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“Will you hold my hands?” I put them on her lap, and she rested her palms in mine. “Make yourself comfortable but keep your eyes focused on me. I will tell you a story.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“I was on a walk in Mexico one day. I was young, younger than you are now, and I got lost. Since I was in the Army at the time, I couldn’t admit to anyone that a survivalist got himself lost in the wilderness, so I kept going, hoping I would come to a trail or, better, a road.”
“Or another person?”
I smiled. “While you may think you know the story, I’m going to share a few things I’ve never told anyone.”
While Jada drifted in and out of sleep, I told her about the day I’d stumbled on the property that was now my ranch. It was the same day I met my Rosa, who had been traveling with her family at the time.
I told her about the creek she and I had found while we walked together that day, talking as though we were old friends who’d known each other for years rather than strangers who had just met.
“We crested a hillside and gasped as our eyes took in the view of the entire El Palomar valley. I told my Rosa I’d build her a house on the very ground we stood. It was a promise I kept,” I said, watching as Jada fell into a deep sleep. Minutes later, she woke with a start. Her eyes were wide when she looked up at me.
“What did you see?” I asked when she tightened her hold on my hands.
“A coyote. It was approaching me.”
I nodded. While Jada wasn’t ready to hear it, I was convinced she’d just met her spirit animal. The one who would help her find her way to healing.
It wasn’t long before Jada fell back to sleep. I waited about thirty minutes, then went to Angus House to rest as well.
I was about to switch on the light in the bedroom when I saw Jaicon. She must’ve dozed off while waiting for me, since she was fully dressed, lying on top of the bedclothes. I toed off my shoes, grabbed two throws, and covered her with one.
When I returned from using the bathroom, she still hadn’t woken, so I lay next to her and used the second throw for myself. As exhausted as I was, it was less than a minute or two before I was asleep too.
When I openedmy eyes the next morning, Jaicon and I had both shifted in our sleep. Her back was to my front, and I had my arm draped over her. It had been so long since I’d slept with another’s body next to mine; I’d forgotten the comfort it provided. Her warmth soothed me to the point I almost drifted off again. However, I didn’t want her to wake and feel uncomfortable. Before I could ease my body from hers, she opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder.
“Good morning,” I said.
“Um. Hi.”
I smiled when I tried to move my arm and she held onto it.
“You’re warm.”
“So are you.”
“What time did you…you know?”
“Come to bed?”
She chuckled. “In a manner of speaking.”
“After midnight.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t wake up.” Jaicon covered her mouth when she yawned. “I don’t want to get out of bed.”
I snuggled closer. “Me neither.”
“What time is it?”
“Seven. Far too early to be awake.”
She laughed. “Tell me you usually sleep later.”
I wanted to tell her that if I woke up with her in my arms every morning, I might be awake, but I would certainly spend the rest of the day in bed if she’d join me. I shifted when I felt my cock hardening at the thought.
