Page 51 of The Runaway and the Rugged
“Please tell me Garth didn’t eat all the bacon.”
Speak of the devil. Greta strolled in yawning, her hair piled high onto the top of her head as she headed straight for the breakfast spread.
“You’re lucky I ain’t hungry,” I teased as her sleepy eyes formed into a heated glare. Instead of responding, she walked over to Grace and planted a kiss onto the top of her head.
“Mornin’, trouble,” she mumbled.
“Morning, Aunt Greta, look who’s joined us for breakfast.”
Greta shifted her stare around the other side of Grace and a wide smile lifted her lips.
“Oh good, you’re here! I was planning to check on you after I ate, but it looks like Garth beat me to it.” The corner of her mouth curled, making it impossible to ignore the reaction from Emelia.
Red face and quiet cough.
Dammit, Greta, shut the hell up.
“How’d you sleep? Good, I hope?”
Emelia nodded as she backed away from the counter of food.
“Surprisingly good,” she responded, her eyes flicking to mine briefly before going back to Greta.
“Knew you would, nothin’ like the first sleep after leavin’ an asshole fiancé,” Greta said with a hint of understanding in her tone.
She offered a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. With Grace eating and Greta takin’ the spot beside her, it didn’t take long until Emelia looked like she was ready to bolt out the door. She seemed on the verge of tears, holdin’ it in the best she could, and no one else seemed to have noticed beside me.
And when she thought no one was watching, or so she believed, she quietly disappeared out of the kitchen, and without hesitation, I followed closely behind.
“Sneakin’ out?” I called out just when she was about to run down the steps of the porch. Her entire body went still, a low sigh falling between us as she slowly turned to face me.
“No, of course not,” she brushed me off, fighting to stay composed. “I just… I have a lot I need to work out and I can’t do that when I’m here.”
I observed her closely and intensely, wondering why the hell I couldn’t for the life of me let this woman walk away without at least offering something. Before I could second-guess myself, I blew out a breath and spoke.
“Stay,” I threw out into the open, and almost instantly, her deeply confused gaze connected with mine.
“What?”
“Stay,” I repeated. “You ain’t got nowhere to go, and we got a place you can stay, Outlaw.”
“I can’t just stay here, Garth. What—what would I even do? I told you I don’t have a job, which means no money. How would I even be able to afford staying here?”
Why was I trying so hard to get her to stay? One night was one thing, but indefinitely, or until she was able to get onto her feet again? That was a whole other story entirely.
“Help us around the ranch? It’s definitely not what you’re used to, but it’s good, honest work and I’ll let you stay in the cabin in return.”
“Do I look like I know the first thing about working on a ranch?”
“No, but we can teach you.”
I can teach you.
“You’re crazy.” She watched me incredulously with a wide-eyed expression. “You’d honestly let a stranger stay here, for… however long?”
“No, not a stranger, you,” I clarified. “I’d let you stay.”
A beat passed of nothing, just a whole lot of intense staring that made it even more impossible to read where her head was at.
