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“I’m not good at sitting around. I’ll ice it in a little bit.”
“What happened?”
“It’s a partial tear of the ACL. Since I don’t normally put too much strain on my knees, the doc said surgery was optional. I chose to skip it.”
She nodded as though she understood. But she couldn’t help but wonder if Avery was telling her the whole truth. This was the man who never stopped cowboying, even if he had the flu.
He was stubborn. It’s why he’d ended up with pneumonia. That was the only thing that had stopped him in his cowboy boots. Between herself and Beth, they’d kept him on bed rest for two weeks. Amidst his protests, she’d plied him with homemade chicken noodle broth and ginger ale.
It had happened the first winter after Avery had become the twins’ gua
rdian and she’d accepted the full-time position of nanny/housekeeper. From laundry to cooking to shuttling the kids around town, she did it all. Avery had compensated her well, perhaps too well. She’d wondered how he could afford it. Any time she tried to broach the subject, he’d brushed it off. He was definitely a stubborn man.
And now, she couldn’t help but wonder if Avery had selectively taken pieces of what the doctor had said about his leg and come up with his own answers, determined to get back out on the rodeo circuit ASAP. She just hoped he wouldn’t pay for that stubbornness in the end. She reminded herself that it was no longer any of her concern. Avery now had his life and she had hers. Both separate and distinct. And that’s how it would remain.
She glanced around the great room to see if much had changed in the year or so since she’d worked there. During the twins’ senior year of high school, she’d moved out. The kids had been eighteen and not really kids anymore. She’d stopped by and checked on them when Avery was out of town, but it had been determined by the family that the twins were old enough and responsible enough to care for themselves.
Jillian scanned the living room. It was a little messier with magazines, some random articles of clothing, and a couple of coffee mugs on the coffee table. But other than that, it was how she remembered.
This room normally felt quite spacious and the vaulted ceiling made it seem even bigger. But this evening with Avery there, the room seemed to have shrunk considerably. And with a fire crackling in the fireplace, it was downright cozy. Too cozy for her comfort.
“Where is Romeo?” she asked, hoping to wrap this up quickly. She assured herself that her rush to leave had everything to do with beating her mother home and absolutely nothing to do with the sexy man standing in front of her.
“He’s still in Beth’s room, under her bed. You might need a broom to get him out. I can get it for you.” He turned toward the kitchen.
“I don’t think I’ll need it.” She didn’t like the sound of using a broom to get Romeo moving. Hopefully she could manage with far less drastic actions.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I’ll just go see about getting him.”
She went to move past Avery, but with him standing behind the couch, there wasn’t much room between him and the wall. Not about to let on that it bothered her being this close to him, she forged ahead.
As she did, she got a whiff of his woodsy cologne. Mm… She kept moving, but her thoughts centered on the pleasing yet complex scent with its hints of fresh-cut cedar and other earthy tones mixed with his unique scent. It was quite a heady mixture.
Realizing she was letting her mind drift into dangerous territory, she reined it in. She focused on retrieving the cat. Knowing every inch of the house, Jillian made her way to the back bedroom. Painted in purple and trimmed in white, it too was mostly as she remembered it. A new white comforter with large purple polka dots was the only notable difference. And there on the bed sat Marshmallow on a pillow while Romeo was curled up in the middle of the bed.
“There you are. You look mighty pleased with yourself.”
Romeo blinked his golden eyes.
Behind her, Jillian heard Avery’s uneven footsteps. She turned to him. “I thought Romeo was hiding?”
“He was. I swear.”
“Uh-huh. Then how do you explain this?” She moved aside so Avery could see both cats on the bed.
“Seems as though Romeo is making progress.”
“Progress?”
Avery nodded. “It appears he has the hots for Marshmallow, but she isn’t having any part of it.”
Jillian’s gaze moved back to the cats. Romeo had turned his head to stare at Marshmallow. If a cat could make facial expressions, then Marshmallow was definitely frowning at Romeo. Jillian couldn’t hold back a laugh. This night was like one long, strange dream, ending with a budding feline romance. Is this what her life had become? Playing chaperone to cats?
“I don’t think this is going to work out, buddy.” Jillian moved to the bed and ran a hand over Romeo’s back. And then she moved to Marshmallow and pet her. “It’s okay, girl. I’ll get him out of your way.”
Jillian leaned forward and scooped Romeo up in her arms. He was gentle and didn’t complain at all. He really was the friendliest cat.
