cows."

Once he'd gotten home and learned where Nessa had gone with his truck, the cow search had fled his mind. Now he grimaced, remembering what they'd found. "They were all dead. Three total."

Nessa's eyes grew wide in shock. She swallowed her bite of food before asking, "Dead? What happened?"

"We're pretty sure they ate water hemlock. It's not prolific around here, but it tends to pop up next to streams and creeks that run through the pastures. Looks pretty but it's deadly. Doesn't take much to poison the cows."

Nessa cringed. "That's awful. I'm surprised it was only three cows."

Thane nodded. "There wasn't a lot of it, just a few large clumps that these three wandered into. Dad's gonna move them all to a different pasture until they can patrol the entire length of the creek in that one. He's got hands who are supposed to do that on a regular basis, but obviously somebody missed it."