Page 73 of Unguarded

Duke finally ends it before he stumbles to the fridge and grabs another few beers, tossing them to me, Sam, and Holden. Holden throws it right back.

“I’m not staying. Just came to get Rosie some food,” Holden says.

“Is she okay? Does she need me?” Dolly asks, eyes pinched with concern.

“Yeah, she’s all right. She wants to come out and socialize, but the venison is too strong. She said to let her know if we build a fire later. She just wants a grilled cheese.”

Holden pulls a pan out to start cooking his fiancée a sandwich. We all know better than to give him shit about it.

“Aw, you’re so sweet. A fire after dinner sounds nice.” Dolly’s gaze flits from Sam to mine.

Her eyes catch on to how close Monroe is to me since I haven’t let go of her hand. It wasn’t intentional. Holding her close like this feels like the most natural thing in the world. A smile crosses my sister’s lips as I slowly release Monroe.

“Dinner’s ready!” Kacie bellows.

27

MONROE

His family is perfect. I mean, they’re not; they’re flawed, of course, but their mutual love, the way they talk to and clearly care for each other, makes my heart thump with a dull ache. Dolly loves Rosie like a sister. I’ve never had a sister, and I’ve always felt the loss like a gaping hole in my stomach. As close as Ember and I have gotten, we’re nowhere near that level.

Holden isobsessedwith Rosie. He treats her like a princess on a pedestal. Even when she’s so pregnant and sick that she can’t do anything, his eyes shine when he talks about her. I’ve heard several jokes about how they couldn’t stand each other for years, but I don’t know the full story. All I see now is how in love they are.

Duke is hilarious. He says some borderline inappropriate things sometimes and is a shameless flirt, but I adore him and appreciate his honesty.

I’ve never met Sterling since he’s away in the Marines.

Cash is the mystery, I’ve realized. I got the brother whodoesn’t speak his mind twenty-four seven and quietly broods instead … and dates professional cooks who aren’t very nice.

That must be what he wants. Someone who can cook, obviously. Someone domestic. Someone who can grow herbs and give birth in a tub.

It’s been four days since we got to the ranch. My skin has been glowing since I stopped wearing foundation. I can only assume the pure well water is also helping me to look like I’m well rested and stress-free.

Walking my daily ten thousand steps around the property with Dolly and Rosie has been a ritual since they invited me to join on day two. I’m already addicted. We round the last bend approaching the house as the sun begins to beat down on us, escaping the cloud that was mercifully blocking it the last hour.

The first day, I mostly listened to them talking, realizing they’d been best friends since childhood and were practically sisters. On the second day, they tried to include me as much as possible, but I was still reserved and gave short answers. Today, I feel like we’ve really grown close, even though I haven’t worked up the courage to ask about Kacie and Cash’s history.

The ranch dog, Oyster, putters along beside us. He’s a friendly half-grown yellow Labrador puppy.

“Oh God, I’m not gonna make it.” Rosie bends forward, the contents of her stomach emptying without warning.

“Oh!” I’m a step ahead of her. I feel the warm splash of vomit on my ankles.

Dolly supports her, cringing up at me. I freeze in place,feeling the back of my throat start to tense up with the urge to gag. I don’t do well with throw-up.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I—I’m mortified …” Rosie rushes to explain, hiccuping every few words.

“It’s okay! I’m totally fine. You should go try to lie down. I’ll just jump in the shower really quick,” I try to reassure her.

I can tell by the look of horror on her pale face that she feels bad and it wasn’t at all intentional.

“I just vomited all over my favorite singer. I’ll never recover.” Rosie starts to cry as another wave of nausea hits her, and she vomits again.

Dolly is attempting to guide her toward the house. “You’ll be fine! You’ve been a loyal supporter all these years. How could she hold it against you?”

I nod vigorously. “She’s right. You have nothing to feel sorry about. I feel like we’re finally bonding!”

Rosie laughs amid her tears, gripping Dolly’s hands for dear life and stumbling toward the main house. I can’t help but wonder if this is actually normal for pregnancy, but I know nothing about it.

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