Page 167 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

His brows furrowed in frustration. “Yes.”

Her mind whirled, trying to decide if Wallace was right. “What did he say?”

“Corbin won’t even entertain the idea because he wants so desperately to keep you safe. But like I said, while his intentions are noble, it will be to your detriment in the end. Think of how much better off me and my hunting buddies would’ve been had the bear not caught us unaware.”

“Why’re you telling me this?”

“Because Corbin loves you too much to voluntarily put you in danger.”

Her mind caught on the wordlove, running it through her head a few times.I love him too.The thought caused her to jerk slightly. She shook her head, putting her focus back on the problem at hand. “What do you want me to do?”

A grim smile spread over Wallace’s lips. “To be the bait. Lure the grizzly here to our trap.”

She sucked in a breath, fear settling like stone in her gut. Could she do it? Be brave enough to face this? Or was luring Hugh Allen here utter stupidity? She bit her lower lip, trying to decide the best course of action. “I’ll have to give it some thought,” she finally said.

Wallace nodded. “Fair enough. But don’t let it sit too long because my gut tells me we’re running out of time.”

She went cold all over, the knowledge settling into her like the march of doom. Somehow, in a way she couldn’t explain, she knew that Wallace was right. Their time was almost up.

Chapter Twenty-One

When Corbin returned to the cabin after visiting with Addie and picking up pizza, he figured he’d find Delaney locked in her room. He was shocked when he walked through the door and found Delaney and Pops playing a game of checkers.

“Crown me,” Delaney said triumphantly, as she pushed her red checker into the back row of Pops’ side of the board.

Pops groaned. “Not again. At the rate you’re getting kinged, it’s bound to be a short game.”

Delaney let out a light laugh that tingled through Corbin’s senses, shooting rays of hope into his heart. Maybe things would be okay between him and Delaney. He was sorry he lost his temper and vented it on the chopping block, but he couldn’t walk on eggshells around her 24/7.

Corbin placed the pizza on the table. “Who’s hungry?”

“I’m starved,” Delaney said.

Corbin was glad to see she had an appetite. That was a good sign that her emotional state had improved.

“Let’s pause our game and continue it tomorrow,” Pops said with a sly grin. “I’m not overly anxious to get whupped tonight.”

Delaney laughed again, shaking her head. She cast a surreptitious glance at Corbin and he could tell she was nervous.They needed to have a conversation to clear the air, but it would have to wait until after dinner.

Corbin retrieved three glasses from the cabinet and reached for the two-liter bottle of soda. Then he grabbed three plates.

Pops walked to the coatrack and reached for his jacket.

“You’re not staying for dinner?” Corbin asked, hoping he wasn’t so he could work things out with Delaney in private.

“No, I need to get home.” He winked. “And three’s a crowd.”

A deep blush came over Delaney’s face making her look so beautiful that Corbin nearly lost his breath. He was falling hard for this woman, but could they work through their problems? If not, he was headed for a major heartbreak. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Pops.”

He nodded.

Corbin felt closer to Pops tonight than he had in years. The two of them had a breakthrough of sorts earlier. Corbin was still torn up about Gram’s condition, but he no longer blamed the situation on Pops or Addie. Truthfully, he never had. It was just an excuse to hold his own guilt at bay. Seeing Gram, realizing how bad off she was, there was no way Pops could take care of her at home. Corbin and Addie had a quick but meaningful conversation where he told her how much he appreciated everything she’d done for their grandparents. It was good to bury the hatchet and mend his family relationships. Now he hoped to do the same with Delaney.

After Pops left, they sat down at the table. Suddenly, Corbin was nervous, unsure what to say. Delaney cleared her throat when he reached for a slice of pizza. He froze mid-action. “What?”

She gave him a censuring look, but there was a hint of amusement in her eyes, which were silky pools of chocolate tonight. “The prayer.”

“Oh, yeah.” Heat crawled up his neck. “Would you like me to say it?”

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