Page 90 of Mountain Dreams

Just then, Dakota entered the kitchen, and the sisters stopped talking. Maddie guessed she’d heard Sara’s question, and then Dakota confirmed it.

“I couldn’t help overhearing, and I’m sure Cody is fine with Maddie staying here as long as she wants to.”

Maddie appreciated Dakota’s vote of confidence and was glad for the interruption. She understood her sisters were worried about her, but they didn’t need to be. However, she had her own concerns about living with him, and she wouldn’t be able to keep them to herself much longer. She’d promised to share her feelings with him even if, as he’d said, it might be something he didn’t want to hear. She vowed to talk to him this weekend before time got away from her. It would be so easy to continue playing house with him, tucked away in this dreamy cabin, but she wasn’t naïve to the dangers of doing that.

She prided herself on always being organized and prepared, and she needed to call on those skills now. She had to prepare herself for the possibility that, as much as she hated to admit it, this dreamlike state she was living in was only temporary. Living in Mountain Dreams might be just that, a dream, and dreams were fleeting.

While she wanted to hold on to Cody and this place forever, she wasn’t sure where he stood. To save herself from further heartache and pain, it was better to find out now rather than later when their lives were even more entangled.

She neatened up the kitchen counter, realigning the plates of food in an orderly fashion. Then she glanced up to find Dakota and her sisters staring at her. “What?”

“You’re so organized!” Dakota said, clearly impressed.

Her sisters laughed knowingly, and Maddie shrugged. “That’s the way I’ve always been.”

If only my organizational skills could be applied to matters of the heart.

Twenty-Seven

About halfway through the old western they were watching, Jax said, “Another beer?”

“Sure.” As he walked away, Cody glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time in the past hour. While he didn’t usually mind watching a western and drinking beer, he was anxious to return home to Maddie.

Jax strolled back in and handed him a bottle. “What’s with you tonight?”

“Nothing. Why?”

“Usually I have to pry your ass off my couch, but tonight you look like you’re ready to bolt out the door.”

Cody didn’t realize he was being that obvious. “As much as I enjoy your company, I like Maddie’s more.”

Jax smiled knowingly and then took a long drink of his beer.

“What’s the creepy smile for?”

“Have you told her yet?”

“Told her what?”

“That you love her.”

Cody’s eyes went wide, and he tightened his grip on the beer bottle.

“The guy in love is usually the last to know,” Jax said, sounding like he spoke from experience.

“Love’s a pretty strong word.”

“True, so be careful with it.”

Cody understood the warning, but Jax clarified it anyway.

“She just had her heart broken, and you don’t want to stomp on it again.”

“Of course not,” Cody said, feeling defensive. “I’m not playing games with her.”

“I’m not the one you need to convince.”

Damn his big brother for always being right! Even though he’d invited Maddie into his home, had he invited her into his heart? Did she know he was serious about her? Based on his past behavior, she probably thought he was just playing around. He wasn’t, though, not with her.