Page 106 of Gideon's Gratitude

I’d been so focused on my companion that I hadn’t even noticed.

Then I looked closely and caught sight of a second man, standing slightly behind. He was a gorgeous guy with blond hair, blue eyes, and an infectious smile.

The first man— I held in the wince. He had a burn scar down the left side of his face. Still, he had been the one to speak, and he offered Archer a broad, if a little lopsided, smile.

“Adam!” Archer rose. “Lovely to see you. I’d comment on the odds, but I’ve discovered Mission City is pretty small.” He turned to the other man. “You must be the infamous Dean.” He held out his hand.

“Right you are, mate. Nice to make your acquaintance.”

Irish? Australian? Scottish? I was super bad with accents.

“We’re taking a break.” Adam clutched Dean’s hand. “We’ve arranged a Christmas wedding at Healing Horses, and we spent part of the afternoon with Rainbow, making plans.”

“Oh, wow.” I blurted that out. I’d never considered the ranch as a wedding venue.

“Shit.” Archer muttered the word. “Dean and Adam? This is Gideon, my—” He swallowed the word.

Gingerly, I rose. “Boyfriend.” I held out my hand. “Gideon Rodgers.”

Adam, who I’d now surmised was one of the recluses Archer had mentioned meeting, flashed clear recognition on the last name. “I was sorry to hear your grandparents passed. I wanted to send a card…” He shrugged. “I only met them twice, but they were very kind to me.”

I blinked. “They were good people. I miss them terribly.”

Dean shook my hand. “Don’t mind me. I’m just with him.” He nudged his fiancé in the biceps.

Adam rolled his eyes.

Despite my nerves, I smiled.

“And Aussie. Getting used to all this cold.” He winked.

“Oh, you’re loving it. He got a real kick out of the first snow.” Adam beamed.

“Came early this year.” I nodded. The weekend before I’d met Archer. It had melted two days later, but early November was unusual for the white stuff.

“We’ve interrupted your dinner.” Dean gestured to the table.

“Not at all.” Archer met my gaze.

“We would love if you’d consider joining us.”See? I can both understand what he’s saying and be gracious. The truth was, the idea of being with other people terrified me. But if Adam coped, then so could I.

“Yeah?” Dean’s eyes lit. “Because Adam and Maddox were explaining about some funky architecture.”

Archer’s gaze cut to mine.

I smiled. “Arthur Erickson inspired. Archer’s got photos on his phone. Or, I’m quite certain if you ask nicely, he’ll give you a tour.” I was damn proud of myself.

Chapter Twenty

Archer

By the time the twenty-fifth of December rolled around, the house was complete. I’d shuttered my practice until the new year, and everything was set.

Gideon was the problem. Well, not Gideon per se, but the man’s nerves. Nothing I said or did would alleviate the stress. I’d hoped to christen my new bed the previous night, but, reading Gideon correctly, had happily agreed to stay in his smaller house. There’d been a call with the kids the night before as well. My gift to my boyfriend was a new computer with a fantastic quality HD screen. The relic in the basement wouldn’t even be worth the effort to rehome. Nope, come Boxing Day, the beast was heading to the electronics-recycling store. I didn’t even feel guilty about it. Gideon deserved the best. He might not always agree with the sentiment, but he was slowly warming to theidea. Maybe if I repeated the words often enough, the stubborn man might actually listen.

Gideon perched on the living room couch of my new home. The warm chocolate-brown fabric only emphasized his pallor. “They’re going to hate me.”

I placed a soda next to him on the side table. “They’re going to love you.”

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