Page 66 of A Cowboy's Claim
“Me neither. Not yet, but maybe we can do that idea-tossing thing between us. And if we’re not smart enough on our own, we’ve got other people in our lives who are smart in different ways.” Declan cleared his throat. “Since I seem to remember being raked over the coals for assuming there’s only one kind of smarts out there.”
She nodded, but even as she sat up straighter, she seemed to be withdrawing. “There’s more.”
“This is life,” he uttered in a deadpan tone. “There’s always something else to complicate things.”
This time when her lips quivered, he wasn’t sure if she was fighting tears or laughter.
“Do we need to make a list? Because that’s Jake’s type of smarts. Not mine.”
This time she did laugh. “I don’t have any notebooks with me.”
He shrugged. “Worst-case scenario we use toilet paper as a notepad.”
She pressed her lips together in an attempt to hide her smile. “I’m trying to be serious.”
“You’re succeeding in being serious,” he told her with all earnestness. “Only Sadie would tell me the more serious the conversation, the more we need to say fuck it and find things to laugh about.”
Sydney nodded, her eyes going soft. “Sadie sounds like she was amazing.”
“She was,” Declan agreed. “But so are you. She would’ve liked you, a lot,” he added quickly.
Surprise arrived. “You think so?”
“Absolutely.” Declan tilted his head to the side. “Tell you what. Let’s take a break for a minute then come back here. This serious talk can go on for as long as it wants since we’ve got nowhere to go.”
Another hard gust shook the cabin, and Sydney nodded as she scrambled to her feet. “Dibs on the bathroom.”
“Don’t use all the toilet paper,” he offered dryly.
She blinked at him for a minute and then snickered her way off down the hall, the flicker of firelight trailing after her.
Okay. It was a little like walking through the barn with kittens racing underfoot. He needed to keep his pace steady and firm so she’d know he was there for her.
Chances were, even giving her a little breathing space, she’d put those walls back up and find ways to cut this conversation short.
Nothing doing. This was too important to give up just because it was awkward.
By the time Sydney returned, he’d spread out a couple of blankets in front of the fireplace and put some pillows down so they had places to relax a little farther from the heat that was now pouring from the very efficient airtight stove.
He really didn’t have any solutions, because he’d never heard of this kind of situation before outside of far-fetched TV plots. But what he did have was family he could count on, which meant Sydney’s worries about the clinic might not be easy to solve, but they were solvable.
Which meant digging deeper.
As expected, when Sydney sat back down, she settled kitty corner to him, leaning against the couch. The glow from the stove was the only light in the room, throwing dancing shadows across the cabin walls and highlighting the rosy colour in her cheeks. It looked as if she’d washed her face, and she lifted her chin, determination in the gesture.
She was about to bolt. Maybe not physically out the door, but it was clear as anything she’d decided whatever it was she was hoping for was impossible and she was ready to bail.
Which meant the only great solution was to get a step ahead of her.
“Can I ask you for help with something tangling me up?” he asked quietly, speaking the second she began to open her lips.
Sydney swallowed whatever it was she had been about to share.
“What?” Nervous and twitchy as if expecting him to blurt out something she’d regret.
Maybe. Maybe, but it would be the truth. And truth was powerful. That’s what their stepfather Jeff had told them, and so far it was one of the greatest lessons Declan had learned from the man.
He met Sydney’s gaze straight on. “I’m scared because the last two women I’ve loved left me. But at the same time, I don’t think I have a choice anymore. I’m falling in love with you, Syd. And I don’t know what to do.”
