Page 29 of A Cowboy's Bride
Jinx tucked herself up against Petra's back again. “Can we talk outside?”
“Let's use the table,” Petra suggested.
They intended the house to be the gathering place for the family and ranch hands. It would be hard to make that happen if Jinx couldn’t even sit at the table without being frightened.
So, once again, Petra took charge. Pointing at chairs, she put the entire massive rough-hewn surface between their current trouble. “Declan, you sit there. Jinx, you get this chair and I'll sit beside you. Sound okay?”
Jinx nodded silently.
Petra sat, Jinx sat, then Declan settled where she’d put him, directly opposite Jinx.
Petra met his eyes. “I asked what she wanted to be called, and she’s decided on the nameJinx.”
Declan raised a brow, but his expression was thoughtful rather than dismissive. “I like it. And that goes with what I needed to talk to you about. We've been thinking about what you should use for a last name. We didn't know you were so young, Jinx. Which means you can’t be a ranch hand. You have to be family.”
The girl’s entire body stiffened, and the fingers in her lap clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. “What kind of family?”
“I was married to a wonderful woman who died three years ago.” Across the table, the huge man softened, his expression so sad Petra wanted to give him a hug. “You could be Sadie’s adopted foster sister, which makes you my sister-in-law. That would put thirteen years between the two of you, but that’s not outrageous in a foster situation. Her parents recently moved to a remote part of Saskatchewan, so nobody would think anything of it for you to come finish your high school here. You could head off to Calgary for University in a few years. It means you don’t have to remember lies about your entire life history. Just the past few years.”
Petra kept her expression as blank as possible, but she had jumped in on the deep end. This wasn't an appropriate time to say something likeI didn't know that you’d been marriedorI'm so sorry for your loss. Because Declan had obviously loved his wife very deeply.
Jinx’s hands loosened, and her chin dipped slowly. “That makes sense. And less lies is good.” She lifted her head far enough to look Declan in the eye. “I'm sorry. About your wife.”
Declan didn't smile, but his lips softened. “Me too.”
Petra's phone buzzed with an incoming message. She slipped it from her pocket and glanced at the screen.
Aiden: When you guys are done talking with D, can you bring Jennifer outside to the barn? We want her to meet the dogs.
Aiden: Oh shit. I hope she's not afraid of dogs.
Aiden: Can you find out, gentle like, and let me know?
She glanced up to discover both Jinx and Declan watching her. Petra laid her phone face down on the table. “Sorry. That was rude. Aiden wants to know if you're afraid of dogs.”
“No.” Jinx blinked. “Should I be?”
Across the table, Declan chuckled softly. “We have some well-trained guard dogs. I bet Aiden thinks maybe one of them could be yours. If you’d like, they could live in the house with you.”
“A dog?” Jinx nodded slowly before breathing out steadily. “I’d like that.” A frown furled her forehead. “What’s my last name going to be?”
“My wife's maiden name was Tremont. You’d be Jinx Tremont. Well, you’d still be Jennifer Tremont for the authorities, but that’s a simple change we can do easily. I think that sounds pretty good, don't you?”
Jinx nodded then eyed the table between them and offered a rueful half smile. “Sorry for being so scared?—”
Declan held up a hand to stop her. “You do not need to apologize. Not now, not ever. I don't think you’ll always feel this way, but until you learn that you can trust us, we’ll have some awkward moments. That’s fine. I swear my brothers and I willneverdo anything to hurt you, and we will do everything we can to keep those around you from hurting you. No matter what it takes. Maybe that's hard to believe right now, but that's okay. You go on being scared. We won’t take offense. Just let us know if we need to back off and give you more room.” He glanced around at the open dining and family room. “This is where a lot of food happens, so I don't think you'll be able to convince us to not show up here at least three times a day.”
Jinx ducked her chin then deliberately lifted it. “That makes sense. I kind of like food, too.”
“Good. I'm planning on hooking you into being my assistant during my turns to cook around here.” Petra leaned toward Jinx. “I'm not a very good cook, so you might be very happy to help me. It means more edible offerings on my night.”
This time Jinx outright snickered. “Okay.” She tentatively met Declan’s eyes. “Can we go meet the dogs now?”
“Wonderful idea. Let me give Aiden a head’s up that we’re on our way.” Petra grabbed her phone and messaged back.
Petra: The girl who shall henceforth be known as Jinx has informed us that she is not afraid of dogs, and I’ve already called dibs on her being my chef’s assistant. We’re headed your direction. Don't worry about trying not to look scary. Jinx knows to let you know if you're misbehaving.
A moment later Aiden messaged back.
