Page 69 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy
I leaned in enough to rest my forehead against his chest. He stood in place, letting me have the space, letting me breathe.
His hand slid gently to my back, stroking.
“I’m not ready for everything,” I said quietly. “But I’m getting there.” I wasn’t planning to say that out loud, but the words slipped out. I didn’t regret it, though.
“I’ll be here when you are.”
Something swelled in my chest. Relief, maybe, or gratitude. Or that dangerous little flicker of love I wasn’t ready to name.
We stood in place, wrapped in the scent of baking bread and the soft hush of the kitchen.
Eventually, I stepped back. “Still can’t believe my dough attacked you.”
“I’ll recover. But only if you promise not to use too much florn powder again.”
“No promises.” I turned back to the counter, my heart still hammering in a nice way. “I guess we should get back to work.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He headed for the storage room where we kept supplies. “But if I come back and find that dough trying to crawl out of the dumpster, I’m setting it on fire.”
I laughed again, lighter this time. Freer.
Something between us had changed, and I had a feeling it wasn’t going back to where it had been before.
Chapter 24
Sel
Other than remaining at Holly’s and Max’s sides all the time, I couldn’t protect them from Melvin, and I didn’t like that.
We finished the day, went home, and had dinner. There was nothing better than my new family. I used to be lonely when I’d come home but no longer. Now I had people who cared for me in my life. I prayed to the fates I could keep them safe.
“Once we’ve finished, I need to leave for a short time,” I told Holly as we washed the dishes. “I want to speak to my brother, Hail.”
“Okay,” she said, gazing out the window. “It’s getting dark.”
“I’ll take Zist. He’ll always find his way back to the barn.”
Biting down on her lower lip, she nodded.
“Keep the door locked.”
Her fingers froze on the faucet she’d turned on to rinse the last dish. “I will. We won’t go near the windows. Should we shut off the lights?”
Anger roared through me at the thought she was afraid. “I don’t think you’ll need to do that. You’re safe here.”
She jerked out a nod. “We’ll be careful.”
“I won’t be gone long.”
Her face smoothed. “Enjoy visiting with your brother. We’ll be alright. We’ll watch out for each other.”
Like they always had.
We finished, and I put my hat and boots on and left, hearing the satisfying click of the lock echoing in my quiet yard.
Zist trotted over to the fence at my call, and I was soon mounted on his back and galloping the clik or so down the road to Hail’s ranch house. His inside light was on, and he answered my knock, poking his head out the opening, scowling until he saw it was me.
“Sel. Come…” He swallowed. “Come on in.” While he rarely stuttered any longer, he always took care with how he spoke and often didn’t speak at all. He once told me that most other people were eager to fill the silence, and he didn’t mind letting them do it.
