Page 44 of Delicate Escape

That spurred Shep into action, a gentleman through and through. He handed me the box of bakery treats and then unhooked the kittens, lifting them from the carrier. As they meowed, he ran his finger across the front of the cage as if to soothe them.

As nervous as I was, that action soothed me, too. The simple kindness of it.

But still, my heart hammered against my ribs as I approached my front door. I slid my free hand into my pocket and tugged out my keys. My hand trembled as I found the right one. It took two tries to get it into the lock, and the sound of the deadbolt turning resembled a gunshot or cannon, some sort of deafening blow that only my ears could hear.

My hand stilled on the knob for the count of one, two, three. There was no turning back from this, but a growing piece of me yearned for the existence-altering move. To begin to let people in. To letShepin.

I twisted the knob and opened the door. After stepping inside, I motioned for Shep to pass. “The kittens have a pen in the living room just down the hall.”

Shep walked past me, his movements slow and methodical, giving me all the time in the world to let me correct his course if he crossed into any space I didn’t want him in. That, too, was a gift. I shut the door behind me and locked the supersized deadbolt the same way I had a million times before. The only difference was that someone was on the inside with me.

My body vibrated with a mixture of nerves and anticipation as I moved down the hallway. I set the bakery box in the kitchen where Shep had deposited the bags of Indian food and followed the sounds of the soft meows coming from the living room. I came to a stop inthe threshold, watching as Shep gently placed each ball of fluff in their pen—so careful and tender. It swept away a little more of the nerves.

As Shep placed the little gray female in the pen, he stood and turned to face me. He didn’t move, simply studied me, a silent check-in. “How do you feel?”

I stared at him for a long moment and then told him the truth. “Good.” Tears pressed against the backs of my eyes. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to take this step.”

A mixture of emotions played behind Shep’s amber gaze, but one settled in. “So damn proud of you, Thorn. How about we celebrate with some Indian food?”

“That sounds perfect.” And it was.

16

SHEP

“Okay,”Anson said, lowering the pry bar in his gloved hands. “What’s with all the fuckin’ whistling?”

I stopped mid-movement, the sheet of drywall halfway to the wheelbarrow. “I’m whistling?”

“Dude, you’ve gone through all of The Rolling Stones’ greatest hits. And let me tell you, they’re not going to be asking you to join the band.”

I sent a scowl his way before tossing the drywall into the container. “Apologies for being in a good mood. Not all of us can master the brood quite like you can.”

Anson chuckled. “It takes studying and dedication.”

I chucked a tiny piece of drywall at him.

Anson just laughed harder as he dodged it. “I’m glad you’re happy. I’m just curious as towhy.”

I moved to the sheet of drywall he’d just removed, lifting it into the wheelbarrow. “Thea invited me inside for dinner.”

The moment the words were out of my mouth, I felt like an idiot.Since when did a woman inviting me into her house for dinner have me whistling a merry tune? But I shouldn’t have doubted that Anson would get it. He knew what carrying trauma with you meant. How it could keep someone from living fully.

He grinned at me like some sort of deranged doll. “That’s huge. How was it?”

“Good.” It had been so much more than that. “She was nervous, but it never stopped her. Finally got a look at the guest bath, too.”

“How bad?”

“Gut job.” It would take weeks to pull out the rotted boards and make sure there wasn’t any mold, then more to replace everything.

“That blows.”

“Big time. But I was able to replace the damaged pipes, so at least she has running water again.”

“I bet that whole house needs to be replumbed,” Anson muttered.

I didn’t even want to think about that. I hated the idea of Thea living in a house that needed more work than she could possibly tackle. But we’d just have to take things one step at a time. And for now, she was okay.

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