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“You’ll all probably be seeing a little more of each other over the next few days,” I said, glancing over at Daisy Lynn, who was giving me a look that was half-surprised, half-amused from the passenger seat. “Cade and Boone are staying with me—with us, my Uncle and I—for, um… a little while.”
I could tell that they were curious from the way they were still looking at me, but they didn’t ask any other questions. Maybe because Boone and Cade were still sitting right there. Maybe the girls were just tired from their bus trip and then the ordeal of me forgetting about them until after the fact.
Whatever the reason, I was grateful. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was try to explain everything that had happened in the past week at the ranch.
“Interesting,” was all Daisy Lynn said as she shot me a knowing look.
Maybe I wouldn’t have to explain much, after all.
But she was right. No matter what else happened, the next few days with these girls, these guys, and some crazy psycho on the loose would definitely be interesting.
My uncle was talking to Daisy Lynn and Becca while Cade and Boone carried the girls’ bags inside from the car. I was just about to suggest we all call it a night and finish getting caught up with each other over breakfast when I realized I’d forgotten another important detail.
A very important one.
“Um, I think we might have a little problem,” I said, nibbling at my lip as everyone turned to look at me. “When we made plans for Daisy Lynn and Becca to stay over for a few days, I hadn’t really anticipated all of the crazy stuff that’s happened over the past couple of weeks, so… I didn’t really plan on having any extra company…”
I looked over at Cade and Boone. Cade looked completely confused and Boone’s eyebrows were furrowed for a moment as he listened. I could tell when he realized what I was getting at, though, because his eyes went wide for a split-second before he gave me a reassuring smile.
“It won’t be a problem at all,” Boone said. “We’ll stay out in the bunkhouse and the girls can stay upstairs in the guest rooms.”
“You guys don’t have to do that,” Daisy Lynn said. “We can, um… I mean, we all used to share a dorm, so it’s not like we haven’t slept in tight spaces before.”
I looked at her and shook my head. “I love you both like sisters, but there’s no way we’re all going to squeeze into my bed for the next few days. Plus, Becca snores.”
“I do not!” Becca looked around as her face went red. “Not much, anyway. But yeah, I don’t think we’ll all fit into one bed anyway. It’s been a while since we’ve shared a dorm room.”
“No, no, don’t be silly.” Uncle Justin grabbed the girls’ bags and headed for the stairs. “These guys don’t mind staying out at the bunkhouse. You ladies can take the guest rooms and get a good night’s sleep. Problem solved.”
I watched as my uncle ushered my friends up the stairs. I felt bad that Cade and Boone would have to sleep out in the old, creepy bunkhouse, but I didn’t know what else to do.
“I’m sorry,” I said, frowning as I turned my attention back to the guys. “I didn’t even think about the sleeping situation until we were all standing here and then—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Cade cut in, smiling as he reached out and gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “We don’t mind. That bunkhouse is a hell of a lot nicer than the first apartment Boone and I shared.” He turned to Boone. “Remember that place? Rats and roaches so big they would fight us for our food?”
Boone nodded. “It was pretty bad, but we were young and dumb enough to stay there for a year anyway.”
“There shouldn’t be anything like that down at the bunkhouse,” I said, trying and failing to keep from grimacing at that gross thought. “Maybe the occasional field mouse, but that should be the worst thing you’ll have to face.”
Which, not gonna lie, would still be more than I could stand to share a sleeping space with. But I didn’t really know what else to do. The antique furniture in the living room wasn’t exactly the best for sleeping—and Uncle Justin probably wouldn’t have allowed it anyway, since most of the pieces had been in our family for at least a hundred years.
“We should probably go grab our bags before your uncle throws them out the window or something,” Cade said, smirking as he headed for the stairs. He paused, then tossed me a wink. “See you in the morning, beautiful.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Boone added, reaching out to give me a half-hug as he followed Cade to the stairs. “We’ll be fine out there. Now, go get back in bed and get some rest. We’re going to have another long day tomorrow with the sheriff coming out here.”
I sighed and nodded. He was right. We all needed to get some rest. I still didn’t feel right about having the guys—who were also our guests, just the same as Daisy Lynn and Becca—sleep out in the bunkhouse.
But what else could I do?
Chapter 15
Janessa
Nothing about this night was going to plan.
Well… not that I really had a plan. But if I did, it wouldn’t have included getting out of my warm, comfortable bed to drive into town and pick up my two closest friends, only to bring them back and realize we didn’t have anywhere for them to sleep.
Weeks ago, when we’d first made plans for them to visit, I had just assumed Daisy Lynn and Becca would stay in the guest bedrooms across the hall from my room. I certainly had no reason to think that the sexiest men in the world—also known as Cade and Boone—would be occupying those rooms for the foreseeable future.
