Page 35 of Pick Yourself Up
Spending the days together meant they had plenty of time for talking. And plenty of time for companionable silence. And kisses. They made time for that as well.
Gray was a wonderful man and the more she got to know him, the more she liked.
She was edging well past like. She was falling in love. Falling fast and hard.
Gray was a multi-faceted man. Tough and strong. Able to do hard work physically and mentally. Observant. Helpful. She knew he’d been in the army for two tours. Without giving away secrets or details, he’d told her he’d been a strategic specialist. Unlike her brothers and Ford, Gray hadn’t belonged to one team. He’d worked with multiple teams that worked in the same area.
It sounded difficult. Her brothers had become good friends with their teammates. They’d become a second family for each of them. Gray wouldn’t have had that closeness with any one group, but he’d known Knox well enough to come to work with them.
For which she was grateful.
Between Boomer and Gray, she felt safe. Knox and the others added another layer.
Along with a level of guilt. Although Knox hadn’t pressed her for details, he’d implied a few times he wanted to help.
She hoped he wasn’t imagining worse things than what had happened. Jolie, too.
Which meant it was time to tell them.
A sudden gust of wind had the rain slapping against the windows of the living area, where she was supposed to be making lists and plans.
Instead, she was worrying about the family call that would happen soon. Was she brave enough to tell them? Was today the day?
Boomer lifted his head, and his ears pricked up. He turned from her to face the door. Amber twisted her hands together and waited for Boomer’s reaction.
His tail wagged, and he stood, stretching. She wasn’t surprised when Gray appeared in the doorway. Boomer trotted over to greet him.
“I’m going to tell them.” The words burst out of her without her planning to say anything.
Gray walked closer and rubbed his hand up her arm. “Good. During the family call?”
She nodded. “Maybe. Hopefully. I want to tell them because I don’t want Knox to imagine terrible things any longer. And if I tell him, I might as well tell them all together.”
His strong arms wrapped around her, offering comfort. “How can I help?”
Yep. Such a good man. “I don’t know. I didn’t decide until you walked through the doorway just now.”
His chuckle warmed her. “Your brain’s been working on this for a few days now. Just start speaking and it’ll all tumble out. I can make sure me, Ford, and Thea are elsewhere if you’d like it to be just family.”
Her arms tightened around him. “No. I’ll need you there. I’m not sure I could do it without you and Boomer.”
He squeezed her and kissed her hair. “You can do anything, Amber. You’ve already proven that. All you have to do is let them in. It’ll be good. You’ll see.”
“I hope so.”
“How about a distraction for a few minutes and then we can head over.”
Knowing what he meant, she grinned and tilted her head back for his kiss.
When they headed back to the farmhouse, the rain whipped at them, but it couldn’t touch the warmth that filled her on the inside.
Boomer shook off the drops on the back porch and they trooped into the mudroom to remove their boots and rain gear.
She had placed a wicker basket in the mudroom that held the moccasins they’d all taken to wearing in the house. Warm and cozy, but clean and dry as well.
In the kitchen, they found Knox stirring a large pot at the stove. The room smelled like apples and comfort.
Her brother grinned. “Good timing. I found a recipe for apple cider, and it’s ready. I’ve strained it a few times, and I thought it would be good to show the others another thing we can do with the apples.”
