Shameless(10)

A moment later, she has her head in the fridge, and I’m treated to a full-on view of her tight, round ass. Damn. This girl should never wear anything but yoga pants.

“I could make us migas.” Her head pops out of the refrigerator, and she looks at me expectantly.

My eyes dart up. Hopefully, she doesn’t think I’m checking her out.

“Please don’t go to any trouble on my account. Wait. What are migas?”

Her eyes widen and she starts waving her hands as she explains. “They’re eggs scrambled with fried corn tortillas. I also like to toss in some jalepe?os, onion and cilantro. Does that sound good?”

“Jesus, yes. That sounds amazing.” I laugh, a little in love with her accent and the way she rolls her R’s. Now that I look at her, I realize there’s something exotic about the shape of her eyes and her golden-caramel skin.

“I love to cook, so it’s no trouble at all. The eggs are really fresh. They’re from our chicken coop. But I could make you whatever you’d like.”

The earnestness in her expression as she waits for me to tell her what I want for dinner is too sweet. Too tender.

I clear my throat. “Can I ask a question? I know it’s rude to ask a woman’s age, but you look really young, and...”

Her cheeks flush. “I’m twenty-three.”

Those big hazel eyes turn down, and I feel like a jerk for embarrassing her.

“Hey, I’m sorry. It’s just that if you’re staying here, that’s probably something I should know.”

“Of course. I understand. I’m not offended.” She shifts uncomfortably, and I can tell that might be a little white lie, but then she shrugs. “So... migas?”

My stomach growls, and I smile awkwardly. “I guess that’s my answer.”

She laughs and shakes her head. “Don’t worry, big guy. I’ll take care of you.”

After the last few days I’ve had, that sounds really good.





6





Katherine





Brady’s heavy boots fall in step behind mine as I lead him down the hallway after dinner. I hold a finger up to my lips and nudge the baby’s door open. She’s curled up in her crib. It’s quiet except for the soft sound of rain coming from the noisemaker in the corner.

I glance up at Brady, and he whispers, “She’s precious.”

“She’s a really good baby. Trust me, I’ve taken care of a few little monsters, and Bella is a sweetheart.”

“Bella?”

We step into the hall, and I nod. “Well, it’s Isabella, but we call her Bella.”

He frowns. “Maybe I shouldn’t call her Izzy. I wasn’t even thinking.”

The look on his face guts me, and I rub his shoulder. “Mel and Cal would love your nickname for her.” Somehow, I’m able to speak despite the now familiar spark that reaches through me when I touch him. His eyes? which look black in the dim light of the hallway, soften. “I promise.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I nod and offer him a small smile, which he returns. “Okay, so follow me.” I point to the door across from the baby’s room. “This is the bathroom.”

I flip on the light, hoping it’s clean.

“Towels, shampoo, soap, whatever you need is probably in here,” I say, opening the large cabinet, “so please help yourself.”

He points toward the claw-foot tub. “Old-school.”

“I love that tub, but if you need a shower, I won’t take it personally.” Pulling back the curtain, I motion toward the wall-mounted shower head. On our way back out, I pause. “Word to the wise—you really need to jam the bathroom door closed. I think the house is shifting after all that rain we’ve been having, and the dang thing pops open.” I give him an apologetic shrug. “The lock broke, so if you use it, you might not be able to get out.”

“I’ll fix it as soon as I can get my hands on Cal’s toolbox.”

My eyebrows lift. “I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think Cal had a toolbox. He was better balancing the books than doing anything manual. I mean, he harvested one of the fields almost single-handedly, but fixing things wasn’t his strength. But Mel was pretty handy herself, so it’s not like we were helpless.”

His lips flatten, and I feel like I’ve said something wrong. “Hey, but Mel has a bunch of tools in the shed. I’m sure you’ll find what you need in there. We can track them down later.”

I motion down the hall, and he follows. My heart beats erratically as I grip the door handle. I haven’t stepped into this room since before. “This… this is Mel and Cal’s bedroom. I’m not sure what kind of state it’s in. But it has a big bed, and I can change the sheets for you.”

As I twist the doorknob, his hand comes over mine. “That’s okay. I can sleep on the couch.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. I don’t know why the idea of going in there freaks me out, but given Brady's panicked expression, I’m not alone.

“You can have my bed if you want.” I point to the next room and push the door open. “I know it’s only a twin, but this is probably your house now, and I’m more than happy to sleep on the couch in the office.” My bed is made, and fortunately, I didn’t leave anything embarrassing out. Not that I have many belongings here.