Page 37 of Stables

An expensive brand, too.

Handing it to me, he brushes past. “Rent for your driveway,” he mutters as he traces his steps back to the front door.

“You didn’t need to do that.” I try to hand it to him, but he ignores me to pull on his boots.

“You said you were out. There’s no reason you have to go all the way to town for a bag of beans.” He stands up and leans over me, his eyes flickering over my face. “Let me help you.”

Chapter 10

Dixon

Her lips thin, andI can almost catch the hint of a quiver in the corner of her mouth.

Why do I have this urge to smooth out that pinch with my thumb?

Mason looked at me like I was crazy when I asked him for a share of the beef. It’s not like he hasn’t offered for years, but I’ve rarely taken him up on it with the exception of a handful of steaks.

I just had this feeling that her freezer needed it more. I hate that I was right.

There’s a small sense of satisfaction knowing she’ll have good meat for a while.

She firms her jaw as she looks up at me. “I’m not sure how much to accept. It’s starting to feel like I’m going to owe you more than I can pay.”

What do I tell her?

“I lost a friend in college. Two, actually.” I pick up the cooler and let it hang by the handle in front of my legs. The memories make me uncomfortable, but I can see on her face that she’s feeling that way, too.

“One to jail, the other to the grave.” My fist clenches against my thigh. “I don’t want anything like that to happen to you.”

I could expand, but I don’t know her well enough.

She won’t want to hear how I walked in on my roommate beating his girlfriend, but did nothing? Or, how her death a few months later was what made me change my major from business to medicine?

No.

Char doesn’t need the extra baggage of my weakness.

Cowardice.

It won’t happen again.

“I’m sorry.” Char’s mouth softens and her tongue works a glistening trail over her bottom lip, pausing over the healing scab at the corner.

It’s hard to look away.

“The only thing I ask is that you stay healthy, safe, and thrive.” I feel like I’m her father lecturing her.

That’s the last position I want to be in.

So I give her a half-hearted grin. “Doctor’s orders.” And follow with a wink to try and lighten the mood.

Her moist bottom lip fills into a slow raise at the uninjured corner. But her smile moves into her sapphire eyes, making them almost shimmer in the low light.

“Well, it’s nice to know you’re looking out for me, then. Have a good night, Dixon.” She draws out my name like she’s fitting her mouth around it for the first time.

Why does it hit so differently when she says it?

And I catch her gaze lingering over my chest before she opens the door for me.

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