Page 11 of Finding Forever

It would be easy to take more than she means to give. She seems so intrinsically good I’m surprised there isn’t a husband and a half dozen kids for her to tend to. I’ve taken care of myself for so long it’s an odd feeling to know that, at least on some level, she cares about me.

She re-zips the sweatshirt, her hand resting on my chest. “The bleeding’s stopped, but we need to watch for infection. We’ll change the bandage after dinner.”

“I can manage.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, really. You didn’t sign up to play doctor.” Her touch makes me think things I have no business thinking.

“Has it occurred to you,” she says mildly, “that if you hadn’t been out there today, I’d be defending myself against Briggs alone?”

Hell yeah, I’d thought of that and it ices my blood. “Getting shot means I’m not much help.”

“Then cooperating will help you heal faster,” she continues. “Which makes you more useful.”

She has a point.

“I’m putting another pillow behind you so you can sit up to eat.”

She props pillows behind me and returns with a loaded tray. As she leans in, I catch her scent: spice with something warm underneath. My pulse kicks up.

I take a bowl. “Is this minestrone?”

“It is. And sourdough.”

I take a bite of the bread and groan. “Is that real butter?”

She gives a slight smile. “It’s from Peace & Love Farm a couple miles up the road. I get eggs from there too, and fruit and veggies when they’re in season.”

“Peace & Love?”

Now it’s a full smile that lights up her face. “My friend Wren runs the farm with her sister, Fallon. Their hippie parents started the farm.”

The soup is damn good. It’s awkward, but I manage to feed myself without needing help. She cocks her head. “It sounded like you know Beckett Donovan. Are you from around here?”

I chew my second slice of bread, then swallow. “Beck and I were college roommates and we’ve stayed in touch. In fact, I was a groomsman at his wedding. The one to the wrong woman.”

“Did you think she was the wrong woman at the time?”

I shrug. “Van was in love with him, but I never thought they were right for each other. I think Beck wanted to love her, but he was hung up on someone from here who never worked out.”

“That’s not a good foundation for a marriage,” Kit murmurs. “And now he’s divorced and a single dad. Fallon Cooper at Peace & Love Farm? I bet she’s the one Beckett was hung up over.”

“Still?”

“Pretty sure. Get those two within twenty feet of each other and you’ve got fireworks. Wren, Fallon’s sister, is my best friend. Wren and Beckett’s brother, Gideon, are engaged.”

“Gideon’s engaged? Good for him.”

“Those two are so in love they sparkle when they’re together.”

The soup is warm and savory and so damn good. “What about you?” I figure the only way to learn about her is to ask. I push back on the fatigue. “You ever think about getting married?”

She goes still, then says quietly, “I was married. It didn’t work out.”

“He an asshole?”

That earns a laugh. “You could say that.”