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The dogs were already inside, watching me stand frozen outside.
“You finally asked her to go steady?” Miss Adeline leaned against the counter, arms over her chest. “Took you long enough,” she grumbled.
“I’ve been told I’m slow,” he volleyed back good-naturedly.
“At least you got around to it.” She looked at our joined hands as the door closed behind me.
It was a little weird to be affectionate with an audience, even though I could share anything and be myself with Miss Adeline. She understood what a big deal this was for me . . . maybe more than I did.
Teague yawned.
In the light, the tired lines around his eyes were more prominent. He looked like he’d been up for days.
“You should get some sleep,” I said quietly.
“Do I look that bad?”
“You look like you’ve been hit by a truck six times,” Miss Adeline volunteered.
“Not five? Or seven?” Teague asked as he loosened the leash from Ash’s neck. She trotted to her kennel, took a drink of water, and lay down at Teague’s feet.
“I said six, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but I’m just curious why,” he said patiently.
“When you’re my age, you don’t have to have a reason. Six was just the first number I thought of,” she huffed. “At least I didn’t say six hundred.”
“That’s true.” Teague laughed, then yawned again. “Mind if I borrow your bed?”
“Of course she doesn’t.”
Leave it to Miss Adeline to answer for me. I wondered why he didn’t want to go home or to Lincoln’s but didn’t ask. Something about him wanting to be here with me made me—us—happy.
He waited for me to answer, and I liked that too.
“Not at all.”
“Tuck me in?”
How was I supposed to say no to that? I nodded as Miss Adeline opened her mouth to answer for me again, the meddlesome old woman.
“You should do more than tuck him in,” she offered.
I closed my eyes as my face burned.
“We’re doing this at our pace.” Teague’s deep voice was confident as it got closer to my ear. “Our way.”
I released a long breath as I opened my eyes to face him. “You know that includes direction from that one.”
I pointed at Miss Adeline, who looked proud of herself, although I had no idea why. With her, I never could tell.
“I could use some advice.”
I groaned. “You have no idea what you’ve just opened yourself up to.”
“I’m willing to find out.”
Chapter Eighteen
