Page 85 of Thaw My Heart

Pink flushes into her cheeks as she fidgets in her seat. “I would have shown you my vibrator a long time ago if I’d known it would make you smile so much.”

A low laugh reverberates in my chest. “Well, you could show me how you use it.” She freezes, mid-bite. Her cheeks turn from pink to red in an instant. “That’s something that would make me smile,” my mouth quirks to the side.

She glances over her shoulder. “You mean, now?”

Never knew she was so eager.

“Later. You should eat and rest.” As much as the thought excites me, she looks exhausted. There’ll be plenty of time for that in the near future.

We finish eating in silence, watching each other with curious eyes. She blushes when I smile, but with each bite, her eyes start to droop. She looks half-asleep sitting in her chair, as if at any moment she’s going to fall over.

“You finished?” I come up beside her.

She nods like a zombie, shoulders sagging.

“Come here,” I help her out of the chair, lifting her into my arms.

“This brings back memories,” she murmurs against my shoulder, eyes closed.

Memories of when I carried her frozen ass out of the river. A memory that feels like a lifetime ago.

“Not good ones,” I huff.

I lay her down on my bed, pulling the blankets over her. Foxie jumps up beside her, settling in close.

“I do have a bed, you know.”

“Your furnace is fucked.” Worry flashes across her face. “Don’t worry about it,” I brush a strand of hair away from her eyes. “I’ll fix it. Just try and get some rest.”

“Why are you always taking care of me?” She grabs my forearm before I walk away. Her warm doe eyes open wide to meet mine. “Fixing my door, letting me borrow your flannel, saving me from drowning… making me food. You’re always doing it.”

“Is it boring you?” An edge creeps into my voice. The ghost of the hurt I experienced in my last relationship.

“No,” she says quickly. “It’s just… nice.”

“Nice?”

“Really nice,” she shimmies until she’s cozy, closing her eyes. “I’ve never”—she yawns—“I’ve never had that. Why are you so… so nice?”

“I thought you said I was an asshole?”

“You can be, but this… this feels more like you.”

Warmth fills my chest at her words. “Well, that’s just who I am. I can’t help it.”

“You’re not who I thought you’d be,” she smiles, keeping her eyes closed as she yawns again. “But I like you, Cowboy,” she murmurs, half-asleep. “A lot.”

Neither is she. Sadie is unexpected, like a rainstorm on a sunny day. You’d never see it coming, but when it did, you didn’t know how much you loved the rain. Didn’t know how good it could feel.

“I like you, too, Tequila. A lot.”

She smiles, bunching up the blankets around her face.

I’d love to kiss that cute freckle near her bottom lip just to show her how much I like her… but she looks so tired.

“You’re going to be a great ranch owner, by the way,” she mumbles.

“What?” My heart pounds. How does she know?