She took his hand and lay down on the floor. “That wasn’tmyfault. He flew in front of my target.”
“Are you sure that’s how you want to tell it?” He dragged her a little ways across the wood floor.
Melody bounced to her feet. “That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it. Come with me,husband. You need a shower.”
He gently swatted her behind as they left the room.
Joy got up next. “Well, I think I’m going to stretch my legs and get a few chores done. If I don’t see you before you leave, I hope you join us again. This was fun. I’ll be sure to tell Salem about your store.”
I smiled at her as she padded to the door. “See you later.”
Robyn yawned loudly. “Do you think you’ll come back tomorrow?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps.”
“Of course she will,” Mercy said, returning to the room with a half-eaten apple. “I get off work midafternoon, so I can bring you over to the house anytime you like.”
“If she’s running a store, she has to work.”
“It’s okay,” I said, realizing breaks were necessary. “Noah’s dropping me off there early and picking me up late, so a couple ofhours won’t make any difference. I have a lot of unboxing to finish first. Noah signed a short lease, and after that, whatever doesn’t sell gets tossed or sent off to some dealer.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Mercy chimed in. “I’ll make sure everyone at the bar knows so we can get the word out. You should hang a sign outside to draw people’s attention. I wouldn’t have known y’all were selling books if the boys hadn’t helped.”
I put my feet on the floor. “Do you have any markers or paint I could borrow?”
Robyn’s eyes lit up. “You’ve come to the right place!”
She and Mercy waltzed to the other side of the room by an easel, and Robyn collected a few items.
“I’ll get paint,” Mercy said, dashing out.
I stood. “Are you an artist?”
“I sketch,” Robyn replied. “Sometimes I try my hand at pastels or watercolor, but mostly I work with charcoal and pencils. Here.” She handed me pencils and markers. “You can use that to trace out your design. Don’t worry about bringing them back. I have tons more.”
“This is really thoughtful.” I rubbed my hand down my pants, searching for the pockets, then laughed. “For a minute, I thought I was wearing my skirt.”
She grinned while touching a large scar on her left hand. “Don’t worry. I’m a lightweight drinker myself. Come on. Let’s find something to put these in.”
Robyn hooked her arm in mine, and we stumbled into the living room, laughing and tripping over our own feet.
“This place is enormous,” I told her.
“You haven’t seen the half of it. But we’re a pack, so we need the room. There’s nothing worse than living in a house that’s too small, especially when you invite more packmates or have babies.” She lowered her arm. “What’s your animal?”
“Guess.” I smiled as we weaved down the hall.
“Not a wolf.Definitelynot a bear.”
I giggled. “A bear?”
She opened the back door. “They have a certain attitude. If you’re a skunk, you need to shift right this minute and go find Virgil.”
The sun warmed my skin, and I realized it was dipping below the treetops. It was later than I’d thought.
“Montana!” Robyn called out before reaching the railing.
A handsome man in a black cowboy hat strutted into view and stared up at us. “You okay?”
