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And now I’d grown pretty accustomed to having the guys in those rooms. There was something really comforting—and kind of hot, if I was being honest—about knowing they were sleeping just a few feet away from me every night. Sure, there were walls and doors separating our beds, but those were just minor details.
I listened from my own room as the sound of Cade and Boone’s footsteps in their heavy boots moved from the guest bedrooms they’d been using to the hallway and down the stairs. I still wished there was something else I could have done, some other arrangements we could have made to keep them here in the house and in a comfortable bed. That was the very least they deserved after spending so many of their days and nights here helping us out.
The house was quiet now, with Daisy Lynn and Becca settled in their rooms and my uncle back outside on the front porch keeping watch.
And of course now that I actually had an opportunity to go back to sleep, I wasn’t tired at all. Well, my body might have been tired, but my mind was still racing. There was no way I was going to be able to fall asleep anytime soon. Not with my thoughts still firmly fixed on Cade and Boone.
Would they even have blankets and pillows down there at the bunkhouse?
I wasn’t sure. Probably nothing but thread-bare sheets and thin, lumpy pillows at best. I felt another pang of guilt at the thought of them being cold and uncomfortable while I was up here in my nice, warm bed.
At least there was something I could do about that, though.
I got out of bed for the second time that night and pulled on the jeans that I’d only discarded a few minutes earlier. I stepped out of my room and paused for a moment, hoping nobody would hear me as I crept down the hallway and pulled some fluffy quilts and spare pillows from the linen closet. It wasn’t much, but it would definitely be better than anything they might have down at the bunkhouse.
Now I just had to make it down the stairs and out the back door—and then hope Uncle Justin didn’t see me from the front porch and shoot me.
No pressure or anything.
Was it a crazy risk to take just to give the guys some extra bedding? Yeah, probably.
Did I care?
Nope. Not even a little bit.
Because my real goal had nothing to do with quilts and pillows. I just wanted to see them, to be alone with them again, even if it was only for a few more minutes.
And I was willing to take my chances with Uncle Justin to make that happen.
“Jesus, Janessa,” Boone hissed, hurrying out from the bunkhouse before I’d even made it within fifty feet of the door. “What the hell are you doing out here?” He took the pillows and blankets from my arms and then ushered me toward the door. “Does your uncle know you’re down here right now?”
“What do you think?” I asked, giving him a quick smile. “But it’s fine. I’m pretty sure I made it down here without him seeing me.”
Across the room, Cade sat up in his bunk bed. He was shirtless, and my eyes were immediately drawn to his tanned, muscular chest and arms.
“What’s going on?” he asked, rubbing his eyes and sounding groggy. “Is that Janessa? Am I dreaming?”
“It’s gonna be a nightmare if Justin comes down here and finds her with us,” Boone groaned, giving me a sideways glance. “What are you doing? You shouldn’t be out of the house alone like this.”
I hadn’t really taken the time to think through this part of my plan. It hadn’t even occurred to me that either of them might have already been sleeping. Boone must have been keeping watch down here while Cade got some rest, and I wasn’t sure which I should feel worse about—scaring Boone or waking Cade when neither of them had slept much the night before.
“Well,” I began, taking a pillow and a quilt back from Boone and walking it over to Cade. “I knew the sleeping arrangements down here couldn’t be that great, so… I thought I’d bring you guys a few things to make it a little more bearable.”
Cade took my offering with a grin. “You didn’t have to do this, beautiful. But thank you. And my back will thank you in the morning, for sure.”
“I did need to do it,” I said. “After everything you guys have done for us, I couldn’t let you just stay down here and be miserable all night—especially since it was my fault you guys had to give up your rooms.”
“That was sweet of you,” Boone said, his tone finally softening a little. “But it was still dangerous for you to come out here. I nearly had my gun drawn before I realized it was you. And your uncle probably would have—”
“Shot me from the front porch,” I finished for him. “And then he probably would have shot me again when he realized what I was up to.” I shrugged. “But he would have already been down here if he’d seen me, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Boone walked over to the window and looked out toward the house. “You’re probably right, but it’s best if we don’t take any chances. Thank you for the blankets—you shouldn’t have brought them down here on your own tonight, but it was very nice. Now, just let me put my boots on and I’ll walk you back up to the house.”
Cade was already moving from the bed. “And I’ll keep watch until you get back. An extra pair of eyes couldn’t hurt.”
“What… wait, no!” I shook my head. “I’m not ready to go back up there yet.”
They both stopped and looked at me with confused expressions that were nearly identical and somehow adorable at the same time. God, how was it possible for every move they made and every look they gave to be so sexy?
