Page 45 of All in with the Maverick Montana

“You don’t have to get out,” Amy started to say.

“Like hell I don’t.” He hopped out of the truck and met her at her door. She was already half out of the truck. “You think I’m just going to dump you on the doorstep?”

She wobbled a bit and he wrapped his arm around her, helping her to the door.

It flew open before they reached it, and Faith’s smile slowly fell from her face. “Uh-oh,” she said to Amy. “You look awful.”

“Gee, thanks,” Amy muttered.

“Don’t worry,” Faith said. “I’m sure it’ll pass.”

But before Josh could say as much as a goodbye, Amy darted into the bathroom again.

Chapter Eleven

Despite Faith’s declaration, it did not, in fact, pass.

Not for a while.

Faith stood behind her, asking a thousand questions, none of which Amy was capable of answering while she was hunched over the toilet. Finally Faith got the message and excused herself, leaving Amy in relative peace for the next half hour.

Thankfully, the nausea receded, and on shaky legs, Amy went to the sink to splash some cold water on her face. What a long morning it had already been and the sun was barely up. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she could make out the dark circles that hugged her eyes. It looked like she’d pulled an all-nighter on the road between rodeo destinations instead of a night wrapped up in Josh’s arms.

She took a deep breath, comforted by the thought of him, if not still a little mortified.

At least her stomach had settled.

For now.

Amy washed her hands and left the bathroom, careful with every step, somehow afraid to trigger another bout of nausea. But as she reached her room and sank down on her bed, she was feeling a little better.

“Here,” Faith said, appearing in the doorway. The tie at the end of her braid was coming loose. She passed Amy a glass of water.

“I’m almost afraid to drink anything.”

“Little sips,” Faith said, the way their parents had when they were younger. “The last thing you want to do is get dehydrated. Then it’ll be off to the hospital in Bronco.”

Amy grumbled. Faith was right. That’s the last thing she wanted. She brought the glass of water to her lips, realizing how dry her mouth was, and took a small sip. The water went down her throat like sandpaper. She winced.

“How are you feeling now?” Faith asked.

“Exhausted. Though my stomach feels settled for the first time since this morning. Then again, maybe this is just a short reprieve. Who knows?”

“Was it something you ate?” Faith said.

“No.” Amy shook her head. She repeated what she’d said to Josh. “I’m thinking it’s a stomach bug, maybe.” Though she was already feeling much better than she had been ten minutes ago. But just in case… “You should keep away from me. I’m already worried I gave whatever this is to Josh. I don’t need you and Caleb to catch it too.” Amy flopped back on her bed. “God, how can I feel so horrible and so wonderful at the same time?”

“Good night until this happened?” Faith asked. “You didn’t respond to any of my texts.”

“How could I? Josh was right there. Did you think I was going to start gushing about him while he was lying beside me?”

“You seemed really happy to ignore me.”

“I was.” She sighed heavily. “It was honestly the best night, Faith. Possibly the best night of my life. And I know that sounds ridiculous, but things were just different with Josh. I mean, it’s new and exciting, but there’s also something that feels…”

“Right?” Faith said softly.

“Yeah,” Amy said. “Like I was finally where I was supposed to be, and everything just made sense.”