After we finished breakfast, Hunter gathered the plates and brought over the gift bag that I had ignored.

"What in the world? It's huge!" I laughed.

"It had to be to fit what I got ya. Anyway, open it," he sat down, a wide smile on his face.

Opening the bag, I gasped softly when I pulled out the first item. It was a massive fluffy baby blue blanket, one side a velvet material, the other side white fluff.

"Oh, I love it!" I hugged it tightly to my chest.

"I'm glad. Your room gets cold, plus I thought ya might like your own blanket for watchin’ the sunset."

"We can share it," smiling, I set it down and reached into the bag again, finding a backpack, "what's this for?"

"Hikin’ and campin’. I'm strong enough to carry tents and food, but ya needed somethin’ you could wear that had clothes and other things when you're on Fawn this summer. I'm gonna order your saddle soon."

"Hunter… what if I have to leave?"

"You can always come back," he shrugged, "the doors open. I won't make ya leave though. I enjoy your company too much."

"I enjoy yours too," I could feel my cheeks grow warm as I grabbed the final item in the bag. It was a black box and when I opened it I found a new cell phone and a charger, “Hunter…”

“Ya need it. For when you’re at work. That way, ya can call me to come and pick you up. Or if… um if ya get bored when I’m not around you and… that way I can call ya. Or not. Um…” he looked down at his hands, fidgeting and I reached over, pushing his curls behind his ear.

“Thank you,” I whispered, turning the phone on, “oh. It’s already on?”

“Activated and everythin’,” he nodded, still not looking at me, “I had them just add ya to my plan.”

“But how will I pay for it then?”

“Ya won’t,” he finally raised his head and smiled, “I will. If ya feel like ya have to, just buy groceries with that money when ya start workin’ and your policy thingy comes in. I’m not worried about it. It’s only 30 a month,” he shrugged.

“You… didn’t have to do this…”

“I did. For your safety if nothin’ else. Ya have Hazel’s number as well on the phone. She wants you to text her when ya feel up to it.”

“How… can I thank you for all of this?”

“By gettin’ healthy. That’s all. I don’t need anythin’ back. I’m doin’ what I would have done for anyone.”

“Right,” nodding, I started messing around with the phone, “anyone.”

“Ya misunderstand me,” he placed his hand on the top of my head, “I lied. I wouldn’t go out of my way like this for just anyone. But there… I’ll tell ya later. I need to get to work. Just know that I wouldn’t actually go out of my way like this.”

Hunter quickly left the dining room, heading into his room to get dressed and I sighed, moving over to the couch and tilting my head back. The dogs jumped on either side of me, laying against my legs and I started scratching both of them, lost in thought.

I’m foolish.

It’s barely been any time.

There’s no way a man like Hunter will ever be interested in me.

Get over it, Gray.

He’s a friend.

You need a friend.

Hunter came from his room and let out a quiet whistle as he put his ball cap on, “gonna take Moose out now. I’ll be back in later.”

“What about lunch?” I called as he went onto the back deck.

“Remind me,” he nodded and closed the door, leaving Bear and me inside alone.

“Well, he’s in a mood isn’t he?” I laughed and Bear let out a quiet bark, “what in the world to do now?”

With a sigh, I went into the kitchen and carefully began cleaning, my leg beginning to shake after a few minutes. Stubbornly, I kept pushing myself to get things clean, wanting it to be nice for Hunter when he came back in. There was a soft pop and I looked down, heat rising to my leg.

“What the fuck?”

Making my way to the bathroom, every step agony, I pulled my pants off and realized that there was blood pooling in my bandage.

I popped a stitch.

Fucking hell.

That’s what stubbornness gets me.

Peeling off the bandage, I quickly cleaned up my leg and put pressure on it, praying for the bleeding to stop.

“It won’t stop,” I muttered, my hands starting to shake, “I don’t want to bother Hunter. What do I do?”

The backdoor opened and I chewed on my lip, still applying pressure.

“Forgot my walkie-talkie,” Hunter called, coming around the corner and staring at me before quickly turning around, “what happened?”

“Nothing,” I replied quickly, “I’m… I’m fine.”

“Grayson. There’s blood all over the bathroom floor. I may be shy, but I ain’t stupid. Did you pop a stitch?”

“Um…”

“Where at?”

“My thigh…”

“I’ll call Dad. He’s off today. He can fix it here. Stop bein’ stubborn, please. Ya won’t heal.”

“I was just trying to get the kitchen cleaned up… so you would get to see something nice when you came in. You seemed upset this morning and…”

“I’m not upset with you,” he sighed softly, taking his phone from his pocket, “I just got a lot on my mind, that's all. I'm sorry I made ya feel that way. But you shouldn't have let yourself get to a point where you're hurt again," he waited a moment before taking a shaky breath, "Hey Dad. Are you busy?"

"Nope!" I could hear Judah answer, "what's going on?"

"Don't get mad."

"I can't promise anything."

"Gray popped a stitch in his thigh. He's sittin’ in his bathroom keepin’ pressure on it but he's still bleedin’. Can you come and take a look? Put a new one in if needed?"

"How in the fuck did he do that, Hunter Silas?"

"I'm not sure…"

"Sir," I called softly.

"Grayson. How did you do that?" Judah responded to me.

"Stubbornness. I felt it shaking, my leg started to burn and I ignored it in favor of making sure the kitchen was clean when Hunter was done working."

"Well that was sweet of you, but you can't right now. Give me 10 minutes to gather up my medical bag. I'll be there as soon as I can. Keep pressure on it. If you feel faint, have Hunter press a cold washcloth to the nape of your neck and hang your head between your legs."

"Thank you," I called quietly.

"Hunter. Take care of him."

Judah hung up and Hunter took a shaky breath.

"Hunter?"

"Yes."

"Why do you have your back to me?"

"Politeness. Ya don't have your pants up. It'd be inappropriate of me to see ya that way."

"I appreciate your consideration but I'm very close to passing out and I need you to hold me up. I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable but you either need to come in here and make sure I don't fall or put pressure on my leg for me because my hands are shaking from seeing the blood and I'm scared."

Hunter slowly turned around and came over, kneeling on the floor. Slowly, he removed my hand from my leg and grabbed a clean towel from a shelf behind me, pressing it to the wound. A sharp hiss escaped me and I started to cry.

"Hey. Look at me. Only at me okay?" He whispered softly and I looked into his eyes, tears still rolling down my cheeks, "I know. It's okay. You're gonna be fine. I promise. I won't let anythin' happen to ya. Look only at me Gray. Ignore the blood. Try to ignore the pain. I'm here okay?"

"Okay…"

"I'm gonna distract ya. What's your favorite color?"

"Forest green."

"Me too. Like the trees. What's somethin' you're good at that surprises people?"

"Knitting. When I know the gender of Hazel's baby, I'll get what I need to make them a blanket."

"I'm buildin' her a crib. She'll appreciate it. You'll know the gender before anyone. So you can get started."

"Hunter," I whimpered, biting my lip hard enough it started to bleed, "it hurts."

"I know. I know, Gray. It's okay," he grabbed a tissue with his freehand and pressed it to my lip, "ya gotta stop bleedin' you're so small. It's not good for ya."

"Help me."

"I am," he kept the pressure on both my lip and my leg, "You're fine. I swear."

"How did you get that scar on your side?"

"Ain't nothin' dramatic. I was hikin’ alone once and a huge storm hit outta nowhere. I slipped down a cliff and hit the rocks below. Tore open my side. I had a GPS for emergencies and Hazel had the other half. I hit the emergency button and sent Bear down the path to meet her. Took them 4 hours to find me. Bear led her and my Dad back. Got me wrapped up there and brought me back into town to stitch it up."

"How old were you?"

"17. Bear was a baby. He did his best."

"I bet he was the cutest puppy."

"His paws were too big for the rest of his body and when he'd run they'd slap the floor. It was adorable."

"I'd love to have seen that."

The front door opened and Judah came walking in, a large bag over his shoulder.

"Hey, boys. Hunt, I can take over," Judah patted his back.

"Alright. I'll clean myself up and head back out. Dad will help. Just breathe. I'll be back before ya know it," Hunter pulled both of his hands away and got to his feet, "Dad. Blood makes him queasy."

"Ah. Makes sense. Okay. Thanks," Judah took over for Hunter and Hunter quickly left the bathroom, looking at me twice before finally heading down the hallway, "he cares for you."

"Well, we're friends. I think. He was being weird this morning," gripping my other leg, I let out a soft cry when he started cleaning my thigh.

"Sorry. A few more little pinches hang on. Just look at the wall."

Turning my head, I let out a soft sigh, "Hey Dr. Hope?"

"It's Judah but yes."

"Why is Hunter so… respectful? Not that I'm complaining but I saw him without a shirt this morning and he ran to put one on. Then the minute he found me like this, he turned his back because it was inappropriate to see me without pants."

"It's a mix of how I raised him, and overall shyness I suppose. We taught him to treat people with respect. That he shouldn't rush relationships or physical contact. To be sure it was what he wanted. Then he… did he tell you?"

"That he's gay?"

"He did. Okay, good. He came out to us just after Hazel did. We don't care either way, we just want them to be happy. But it's hard for Hunter to connect to people. He's got a huge heart. He cares deeply, to the point people used to take advantage of him. Plus, he chooses to live here. He could have sold the ranch and moved but he didn't. There aren't many people who he can date out here and Hunter is incredibly old-fashioned. We didn't raise him that way, but it's just his own personal values. He's also shy. He talks a lot when he's comfortable, but beyond that, he's easily embarrassed. The reason he's so respectful, gentle, ensuring he acts appropriately around you is because he's attracted to you. But he might not notice it himself and you're not in a position to have that conversation with him. I feel that you think there's a power imbalance here. Because it is right now, unfortunately. You're dependent on him for a bit, and I know he doesn't mind, but I get the feeling you do. All Hunter has ever wanted was someone who would work the farm with him. Do deliveries together. Spend time on the deck and watch the stars. He's an incredibly simple man. He longs for companionship. But he doesn't know how to go about it. I'd say, work on your friendship. Bond. Really get to know each other. Hunter may talk like… he talks like his grandpa," he laughed softly, "they spent a lot of time together. But Hunter is incredibly intelligent. He's also sensitive and tends to overthink things. If he ever seems off, it's because he's trapped in his head. He'll let you know if you upset him. That's my favorite thing about my son. He's in touch with his emotions and he's vocal about them. But he's an overthinker. Right now, I guarantee he's on Ridge, riding laps around the pasture watching the cows, his mind caught on you and how to help. I know how strange this all is. But you're alive for a reason, Grayson. You made it through because you have a purpose. Even if that purpose is simply helping him gather eggs, being a part of our lives. That's a good enough reason."

"He… built a cross for my mom. Put it near the ones he has for your parents. So I have a spot to talk to her. To get my closure. I never got that. My entire life exploded just after I lost her and I never…"

"He did that?"

"Mhm. When I was asleep."

"You don't understand, Grayson. None of us know where he put those crosses. It's a deep secret. We stopped pushing. My parents are laid to rest in the local cemetery but Hunter hates going out there so he did that to be able to talk to my dad. If he did that… wow," he sighed happily, "I'm done."

"Cleaning?"

"No. I numbed it, put a new stitch in, and covered it. We were talking so you didn't notice."

Looking down at my leg, I realized it was clean and secure once again, "oh. Wow. Thank you."

"It's my job. But I care about you. You are now banned from walking further than your bedroom, the bathroom, and the kitchen. You can go to the deck if you're careful. But I'd rather you didn't leave the house until Saturday for family dinner."

"Right. I'm sorry," I hung my head and he gently patted my cheek, making me lift it.

"You were trying to be sweet. That's all. You can be sweet when you're healthy. Patience is key. Now, you go lay down and I'm gonna clean this and go check on Hunter. I'll see you Saturday."

"Okay thank you… Judah."

"You're welcome," he smiled, the same smile I saw on Hunter on a regular basis.

Carefully, I pulled my sweats back on and went to lie down, Bear following me and hopping onto the bed as soon as I was comfortable.

I started to scratch him absent-mindedly, the TV acting as white noise and I started to cry, the only emotion I was capable of feeling was guilt.

There was a soft knock at the door a few hours later and I sat up slowly.

"Yes?"

"Grayson? Can we talk? I made dinner," Hunter called, a nervous edge to his tone.

I should thank him.

For helping me.

But I feel guilty.