Page 207 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

He frowned, his feet staying rooted to the floor. “I don’t like the idea of leaving you down here alone. Not when there’s no alarm system.”

“What time are the guys coming?”

“Ten.”

“What time are we going to visit with your friend Piper?”

“One o’clock.”

Maddox caught the shadow that crossed her features. Despite her carefree appearance when he first entered the room, Addie was apprehensive about visiting Piper. He didn’t blame her. It was sure to be an emotional encounter. He suspected that it might also be tense. While Addie was holding to the notion that Piper and Jordan had a good marriage, the facts spoke otherwise.

Addie offered a smile, dispelling the gloom, before turning back to the stove. He bridged the distance between them and stood beside her.

“What ya makin’?” He looked at what she was stirring, pointing. At first, he thought his eyes were deceiving him. “Is that sausage gravy?”

“Sure is.” A proud smile tipped her lips.

His voice rose. “Are you kidding me? I love biscuits and gravy!”

“See, you’re not the only one who remembers.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“Did you make biscuits too?”

She pointed. “Baking in the oven.”

“H—how in the heck did you learn how to make biscuits and gravy?” he sputtered

She laughed. “Delaney taught me.”

He was at loss for words. The woman of his dreams was standing beside him and she’d made his favorite meal. “Wait a minute.” He grabbed her arm, his expression dead-pan.

“What?”

“I’ve gotta pinch myself to make sure I’m not still sleeping. This is too good to be true.”

“Hey, now.” She lightly shoved him. “Go take a shower.” She wrinkled her nose. “You stink.” She lifted her chin. “I’m not having a stinky person at the table.”

“I don’t stink,” he countered, feeling offended, even though he knew she was mostly joking. He had to fight the urge to sniff under his arm.

She giggled. “Go. I’ll be fine down here.”

“I dunno.” He glanced around the cabin, thinking how easy it would be for someone to break in.

“I’ve been up for three hours already, and I’ve been perfectly fine. A few more minutes won’t kill me.” She lifted an eyebrow. “I say a few minutes, but I guess that depends on how long it takes you to shower.” She cocked her head, a teasing light flickering in her eyes, picking up the gold flecks. “From the looks of that unsightly frizz, it might take a while to tame that hair.”

He was glad she was loosening up towards him. He touched his curls. “Sheesh. I’ve only been up a short while and already I’m getting ripped by that lethal tongue.” He grinned, loving every minute of it. “All right. I’ll shower.” He reached to grab apiece of bacon from the plate beside the stove, but she slapped his hand.

“No eating until breakfast.”

He let out a long breath, his shoulders sagging. “All right. What are you? The bacon Nazi?”

“Yep.” She lifted her chin, looking stern. When she turned her attention back to the gravy, he snagged a piece.

Her mouth fell, making her look like a disgruntled kid. “Maddox!” she growled. “You’re supposed to wait.”

He grinned, loving how easy it was to get a rise out of her. “This is the appetizer.”

She brought her lips together in a tight line. “Fine,” she pouted. She pointed with the spatula. “Go. Chop, chop. And hurry. Biscuits aren’t good cold.”

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