Page 11 of Fixing to Be Mine

He turns around, catching me.

“You don’t have to decide now. But if it’s a yes, you can have my room.”

I should saythank youor ask a dozen questions. Instead, I stand there, staring at him, trying to figure out if this internal buzz that happens when I’m around him is real.

I don’t answer, not because I don’t want to stay—I do. God, I do. But wanting something or feeling a connection with someone doesn’t make it safe. In my world, accepting anything without question always comes with a cost. I can’t help but wonder what it says about me that I’d accept a stranger’s help because he’s the first person who doesn’t demand anything in return. He’s offering me a lifeline—or at least a temporary roof until I can make my next move.

I glance around again at the exposed beams and unfinished walls. The rawness of it shifts something inside of me. This house is unfinished, imperfect, but somehow, it’s what I need right now.

“I don’t want to overstep,” I say quietly, my voice threading through the stillness. “I know this wasn’t part of your plan. I can be gone in the morning.”

“Do you want to leave?” he asks. “Valentine, I mean.”

My lips part. “Not really. I like it here, and I desperately need a place to heal my heart. Valentine sounded like a good town to do that. I want to be able to breathe for a minute without having to explain myself while I contemplate my future.”

Colt doesn’t shift. Just watches me with that calm, unreadable expression of his. “You can stay as long as you need. I’m not going anywhere, and neither is this house.”

I keep my gaze focused on a knot in the hardwood floor. My throat tightens before I admit, “You don’t know me.”

“And?” He shrugs. “We might be strangers now, but not for long.”

There’s a flicker of something in his eyes. He doesn’t ask questions I’m not ready to answer. He waits, giving me space with my asking.

I take a breath and reach into my back pocket, pulling out the folded cash I’ve been carrying since the gas station earlier. Ihaven’t touched my accounts since I left because the second I do, someone will know where I am. And right now, I need to be lost.

“I can offer this for the night,” I say, holding out several hundred. “And I have plenty more.”

He glances at the money, then back at me. His jaw tightens. “Keep it.”

I hesitate. “You don’t even know how much it is.”

“Don’t matter. It could be ten thousand dollars. I don’t need it.”

I let my hand fall back to my side. “So, you’d let me stay here for free?”

“Nah. You can earn your keep,” he says, nodding toward the living room. “I could really use an extra set of hands. If I had help, I might be able to finish this house before next summer. That’s my only goal. I have plenty of money.”

I raise an eyebrow.

“You want me to help?” Laughter falls from my lips, and I look down at my hands. Thankfully, I removed the manicure set I had that screamedbride-to-be.

His expression doesn’t change. “Unless you’re above manual labor.”

I glance down at my boots. They’re worn, the laces frayed and the soles uneven. “I’m in borrowed boots. Nothing is beneath me right now, but I have zero experience. I’d hate to be a shitty partner.”

“Don’t worry, darlin’. I’ll teach ya to do things the way I like,” he says, and heat rushes through me.

I try to calm myself, glancing back at the vintage boots a woman at the motel gave me. I had shown up in a pair of heels that were better suited for a corner office than a gravel parking lot. I almost twisted my ankle.

Colt licks his lips, and I wonder what that whiskey tastes like on his tongue. “Are you in?”

The attraction is undeniable, and I know I should walk out of this house, get in that car, and never return to Valentine again. But something won’t allow me to do that.

“I can already see the answer on your face.” He smirks like a decision has been made.

It has though, and we both know that I’m not walking away from whatever this is.

Weirdly, I’m relieved. Not because it’s easy, but because for the first time in days, I’m standing still and breathing evenly. I feel like I’m choosing something that chose me first and that I’m meant to be here. It scares the fuck out of me, but I can’t ignore that feeling.

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