Beneath Dark Skies (Rolling Hills Ranch #1)

14. Kenji

FOURTEEN

KENJI

A MISUNDERSTANDING

Day 394

We return to the Hill Ranch home just as the sun begins to set. I didn’t realize how long we'd been walking, the strain of today's events finally seeping into my bones. I’m feeling the exhaustion as we make our way up the porch, my eye again drawn to the cottage on the side. I wonder if the princess has already retired for the night, and that leads my thoughts back to Theo, reminding me that we need to go in and check on him.

Mr. and Mrs. Hill walk into the home, past the entryway, and down the hall before turning around to face Adrian and I. Mr. Hill nods at the door to his left, “There’s the room with your brother. You fellas can go in and check on him. Knowing Farron, she’ll be back sometime this evening to check on him. You let her know we showed you around and are having you stay here.”

“I’ll get two beds made up in the guest rooms on the second floor,” Mrs. Hill chimes in. “Let Farron know. She’ll show you to your rooms when she stops by later.”

Mr. Hill shakes my hand while Mrs. Hill pulls Adrian in for a hug.

“Good night, Ms. Peaches,” Adrian says to Mrs. Hill with a wink, and I can’t stop the scoff that escapes me. He has no shame .

They walk away from us, heading to a door at the very end of the hall. I elbow Adrian in the side and hiss out at him, “What is the matter with you? Leave that poor old lady alone.”

“Oh, K…Don’t be jealous that the ladies always prefer me. I can’t help my charming personality or extraordinary good looks.” Adrian says as he opens the door to the room Theo’s in.

As we walk in, I notice that Theo’s awake on the futon, looking at something on our side with a soft expression. I follow his line of vision to see Farron on the floor, leaning back against the wall, the little rat curled up next to her. She’s asleep, her pouty mouth slightly open as she releases soft puffs of air. At least she doesn’t snore obnoxiously like Adrian. It’s honestly kind of adorable how she’s sleeping. I look up and see Adrian staring at her like she hung the moon. Rolling my eyes, I turn back to face Theo.

“How are you doing?” I ask him, looking down at his leg to see it’s now cleaned and wrapped in gauze.

“I’m in pain, but it’s a lot better now,” he replies before turning and pointing at the tray to his side. “Farron left some pain medication and water next to me. She also left a notebook and a pen there… I think it’s to help me talk to her.”

He has a small smile on his face as he finishes signing. I know how hard it is for him when we’re around other people, especially those who don’t know him. Having a hearing person think of him this way, putting him first, means a lot to him—a point for the princess in the ‘pro’ column.

“Looks like Theo’s in love,” Adrian says with a smirk. He prods Theo in the shoulder and waggles his eyebrows.

“Shut up,” Theo tells him, smacking Adrian’s hand away. “Where have you two been? I thought I’d find you breathing down my neck and giving her the third-degree the second I woke up. ”

“While you were lucky enough to nap and then wake up to the gorgeous view, we met the grandparents and got a tour.”

“The grandparents?” Theo asks.

“Farron’s grandparents,” Adrian clarifies, his face taking on a dreamy look. “Theo, we had the best peach pie I’ve ever tasted. Nora is a Goddess in the kitchen. And, oh, the kitchen. It was insane, A big island, stainless steel appliances, and a window looking out onto the farm. Peach pie, an incredible kitchen, and a gorgeous girl? I don’t think I ever want to leave.”

Theo releases a quiet chuckle at Adrian’s antics while I frown. “We’ve got responsibilities, asshole.” I turn to Theo before continuing. “We met Farron’s grandparents, Nora and Henry, and they showed us around the community.”

Theo’s eyes widen as he turns to Adrian, asking the question we both knew was coming. “Your family?”

Adrian shakes his head, no, and Theo’s face immediately falls. “I’m sorry, Adrian.” Adrian merely shrugs, though it’s obvious to both Theo and I that the sharp, jagged edges of pain have embedded themselves in his chest after so many months of searching for his family to no avail. Theo and I share a look, knowing we need to keep an eye on him.

“We agreed to help while we’re here with whatever’s needed. I’ll be with the Abels often to help with the cattle, Adrian will live out his dreams helping to cook, and we mentioned to them that you might be able to help with your knowledge of plants,” I say to Theo after a few tense moments of silence.

“Is Adrian going to have time to help if he’s too busy stalking Farron?” Theo asks with a smirk, an obvious attempt to lighten the mood. Instead of fingerspelling her name, he’s repeating the motion for ‘freckles,’ although he’s dropped one hand. Looks like that’s her name sign. I would have picked something more fitting, like the sign for ‘gun’ or ‘angry.’

Adrian gives him a mocking grin before shooting back. “I’m more than capable of multi-tasking and time management, thank you very much. Even if it means I have to just resort to watching Farron at night like a creepy vampire.”

“You will most definitely not be doing that.” I scold him. “Anyway, I’m getting started tomorrow with the cattle. Adrian will probably be here with you until Mrs. Hill finds him, but then you might be on your own. You okay with that?”

Theo nods and then asks us to tell him about what we saw. Adrian and I take turns telling him about the structure of the community, the different farms and what they do or provide, and the people we met. When we get to the part about the Davis farm, Adrian starts moving his hands dramatically, making a production of our short, though uncomfortable, run-in with Trevor.

“That guy is weird,” Theo signs with a frown. “I hope Farron never actually went out with him.”

“Our Sunshine would never go for someone like that,” Adrian decrees. “Not even when it’s the end of the world. I mean, he barely qualifies as a man. And unless she’s got some sort of rake fetish, there’s no way she’s attracted to him.”

“She’s not our anything, Adrian.” I shake my head at him. “We don’t even know her. We know more about everyone else we’ve met than we do about the princess over there.”

“Well, I’ll be trying to get to know her. I want to know everything about her.” He sighs as he turns his head to face the sleeping princess, a lovestruck look on his face. “God, she’s so beautiful. I’ve never seen eyes as green as hers or wanted to count freckles so badly.”

“Her eyes are beautiful.” Theo agrees. “But there’s something haunted about them. Like she’s been through things, like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders.”

“I’ll fix it.” Adrian signs. “Whatever’s bothering her, I’ll fix it. If she needs me to get rid of that douche, Trevor, I’ll do so gladly. ”

As Adrian finishes what he’s saying, I notice Farron's eyes begin to shift, and her breathing changes. Her chest rises and falls more rapidly, her nostrils flaring slightly as she transitions from unconsciousness back to reality. Before anyone can say anything else, the princess begins to stir. We watch in silent anticipation as her eyelids flutter open, a soft groan escaping her lips.

At first, her gaze is unfocused, but gradually, her eyes zero in on us, recognition dawning. Her pupils dilate slightly, and her eyes subtly widen as her mind catches up with the day's events. Despite her slight disorientation, there's an undeniable cuteness to her movements—her hair is messy and tousled, her face soft with the remnants of sleep.

Her eyes narrow into slits, and she snarks at us, “How long have you guys been watching me sleep like creeps?” Her voice is rough with sleep, and that husky tone goes straight to my groin as my mind, unbidden, imagines that voice in bed as I take her.

“A while,” Adrian quips back, unable to hide the grin spreading across his face. “You’re real cute when you sleep, Sunshine.”

Farron shakes her head at him and grumbles under her breath as she begins to stretch. Her movements are slow, and each stretch of her limbs is accompanied by the sound of joints cracking and popping. She winces slightly, her body protesting the activity after her stiff rest.

Finally, with a groggy determination, she pushes herself up to her feet, and I notice that her rat follows suit. She stands there for a moment, swaying slightly as she finds her balance, her eyes flicking between us with annoyance and curiosity.

“How long was I out?” she asks, her question punctuated with a yawn. I adjust my positioning so that Theo can have Farron and myself in his line of sight, and I begin to interpret for him.

“Probably for however long it takes for us to complete a tour of Rolling Hills, making introductions, accompanied by your grandparents,” Adrian tells her. “B-t-dubbs, totally stealing Nora from you to make her my grandma.” He winks at her, his grin widening.

She rolls her eyes in exasperation, but I see the corner of her lips slightly turn upward before moving over to Theo while Magnum walks over to me, nudging his head against my legs, asking for pets. She takes his temperature as he silently watches her with a look of affection that I’ll need to address later. Then she begins unwrapping his leg, her movements deft and practiced. I observe as she gently cleans his wounds, begrudgingly impressed by how she stitched him up. She applies fresh ointment before rewrapping his leg, her actions gentle and tender.

Once she finishes, she grabs the notebook off the small table beside Theo and scribbles down a note. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I move closer to Theo, peeking over his shoulder. She's just checking in on him, asking how he’s feeling and his pain level.

Theo writes back, “Not great. Sort of nauseous. Pain is an 8 or 9 right now. I took the pain meds.”

Farron nods as she reads his note, her brow furrowing with concern. “Of course, you're feeling awful,” she says, speaking more to herself than anyone else. “It’s been hours, and you haven’t eaten anything.” Her gaze shifts awkwardly to Adrian and me, toggling between us before she releases a sigh. “Let me guess, you guys haven’t eaten either?”

Adrian and I exchange a glance and shrug, confirming her suspicion. She shakes her head, irritation and amusement flickering across her face. “Alright, you guys just… just stay here. I’ll be back,” sh e says before disappearing from the room.

The moment she leaves, Adrian's eyes remain glued to the door, a smirk playing on his lips. “I call dibs,” he announces.

A noise escapes Theo’s mouth, drawing Adrian’s attention back to him. Theo, with a wry smile, retorts , “You can’t call dibs on her, she’s not a thing… And for the record, I called dibs earlier.”

“That’s fine, Theo. You know what they say…” Adrian says, stopping for an overdrawn dramatic pause, prompting Theo to move his hands, telling Adrian to hurry. “Sharing is caring.”

Theo simply narrows his eyes and flips Adrian off, which causes Adrian to burst into a deep, hearty laugh, the sound loud in the small room. Without hesitation, he plops down beside Theo on the small futon, throwing an arm around him and leaning in to plant a big, sloppy kiss on Theo’s cheek.

Theo grimaces but can't hide his smile. “Gross, man,” he signs, moving, wiping his cheek with exaggerated disgust.

Adrian just grins wider. “What can I say? I’m full of love.”

I shake my head at the two of them, about to launch into a scolding about this whole ‘love’ business with Farron, but before I can, the door swings open, and she awkwardly clambers inside, a big tray in hand, kicking the door shut behind her. Her curls are a mess, tumbling into her face, and I can’t help but snort when I see her futile attempt to blow them away, only for them to stubbornly fall back into place. She shoots me a glare.

Moving closer, she sets the tray on the table beside Theo. We all peer over to see what she’s brought us, and Adrian's eyes light up with excitement. Bread, cheese, smoked meats, apple slices, and pickles grace the tray.

“How cute, you brought us a charcuterie board,” he exclaims, practically bouncing with anticipation .

A blush tinges her cheeks as she reaches for the single slice of that peach pie on a plate, which she immediately hands to Theo. My chest constricts momentarily with the knowledge she thought of him this way before I force myself to push it aside. Theo eats the pie and releases a low groan, his eyes snapping up to Adrian, who simply shrugs his shoulders as if to say, ‘I told you so.’

Farron steps away, waving her hand to encourage us to attack the rest of the food. I step forward, nudging Adrian back, and make a plate for Theo. He signs a thank you, and I nod in response before allowing Adrian to step forward for his share. Once we all have our food, we dive in, the savory and tangy flavors exploding on my tastebuds.

After a few moments of blissful silence, I look up to see Farron watching us, her eyes wide with surprise.

“You boys sure can eat,” she comments dryly.

“That’s because we’re men, not boys,” Adrian retorts, his tone playful as ever. He flashes her another wink, and this time, I’m not the one rolling my eyes in exasperation at Adrian’s ridiculous flirting.

“So, boys ,” she says, emphasizing the word as she looks at Adrian. “You know your way to the Alden farm, right? You’re good on your own from here?”

“We saw the Alden farm, yeah,” I reply, confusion evident. “But what exactly does that have to do with us?”

“I just want to make sure you know how to find your way there so I don’t have to walk you tonight,” she explains in a matter-of-fact tone.

Adrian and I exchange a puzzled glance. “Farron,” he begins, a hint of hesitation in his voice, his hands moving as he signs for Theo. “I think there’s a misunderstanding… Your grandma told us we’re staying here. She said she’s got two beds made up for us in the guest rooms on the second floor and told us to ask you to show us to our rooms when we saw you. ”

We watch a hundred different emotions flash across her face, her expression cycling through confusion, realization, and finally settling on anger. Her lips tighten into a straight line, and her eyes harden. She nods stiffly at us before abruptly standing. “Excuse me for a moment,” she says, her voice strained.

As she leaves the room, tension and discomfort soak the air, and none of us are daring enough to speak. I look down at Magnum, still sitting near my feet, and note that even he looks confused. A minute later, we hear the sound of Farron outside the house, screaming obscenities at the top of her lungs. Adrian and I share a look that doesn’t go unnoticed by Theo, and I sign to let him know what we’re hearing happening outside.

The yelling abruptly stops, and a few moments later, Farron returns to the room. Her face is flushed, her eyes slightly red, and she looks drained. “Sorry about that,” she says, her voice a little hoarse. Theo looks at her wide-eyed before flicking his questioning gaze over to Adrian and me.

We all sit there in awkward silence, the air thick with unspoken words. Finally, I muster the courage to break the tension. “Farron, we didn’t mean to cause any trouble or upset you.”

She waves a hand dismissively, trying to regain her composure. “It’s not your fault. Just... unexpected news.” She takes a deep breath, her shoulders slumping a little. “Alright, if you guys are ready, let’s get you guys settled in.” Adrian and I nod our agreement and turn to face her after saying goodnight to Theo.

She gives Theo a strained smile and a small wave, whistling for Magnum, before looking at us. “Follow me.”

She leads the way out of the room and walks over to a set of stairs, slowly making her way up. When we get to the second story of the ranch home and a little further into the hallway, she turns towards us sharply, causing Adrian and I to bump into one another as we abruptly stop.

She points to the two doors on the right, telling us, “Those are your rooms. I don’t care who takes what room. You can figure that out amongst yourselves. The door at the end was–” she cuts off, taking a deep and shuddering breath before continuing. “The door at the end is my parents’ old bedroom. It’s off-limits, don’t go anywhere near it, got it?”

We both nod. I have no interest in crossing physical boundaries that I have no right to, and avoiding going into her parents’ old room won’t be an issue. She gives us a pointed look as if to make sure we understand her before nodding and placing her hands on her hips.

“Alright, well…That’s it, I guess. Night.” She walks forward, awkwardly skirting around the two of us and heading down the stairs, the small sound of Magnum’s nails against the hardwood signifying his leave as well.

“Good night, Sunshine!” Adrian yells, a dopey smile on his face. He turns to me and says, “Notice how she didn’t say anything about the door on our left? What do you think’s in there?”

I hit him upside the head while shaking my own before turning and making my way to the first door on the right.

“Okay,” Adrian calls out after me. “You can have that one, no problem. I’ll take the next one. It’s cool.”

I flash him my middle finger before shutting the door in his face.