Page 17 of Mail Order Bride for the Scrooge

The relief on his face was clear to see and it had my heart racing way too fast in my chest. He kissed my forehead before straightening and murmuring softly, “Okay, I won’t be long.”

I don’t know why his words sounded like he meant something different. This is the first time we’ve been apart since I arrived outside of his cabin. I know it’s healthy for people to spend time separately and I shouldn’t just hole myself up in the cabin, even if it seems to have worked out fine for Gannon while he’s distanced himself from everyone else.

I’ve always been semi-social, even if I can be awkward in social situations. I was good at retail because I like meeting new people and have a damn good customer service voice. Still, I’m not great at making deep, long-term connections.

I groan and tilt my head back, the book I was trying to read long forgotten. I couldn’t read more than a sentence before realizing I wasn’t really connecting with or paying attention to the words. All I can focus on is the relief on Gannon’s face when I didn’t jump at the idea of heading down the mountain with him.

Why was he so damn relieved? Does he have someone he’s meeting up with in town? It’s not like we’ve talked about being exclusive. Nope, I just showed up on his porch declaring myself his bride.

“What the fuck is wrong with me? His bride,” I hiss at myself.

Storm barks and I look over at him to see him creeping toward me on his belly, his head cocked to the side as he studies me like I’m about to crack. He’s not entirely wrong. If I were him and a human that I’ve become close to was talking to themselves, I’d have the same look on my face.

I reach a hand down to him and he crawls the rest of the way, bumping my hand with his head. I sink my fingers into his fur.

It’s not just Gannon I’ve come to love since my arrival. Storm is an amazing dog, and I can see how much Gannon relies on him not only for companionship, but for comfort as well. If I were to leave, I think they’d be okay together.

But I’d be out there all on my own and the thought has my stomach pitching to the side. I shake my head and gasp when I realize I need to take my pill. Storm scrambles back when I leap off the couch and head directly into the guest room, which is where I’m still keeping my stuff.

Maybe it’s a sign. Gannon hasn’t asked me to move into his room. That means something. Right?

I sound sad as fuck, “Right?” I tilt my head back and shake it as I look up at the ceiling. “You have got to stop talking to yourself. Starting now.”

I give a decisive nod as I tilt my head down and paw through one of my bags to find my pills. When I don’t find them, my heart starts to pound in my chest, and I race into the bathroom trying to tell myself I must have left them in there even though I know I didn’t.

I always keep them in the same place because losing them would be bad. Very bad.

I think.

Probably.

Gannon’s relief filled face fills my mind again. Yeah, definitely bad.

I turn the bag over when I don’t find them, and everything spills out onto the bed. I start to spread the contents out, but my birth control is nowhere in sight. I glance at my other bags and wonder if I need to look in there too.

But I know they won’t be there.

Did Storm get into them? He’s very well trained, but a dog is still a dog, right? They’ll do things they know they aren’t supposed to do because they’re a dog and training only goes so far. At least, I would assume. I’ve never had a pet before.

I never even thought about getting one, but if I end up leaving Jasper Ridge, you better believe I’m going to get myself a dog. We can go out on the open road and see what adventures await us together. I won’t be able to get a dog nearly as big as Storm, but it’s okay.

As long as they’re not some little dog that yips instead of barks, I’ll be okay. I shudder at the thought of some ankle biter. Hey, if that’s your speed of dog, more power to you, but I need a dog who will be able to hold their own. Not one I’ll have to carry everywhere.

I sift through the things I’ve dumped onto the bed one more time, sending out a silent little wish my pills will magically appear.

Just as I’m about to stand up and devolve into full ‘freaking the fuck out’ mode, a throat is cleared behind me. I whirl around to find Gannon leaning against the doorframe with a smirk on his face.

I press a hand to my chest as I manage to swallow down the scream which was working its way out of my lungs. “Gannon,” I gasp, “you scared me. What the fuck are you doing just standing there staring at me like a creeper?”

I turn back toward my stuff and start to go through it again, but his voice has me freezing, “You won’t find them, little present.”

This time when I turn toward him, I do it slowly. So slowly I’m sure I look a little deranged. I narrow my eyes at the man I’ve fallen in love with to find his dark blue eyes sparkling with mischief. What the hell is he up to?

I prompt him, “What do you mean, I won’t find them?”

He pushes off the door jamb and stands up straight before stalking toward me slowly. The way his body moves can only be described as prowling. If I weren’t kind of freaking out right now, I would find it sexy as hell.

Okay, I’m freaking out and I still find it sexy as hell. Some things are simply out of our control, and this is one of them.

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