Jason only chuckles and tucks Misty in a little closer, not caring if she fell asleep or not. He was dangerously close to sleep himself, so he couldn't blame her a bit. And as silly as the idea had been in the first place... managing to both sit in one chair was rather comfortable.
It wasn't until several hours later that Jason opens his eyes only to realize that it was close to one o'clock in the morning. Yawning, he glances down to find Misty still sound asleep on his lap. A little smile curls his lips. He hadn't intended on staying this long at all, but he sure had slept soundly there for a while. He knew he really did need to go though. He had Trooper to take care of, and, after all, this was Alec's bedroom at the moment.
Moving his arms so one remains around Misty's back and the other slides under her legs, he stands up, holding her close. He knew she'd wake up, but he says nothing as he heads down the hallway and up the stairs carrying her. Getting to her bedroom, he nudges the door open wider with his foot before entering and gently laying her down on the bed. Leaning over her, he smiles and runs his hand along her cheek before bending down to place a soft kiss on her lips. "Goodnight," he whispers. "Sweet dreams."
Eli falls back into silence for a moment or two as he considers the possible consequences of either path. If they told Tal what Alec had been doing, he would most certainly be concerned for Ryan and maybe even himself - for more than one reason. If they didn't say anything, he could find out later then be upset because he'd been clueless. The problem now was that Eli didn't know which was worse.
Finally, he shrugs lamely. "I don't know... I understand why you wouldn't want him to know... then I think if I was him, I'd feel like I should know about it. We are talking about his girlfriend's ex, and not only that, but the same guy who beat him to a pulp then almost had him killed."
He sighs and shakes his head, turning to study Ryan's face. "As much as I like being in control... this one's on you. Tal's your boyfriend, not mine, so I guess it's gonna have to be your call. I just gotta know so I don't say something to him I shouldn't."
The day had been rainy, keeping more than one person cooped up. Though the ranch needed the moisture, it was no fun not being able to go riding or walking or do anything outside unless one wanted to be drenched.
Hunter had found himself sitting in the barn almost all day. He'd helped Mick clean some tack, watched Eric give Ashlee a riding lesson in the indoor arena, spent some time with the orphan kitten (who, by now, had been dubbed "Uno"), assisted Mick with checking supplies, and spent a while on the main building's porch swing just relaxing. In between times, he spent some sweet moments with Katie, just being together, even if they didn't talk about much. Without anywhere to walk, it was mostly just sitting together, holding hands or just nestling into each other on the porch to watch the rain...
...Having made good time in cleaning up for the evening, Hunter was one
of the first into the dining room for supper. Though making smalltalk
with a few people, he sat alone at one of the tables, waiting for Katie
to show up.
Letting his eyes roam the room, he saw
Becky, Jade and Rosalyn busy in the kitchen - he wonders how they could
do the cooking and cleaning every day without going insane, but then...
he didn't like housekeeping much at all and maybe they did. Mick had
told him how they'd had hired cooks and housekeepers at one time, but
after a while, the jobs had evolved into family tasks, saving the ranch
money and giving the family purpose as well. It really was like one big
family here - something strange. Unique. But in a way, Hunter wondered
if perhaps this was the way things
should be. That maybe it was the rest of the world that was messed up.
He
watches Dylan over in the corner, pouring over his school books. He
hadn't talked much to the young man, getting the impression he was
pretty offish. He'd found out bits and pieces from some of the others,
along with Mick, and had learned quite a bit about him. And in a way he
could relate to that strained relationship. It was all too familiar, as
he and Mick had said in not so many words.
Eric and Stacy were sitting off to the side, grinning
at each other while making small talk and from his position, Hunter
could tell they were playing around with their feet under the table. It
gave him an inward grin. When asking Sparky if those two were dating,
his response had been, "Apparently." It was rather amusing to Hunter and
he wasn't sure of the story behind it all, but Eric and Stacy did seem
happy - just like everybody else here. Well, almost.
His
eyes roam back to the kitchen where Cindy had just entered. She seemed
different. Not out of place, but not quite fitting like everybody else
either. It was no surprise though. Hunter had learned about Wes, and he
felt badly for this woman who had lost so much. It felt a little odd,
too, having figured out that she was the mother of Jason - Katie's ex,
and a good friend of Kyle's. It was a weird kind of connection to have
here.
Hearing a squeal and a small sound of a crash,
Hunter looks quickly over his shoulder, to back in the corner near the
couches and fireplace. Kaylee was sitting on the floor, surrounded by
blocks and a few other various toys. She was babbling to herself and
having a grand ol' time, apparently left to play while Mom took a break
to help in the kitchen.
Unable to help his grin, Hunter
gets up from the table and wanders over to the corner. Lowering himself
down on all fours, he sets aside his one crutch then crawls nearer
Kaylee, careful of his knee, before flopping down on his stomach,
propped up on his elbows.
Kaylee holds a block in her hand and eyes Hunter inquisitively. "Block," she states flatly.
Hunter grins. "I see that. Can I play too?"
Kaylee scrunches up her nose and giggles before picking up a different block and handing it to him.
"Oh, thank you." Hunter accepts the toy and fiddles with it a moment before placing it on the floor in front of the little girl.
Kaylee
immediately sets her own block on top of it before shooting Hunter a
silly smile, her eyes almost daring him to keep building.
Accepting
the challenge, it isn't long before a nice-sized tower was being built
as the two took turns placing the blocks one on top of the other. Soon
though, apparently Kaylee was satisfied that it was tall enough.
Standing up she claps her hand. "Fin'shed!"
"Yay!"
Hunter claps with her. "High five." He holds up his hand which is met
with Kaylee's small palm... after a couple tries and misses.
Turning
back to the tower, Kaylee eyes Hunter with a mischievous glint. And
within the blink of an eye, the tower is knocked over, tumbling down
into a pile of rubble. Kaylee bursts into giggles, laughing hard enough
that she hangs onto Hunter's head to keep from tumbling over herself.
Hunter
laughs outright, finding Kaylee's giggling quite contagious. All his
laughter does is feed her silliness though, starting a landslide of more
giggles and squeals. A second tower must be built after that, and the
antics continue, getting sillier and sillier. By the time the third
tower is knocked over, Hunter is sprawled dramatically on the floor
having "fallen over" along with the blocks with a resounding "Kaboom!"
Kaylee follows suit and throws herself down as well... using Hunter's stomach as a landing pad.
"Oof..."
Hunter catches Kaylee before she rolls off onto the floor and he starts
to laugh again. With Kaylee still on his stomach, she starts to bounce
with his laughing and she finds it quite funny - enough so to stay right
there and giggle all the more.
Cindy leans on the
kitchen doorframe and watches the scene, a smile on her lips. Watching
Hunter play with her daughter made her miss Jason, and she wonders for a
moment how he is. He hadn't talked much with her lately - it had been
like pulling teeth to get him to admit he and Katie had broken up...
even after she'd already found out herself. He did seem to have
mentioned Misty a lot the last time they'd spoken on the phone... was
there more he wasn't telling her? She wondered.
Bringing
her attention back to the present, her own chuckle slips out, just
listening to Kaylee laugh. She really was doing well, and Cindy didn't
mind one bit that she got extra attention from everyone here. If Hunter
wanted to play with her, Cindy wouldn't stop him. He seemed like a very
nice man, and Kaylee apparently thought so too.
Totally caught up in playing with the toddler, Hunter is clueless that
more people have filed into the dining room and that several pairs of
amused eyes were on him. He'd almost forgotten that he'd been waiting for Katie.
