Page 37 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy
Gracie tapped her chin. “I'll do some research online. There must be a way to make this work.”
Human women were complicated, but I'd already seen this with Holly. “I came here for advice on how to woo her.”
Even saying it out loud made me feel like I’d stepped outside of my own skin. I wasn't raised to talk. But I couldn't sit quietly while she slipped away.
“Ahhh,” the women breathed as one. Their eyes started sparkling again, and grins rose on each of their faces.
How could they do that when they hadn’t said a word to generate such a sound?
Gracie leaned forward, tapping my arm lying on the table. “You’re in love.”
The instinct to deny rose quickly, but I stopped it. I thought about Holly, about the way she said I was different.Special.How Max looked at me like I mattered. “I think I’m falling. It hasn't been long but…” I held up my arm, showing off the mark that…alright, I was happy it was there. I never thought I'dfind someone new. Hadn't even been looking. But the fates had brought Holly into my life, and I'd be a fool to look away.
I stared down at the tea in my mug. “I don’t want to scare her. Her ex…it was bad. He hurt her.”
Jessi burst to her feet. “We'll kill him. I'll grab Grannie in town, and we'll go on a rampage.”
I tugged on her arm, urging her to sit again. “I appreciate your offer and Grannie's no-doubt eager participation. But I offered this already and Holly said no. I think she and Max ran from him. If he was here, it would be over already, but he's not.” And he'd better not come after them.
“Tell Dungar,” Rosey said. “He can get more use out of that sheriff's badge.”
A solid idea. My brothers would help. I'd fill them in as soon as I could.
“She doesn’t trust easy,” I said. “Max either. But that doesn't mean I don't want her in my life, that I'm not willing to do anything to win her heart.”
They all nodded, solemn now.
“I want to earn her,” I said. “For real. But I don’t know how.”
Jessi patted my hand lying on the table. “Then you’re already halfway there.”
Beth bit down on her lower lip. “We'll help you all we can.”
“I appreciate that.”
Gracie tucked some hair behind her ear. “Love moves slower for many human women. We're more cautious, especially if we've been burned. They need to know they're safe, first.”
Beth nodded. “Especially that.”
She'd know. She was a runaway bride when she and my brother, Ruugar, met. Well, they'd met months before she ran from her wedding, when she and her fiancé came to Lonesome Creek to tour their upcoming wedding venue. Her father was forcing her to marry his business partner, and Beth had beenraised in an isolated way. With no way out, she'd waited until the evening of the wedding and snuck out the barn's side entrance. Ruugar followed, and while he was hiding her from her fiancé, they fell in love.
I nodded. “She's worried. Rightly so.” I’d seen the way she stiffened when the bell above the bakery door chimed. Like she was bracing for impact. “I know it'll take time for her to feel safe here, to trust me to help her feel secure.”
“Strategies, ladies?” Gracie asked, pulling out her phone. “I'll take notes.” Her gaze met mine. “And email them to you.”
“Thank you.” I think.
The air shifted as they went from casual to focused.
“I could give you general advice,” Jessi said. “Like being honest and letting her get to know you slowly. Letting her set the pace. But I also think it's important for you to do things together that allow you to get closer. You need to get to know her better so you can discover things you could do for her that'll make her life easier and make her feel secure.”
“And make her fall for you,” Rosey said. “As you know, Ostor and I met at a bar.” She grinned. “When a jerk was harassing me, he stepped in and made the other guy stop. That warmed me to him fast. Then we chatted, and I could see he was a kind, sincere guy. That's when I invited him to be my fake date to my sister's destination wedding in Cancun. The long weekend together gave us time to get to know each other in a casual setting.”
Jessi leaned against Rosey's shoulder. “And fall in love.”
“That too. Only one bed played a role in that. No harm in admitting it.” Color rose in her face. “I mean, we didn't…you know. Not right away.”
Gracie looked up from her phone. “Within days, though, am I right?”
