Page 48 of Soldier Cowboy
“Do me a favor? Don’t feel sorry for me.”
They were quiet for most of the ride back to the ranch. Colton slowly went up the bumpy dirt road and pulled up to their cabin.
He shut off the truck. “Okay, let’s have you take it easy for the rest of the day. Drink some water, eat some food, and take a nap. The wedding is tomorrow, then Sean and Bonnie Lee will be married and off to their honeymoon.”
“And then what? You’re going to get rid of me?”
His lips quirked in that half smile of his. She couldn’t see his eyes because of those aviator shades but she saw his eyebrows wiggling again. They were very expressive eyebrows.
He turned and faced her. “Why would I want to do that?”
“I’m cramping your style?”
“You’re cramping nothing.”
“Of course, you would say that. You’re so kind. Colton? I really want to give you a huggle.”
“What’s ahuggle?”
“I mean a hug. Like a snuggle.”
Jennifer closed her eyes and the spinning stopped. For long seconds, there was utter silence.
Then she looked over to the driver’s seat and poor Colton was bent over the steering wheel crying. Covering his face and crying. That’s how sad he was over Chernobyl, or Cherywinkle…what was her name again? And his best friend! They honestly sounded like horrible people. She was definitely going to do a shitty-best-friend special on her podcast when and if she ever got back to it.
His shoulders were still shaking when she heard a snort and realized he wasn’t crying. He was…laughing. Laughing so hard he wiped away a tear. All she’d wanted was a full-on smile, but she got laughter. That was even better, and she joined him because laughter was catching, same as yawns. And it was liberating to let it out, a combination of sobs and laughter. Sobs for the life she’d left behind. Laughter and a delight she couldn’t quite wrap her mind around.
She was strangely…happy. Content.
She stopped laughing when she realized she hadn’t heard the punch line. “Hey, what’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing. You’re a cute drunk, that’s all.”
He went around to open her door. Most of the time it annoyed her when men did this because she could open her own doors, thank you. However, she was having a little bit of trouble at the moment. The handle wasn’t working too well. Good grief. She hadn’t had this much to drink since that one time in college when her roommate had a kegger and Jennifer had literally crawled to bed. The next day she’d felt like a building had fallen on her head. From then on, she’d been dry except for the occasional piña colada or mojito. Hmm. Guess she did have a thing for rum.
Colton opened the passenger side door and offered his hand. She took it, but her arm went out before her leg did, which was not the right order of things, so she fell into his arms. The thing about it was, well, she was not a small woman. Not that she was fat, but she hadn’t ever been exactly petite. She’d lost stress weight during the last few weeks but even so was still not small. Tall, with long legs and arms, only a handful of men towered over her. Like Colton.
He caught her easily, holding her up in the circle of his arms. “Okay?”
“Yes.”
She stared up at him, her thoughts and feelings spinning almost equally. He had the most expressive eyes, shimmering with warmth and intelligence. She didn’t know what to do with these powerful feelings of attraction. He wasn’t at all what she’d pictured, a buttoned-up soldier who sat up late cleaning his guns. Shouting out orders. Insisting on absolute compliance.
Instead, he loved to cook. He loved his horse and his family.
He found her funny.
And he’d already given her so much, taken her along with him simply as a favor to her father. She’d interfered with his plans, caused utter commotion in his life, and on top of all this was now a sloppy drunk.
“I’m not much of a drinker because I can’t handle my alcohol too well.”
“You’re kidding.” There went the quirked eyebrows again.
She couldn’t tell whether he believed her and was surprised or was simply teasing.
“No,really.” She steadied herself by plunking a hand on that solid wall of chest. “I didn’t even drink much in college. Except for that one time. But, wow, the punch was so good. Guess I like rum.”
“Apparently.” He held the front door open and helped her inside, a hand low on her back. “I’ll be sure to hide the rum.”
