Page 66 of Between a Rock and a Hard Cowboy

She accepted the key, noticing it was on a Jack Daniels Tennessee Whisky logo keychain. She looked up at him with a frown.

“It’s the spare key to the cabin we usually keep hanging in the kitchen. He didn’t have time to get to a hardware store to get another duplicate made. He said you’re staying there with him now and needed a key,” Wyatt explained as Eva made herself a liar as her cheeks heated.

Apparently she did blush.

She dared to glance at her friends and found both were extremely interested in the fact she’d just, according to Wyatt anyway, moved in with Linc. “Uh, I can explain.”

“Mm-hm.” Poppy nodded, blonde brow cocked high, giving her back as much attitude as Eva had doled out to her just moments before about the whole Dad-slash-William thing.

Olivia smirked. “Yes, please do explain. I’m dying to hear it.”

Shit.

ChapterThirty-Four

The logs crackled in the fire, adding a faint aroma of wood smoke along with a blast of warm air to the great room of the cabin. Bottles of red wine, white wine and whiskey sat out on the long table with glasses.

Yes, he’d done all that for Eva. Would he ever admit that to her? Hell no. He’d just say he decided—while he was at the store replenishing everything Emmett had consumed during his short visit—to get a jumpstart on the Yule Log party if she asked when she got home tonight.

Home.

His heart fluttered at the thought of Eva’s home being his home—for the time being.

Of all the bad things that Emmett’s return had caused, Eva moving in—for now—was one of the good things. Word from the main house, meaning Wyatt, was that Eva was visiting with Poppy and Olivia and as requested he’d given her a key.

It seemed ridiculous—it was such a small thing—but a smile crept onto his face at the thought of her having a key to his place. And it wasn’t just because he really hoped they’d end up in bed. He liked having her around. As much as he disliked having Emmett there.

A rattling of the doorknob had his gaze flying to the entrance. Trying to look nonchalant and like he hadn’t been sitting there waiting for her to get home, he propped his elbow on the arm of the chair, picked up his bottle of beer and pretended to be staring into the fire.

He felt like an idiot being nervous. He just hoped he didn’t look like one too.

When the door opened and closed again, he swiveled his head to glance at the doorway. “Oh, hey, you’re here. I see you got the key.”

She scowled in his direction. “Yeah. About that. Did you really have to have Wyatt parade the key into the bedroom on a silver platter like the Christmas goose and present it to me, in front of Olivia and Poppy, like it’s a big deal? Now they think there’s something going on between us.”

“There is,” he reminded her.

“There was once.”

“Twice,” he corrected earning him a glare.

“That doesn’t mean I want my love life on parade in front of my friends and it also doesn’t mean it will ever happen again. Don’t think because I’m in your house, staying in your guest room, means that I’m at your beck and call for sex.”

The more she ranted, the harder he got. God, he loved when she gave him attitude. “I never would have assumed that.” Hoped. But not assumed.

“Good. I just want that clear,” she said, glancing at him over her shoulder as she dumped her bag by the door.

“Very clear.” He nodded, trying not to smile. “Did you eat?”

Hanging her coat on the hook, she nodded. “Poppy made a box of macaroni and cheese for Darcy and I ate the leftovers.”

He shook his head, giving up on not smiling at that image. “You eat like a child.”

“There is nothing wrong with boxed macaroni and cheese. It’s good.”

“Okay.” He nodded. He’d eaten worse in the service so he wasn’t going to argue. “I went shopping and picked up some wine. It’s on the table. I’m not sure which goes best with boxed mac and cheese. Red or white?”

“Ha-ha.” She narrowed her gaze at him, making her way to the fire where she held her hands out toward the opening to warm up.

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