Page 14 of Two Risks I'd Never Take Again

His muscles flexed under my hand as he obeyed. “Then you need to call Ava.”

I didn’t want to talk to Ava. She went to church with me. How could I lie to her?

“I really need to find you different clothes.” I pulled the sheet back over him.

“I thought you liked looking at my chest.”

Dumbfounded by his audacity, I stayed quiet half a second. “I don’t...” Trying to lie wasn’t going to convince anyone. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Garrett laughed and then groaned. “That hurt.”

“Serves you right. The bruising is getting worse. Boots?”

He nodded.

“Where’s it parked? I’ll get your phone and make sure your truck is safe.” I kept my back to him, feeling the heat in my cheeks and not wanting him to see me flushed.

“If you don’t mind going out to the ranch again, you can get more clothes and my laptop. And if you could let Ava or Clint know that I’m okay, that would be helpful. I’m not sure my voice would be convincing right now.”

It was hard to imagine him using a laptop in his condition, but I’d grab it. Maybe his hands weren’t broken, just banged up. Badly. Grabbing jeans had been a horrible idea, but I’d been sleep deprived. This time, I’d grab him some sweatpants, some with a drawstring so that they wouldn’t ride low on his waist.

“Okay. I’ll pick up your prescription while I’m out.” I tried to think about what I needed to leave accessible for him. “I’ll put some water by the bed and the bag of frozen peas. Will you be okay for a while?”

“Yeah.” He told me where to find his truck.

“We can’t leave it there.”

He lifted his braced and bandaged hands. “I don’t have much choice.”

“I can get a ride to your truck, then drive it to your cabin.” I would have to figure out how to get back home, but I’d think of something.

“And then everyone would wonder about me when I didn’t show up for meals. And they’d come knocking, and I wouldn’t answer.”

I let my hair down, then twisted it back up into a knot and wrapped a scrunchie around it. “Okay, so that doesn’t work. I could park it here. But someone might recognize it. I guess that doesn’t matter.” Someone seeing his car in my lot wouldn’t be a big deal. Right? “What should I tell Ava when I go get your clothes?”

Garrett shrugged. “Something that’s true. She won’t believe you otherwise.”

“Yeah. Great. I’ll figure something out. And we have to schedule your appointment to get your hands checked. I don’t know how I’m going to sneak you out of here.”

He rubbed his brace on a wrinkle in the sheet. “Are you planning to keep the shop closed all week?”

“Yes. And it’s my choice, so I don’t want any pushback.” I sat on the edge of the bed. “People can live without doughnuts for a week. They’ll be unhappy but probably thinner.”

“I have a suggestion, but you might not like the idea.” He still wouldn’t look at me.

“Okay?”

“Your sign says you’re on vacation, right?” He glanced up but only for a second. “What if I got us a vacation rental in San Antonio? They have places all over the city.”

There were benefits to this idea. I wouldn’t constantly run into people I knew and have to worry about what I should or shouldn’t say. But renting a place with him sounded dangerously close to a relationship, and I was not on board with that.

“I can get us a two-bedroom, so it would be easier than your place. Then I wouldn’t feel guilty about taking up so much of your bed.”

That subtle reminder that I’d shared a bed with him had me liking the idea of renting a place with more than one bed. My couch wasn’t all that comfortable.

“Think you can find a place for tonight?”

“Possibly.”

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