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Ethan’s head whipped around just as Mike strode forward. “What does that mean?”
Mike chuckled. “I’m going to see if there’s anything I can help with inside. Thanks for coming out today, Ethan!”
“Mike! What were you talking about?” Ethan tried again, but Mike slipped inside before he had a chance to press him any further. One day, he’d have to sit down with Ethan and ask him for his blessing. But that wouldn’t be today.
Nope.
Today, he was going to mend all the cracks he’d put in the bridge he’d worked so hard to build between himself and Rose.
And something told him that it wasn’t going to be nearly as hard as he thought it would be.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Hands on her hips, Rose oversaw the removal of the boxes upon boxes of stuff Mike hadn’t had a chance to take from the house. Unfortunately, most of it was damaged beyond salvaging. They were going to have to simply throw everything out that had been rained on.
Her heart broke just a little bit more with the removal of each box, and she wished Mike had shown up when they’d started working yesterday.
Then again, it was probably a good thing that he hadn’t come back then. Emotions were high after the storm and when she’d revealed everything that had gone wrong out here on his grandfather’s property.
Today, they were able to put up some fresh drywall in one of the lower rooms. Then they’d spackle it, and tomorrow it could be painted. With so many hands working, they were making good time.
She couldn’t believe how quickly everything had come together and how willing Mr. Hanley had been to give them such a steep discount on the materials.
Rose hadn’t asked him why, but she had a feeling that Mike had been in the store since the storm. It was no secret that Mr. Hanley had been friends with Otis. That was probably the reason for his generosity.
Still, she couldn’t help but be curious if it had something to do with Ethan’s assumption about the supplies being stolen. Regardless, there was nothing she could do about that curiosity, and now that they had everyone working on the house, she could breathe just a little easier.
The men hanging the drywall left the room with the few pieces they had left over, leaving her alone to inspect the job they’d been doing. Heavy boot steps approached and she moved out of the doorway to let whoever it was inside to start on the spackle.
When they didn’t enter, she glanced over her shoulder to find a pair of very sad eyes. Mike appeared even more vulnerable than he had been when she’d drawn him. She couldn’t be fully certain, but she nearly thought she saw evidence of tears in his eyes.
She reached for his hands out of habit. “Mike, what are you doing here?”
One side of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile. “I live here.”
“I know that,” she huffed, “but I didn’t think you’d just show up. We all thought you’d left town.”
He shook his head. Then he nodded. “I was considering it. I thought I needed to get out of this place, but then I realized…” His voice trailed off and his eyes swept through the room that she’d been tasked with supervising. “This is looking really good. You can’t even tell that wall was damaged.”
She turned her smile to where he was looking. “I figured since you’ve always had such a hard time asking for help… well, I thought it would just be easier to do the asking for you.” Rose turned back to him, squeezing his hands tightly so he’d meet her gaze. “You’re not a burden, Mike. And even though you think you don’t belong, I need you to know that you do. You belong here, in Rocky Ridge.” She moved a little closer. “You even belong at Sagebrush. My cousins, Ethan—we all want you to realize that.”
Mike stared at her as if he didn’t hear her. Then the emotion returned to his eyes. “You don’t know how nice it is to hear that,” he whispered. He blinked several times and lifted his gaze to the ceiling, letting out an embarrassed laugh. “I have to admit, it’s all a little overwhelming. I’ve never had to worry about someone seeing this side of me.”
His voice was shaky, and all Rose could do was pull him close and give him a tight hug. She pressed her cheek against his shoulder. He rested his chin on the top of her head and took a deep breath before releasing it.
His voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t know what to do, Rose.”
“You don’t know what to do about what?”
“These feelings.”
She hid her smile in his chest. “Just let them come.”
“No, not that.” Mike pulled away from her, staring hard at her. He shook his head and looked away. “I have these feelings—strong feelings—for you.”
Rose stilled. Her heart raced faster than she could remember ever feeling. Was he seriously confessing that he liked her?
Loved her?
