Page 33 of A Cowboy's Bride
He had to ask. “You had AirTags in yourslippers?”
She blinked then offered an eye roll. “No, in my backpack. I have a bad habit of leaving things behind. I got tired of losing stuff, so I’ve gone proactive and sewn them into all my main bags.”
“Makes sense.”
Across the room, Declan was cooking supper. Jinx stood a few feet away at the counter to the side of him, cutting up vegetables for a salad.
“That’s a whole lot more hopeful than I had imagined,” Aiden said quietly to Petra before examining her face. “I didn’t get any messages from you. I assume the afternoon went smoothly?”
She raised her brows. “We had no more panic attacks. Jinx was great helping with the animal chores. When we came back in here to check online for school information, it went better than I expected.” She took a deep breath, her gaze darting to the kitchen as she lowered her voice. “We do have one problem.”
“Spit it out. Nothing worse than my imagination getting fired up.”
Petra glanced at her hands as if examining them closely. “Jinx is happy she gets to have Dixie in her room. Said she’s never had a dog, and it was considerate that my fiancé was willing to share his.”
“Of course.” He caught her fingers in his to stop her from fidgeting. “Petra. What iswrong?”
She sighed. “Jinx said that between Dixie in her room and you and me in the primary bedroom, she feels safe enough to sleep tonight.”
“But I’m not sleeping?—”
Petra raised a brow.
Okay, he wasn’t always this slow. “Oh.”
“Yeah,oh.” This time she said it with amusement.
His brain whirled through everything that meant. “She wants a guy in the house, but she probably won’t like it if I’m not in the room with you where you can keep an eye on me, right?”
“If we’re thinking through worst case scenarios, yeah. That’s where my puzzle solving went as well.” Petra looked him in the eye. “So, roomie. I guess you may as well move your stuff in with me. But I’m warning you now, I get the right side of the bed.”
9
The entire day had been one adrenaline rush after another. By the time dinner cleanup was complete and they all gathered in the living room on the side where the TV was, Petra’s nerves had an unfamiliar jittering sensation to them.
She was smart enough to understand why it was happening—empathy for Jinx and how she must feel if nothing else—but it left Petra a little unsteady.
So full of conflicting emotions. Anger and frustration and hope and fear of doing the wrong thing or saying something that would crack Jinx’s fragile courage.
It was also perfectly natural to feel the attraction that was there between her and Aiden. Every time their eyes met, a shiver ran up Petra’s spine and the memories would flood back in. The delicious night they'd spent together was something Petra had been fantasizing about getting an instant replay on.
And now they had to share a room?
Jinx had been given the oversized recliner, which was barely big enough for her and Dixie. The dog had taken full advantage of house privileges with great enthusiasm, crawling into Jinx’s lap and pouring over the arm rest.
Petra stood awkwardly, considering her options, until Jake stepped to the front of the room and took control.
He gestured her to the couch. “We haven't been here at High Water for long enough to have many set routines. Since I'm the one with the good head for timing and organization?—”
“And a bigger head for being bossy,” Declan muttered.
Aiden outright laughed as he settled on the couch beside Petra and Jake scowled. “Don't make that face. Trying to round us up and corral us is one of your favourite things, brother.”
Instead of glowering, Jake dramatically rolled his eyes. “If you two are done being comedians?”
“Pretty sure I've got a few more lines in me,” Aiden offered instantly.
Declan didn't say anything this time. Just smirked into the coffee cup he'd refilled after the meal was over.
