Page 116 of Josephine and Clay

Josie.

Her hair is down.

That’s the first punch. Dark chestnut waves brushing her shoulders instead of that practical bun she wears as armor. Then the dress. Green, soft, tied at the waist, small flowers scattered over it. Nothing flashy. Nothing trying too hard.

Still knocks the breath clean out of me.

Her eyes find mine.

Everything quiets. The noise in my head cuts off.

Nash says something beside me, but I don’t hear it.

I move before I decide to.

Crutch. Step. Crutch. Step.

Every step is slow and awkward and annoying as hell.

Josie watches me come closer, her expression careful, deciding whether to run or stay.

She stays.

Penny looks between us, then suddenly finds something fascinating across the barn. “I’m going to… head over there.”

Josie gives her a sharp look.

Penny grins and vanishes.

I stop in front of Josie, leaning heavier on the crutches than I want to. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

My gaze drops once before I can stop it. “You look…”

Her chin lifts slightly. Defensive already. “Unlike myself?”

“No.” I shake my head. “You look like trouble.”

The tension in her shoulders loosens just slightly.

Like she wasn’t expecting me to say something that made her smile instead of retreat.

The corner of her mouth moves. “That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it?”

“I’m very sensible.”

“Yeah,” I say, letting my eyes hold hers. “That’s what makes it dangerous.”

Color touches her cheeks, faint but there.

There she is.

The version of her that slips past my defenses before I can stop it.

“I didn’t know you’d be here,” she says.