Page 14 of Hard Knock Hero

“Iamfrom California,” he deadpanned. “I’ve planned a week of solitary contemplation and vegan food. Nothing but raw kale.”

“I think that was a joke.”

“You catch on fast.”

I snickered.

“Did I pass?” he asked.

“Barely.” I unlocked the door. “Come on. Before either of us freezes or more Rigsby cousins decide to come by.”Or I think better of this.

Aiden cast a final glance at the snowy street before following me inside.

I grimaced as I noticed the dirty dishes I’d left, but that was another problem for tomorrow-me to deal with. When I reached the kitchen, I flipped on the light. All I’d done in here was put away my lamb stew and other perishable ingredients. But my poor lemon tarts were still splattered over the floor. That made my heart hurt.

“This isn’t how I usually leave things,” I said. “Sorry about the mess. I know I blamed you earlier, but it wasn’t your fault.”

“It was a rough evening.” Aiden bent down and swiped a fingertip through one of the less mangled tarts. He sucked the filling off his finger. “Wow. That lemon curd is…” He grunted instead of finishing the sentence, and a sudden thrill of pleasure flooded my body, leaving my pulse pumping. He’d complimented my lamb stew at dinner, but my desserts were my real passion.

His eyes flicked up to me as my face heated. I was clearly praise deprived. That explained it.

“Thanks,” I forced out. “Uh.” Why did I keep saying that? “I hope you don’t mind bedding down in the dining room. My place upstairs is a studio. So.”

He nodded quickly. “No problem at all. I’m just glad I’m not out in the cold.”

“I thought you were a big, tough military man who could sleep anywhere.”

“Doesn’t mean I was going to enjoy it.”

I smiled. “I’ll go up and grab some blankets and pillows for you. There’s a bathroom down here.” I realized he didn’t have anything with him. “Shoot, your travel bag is in your car, isn’t it? With your toothbrush and all that.”

“It is. But I’ll survive.”

“You could’ve grabbed your stuff before we walked over here.”

One of his thick eyebrows lifted. “I wasn’t going to assume you’d ask me to stay.”

There went my pulse again. “What kind of sister would I be otherwise?”

“I have two, and they can be pretty ornery. Probably because I piss them off, but still. I’m used to it.”

I smiled even wider at the fact that he’d just shared another small detail with me. Which was dumb. He wasn’t going to stay more than a day or two in Hartley, anyway. What did it matter if he shared his story with me?

I had his driver’s license. He’d offered to let me talk to his family, though I hadn’t taken him up on it. I knew enough to let him stay here. But I was still going to lock my apartment door upstairs.

“You ate dinner?” he asked, catching me off guard again. “Not just whiskey?”

“I did.” Two mini lemon tarts before he’d walked into my diner and radically changed my evening. “I’ll be right back.”

Aiden waited at the bottom of the stairs for me to grab some makeshift bedding for him, along with a new toothbrush from a bulk pack and some travel toothpaste. I handed it all over, taller than him now because I was on a higher step. Our hands brushed when he took the stack of blankets. I shivered. “Is it cold down here?” I asked. “I could turn up the heater.”

“But then it’ll be too hot for you upstairs.”

He was totally right.

“Thank you.” Aiden’s voice dipped with sincerity. “I’m sorry for putting you out like this.”

So he did know how to apologize. “It’s no trouble. Sorry for getting so upset earlier about what happened with Chester. I’m the one who caused this whole situation, not you. You were just trying to help.”

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