Trish tossed a hand up in the air, failing to turn around and give him the benefit of eye contact. Maybe she was overacting to his teasing, but one thing was certain. Being too close to Wade was dangerous.
Chapter 9
Wade
Wade foundGrams in the kitchen an hour after the photoshoot activities were finished. She was stuffing a blanket into a backpack. “Grams, you running away from home?” But his chuckle was pitiful at best. He couldn’t stop Uncle Bill’s conversation from replaying in his mind.
“You have a moonlit walk tonight. I forgot to remind you. With Trish.”
“A what?” He’d looked at the itinerary this morning, just to be sure he knew what his day entailed. “After the photoshoot, I’m supposed to be a free man.” Because it’d been too dark to work on his cabin, he planned on lighting a fire on the patio and sitting. Alone. In the quiet. “There’s no moonlit walk on the schedule.”
“You must not have a copy of the revised schedule.” Grams stuffed a flashlight in the bag, then scanned the kitchen counters, looking for what, Wade couldn’t guess. “I added it a couple of days ago. Did I forget to give it to you?”
“Grams, I’m beat.” Wade’s arms still tingled when he recalled Trish shoved up close to him for the photoshoot. He really needed some space tonight. “Doesn’t she have writing or something she needs to get done?”
“Oh, Wade.” Lina paused her packing and brought out the pitiful blue eyes. It was a look Wade knew better than to test. She could turn into a puddle of tears. “It’s just that Trish was so excited when I reminded her. Your grandpa and I used to take moonlit walks on the ranch all the time. I thought it would be great writing inspiration. Might be a highlight for future retreats . . .”
Future retreats?Thinking of Bill’s message, Wade wrapped her in a hug and kissed her forehead. “Okay, Grams. I’ll go grab her.” Anything to keep her from falling apart. It’d been a couple of months since he last witnessed those grief-stricken tears. He couldn’t bear them tonight, especially if he was the cause.
“Thank you, Wade.” Grams squeezed him back, then pushed him toward the doorway. “She’s in the living room.”
Trish was back in the man-eating recliner, footrest up, fingers furiously typing. Earbuds must have blocked him out. Wade wondered why she was downstairs writing again instead of in her room. There was an outlet beneath the writing desk. But, he supposed, that wooden chairwasa little stiff.
He sidled toward her, waiting for her to look up and spot him. He wondered what it would take to get out of this moonlit walk without upsetting Grams. “Hey.” He gently kicked the bottom of the chair to get her attention. Trish startled, her brick of a laptop wobbling on unsteady knees.
“Don’t do that!” Trish pulled out her earbuds once her laptop was steady. “Is that a hobby or something, sneaking up on me? Being some cowboy ninja?”
“Cowboy ninja?” Wade laughed. It was too ridiculous not to. “You ready to go on our walk?”
Trish looked longingly at her screen, then at Wade.
“It would mean a lot to Grams,” he added in a low voice. Was he really trying to convince her to go? Wouldn’t Grams forgive him if the writer was the one opting out?
“Is it nine already?”
“’Fraid so.”
“I’ll meet you out back?”
Wade nodded, then headed for the kitchen to see how much more Grams had packed for this little adventure. He wondered if there really was a revised itinerary, but he reminded himself Allen had been the prankster who drew hearts on the sack lunch, not Grams. Seemed most likely that Grams was missing Grandpa and this was her way of honoring his memory.
“I packed a blanket and a few extra things,” Grams said. “Probably best to take her down that trail by the barn. It’ll be lit up the best. And there’s that fire pit at the clearing if you decide to stay out a bit. Keep you two warm.”
The click of claws on the tile alerted them to Shadow’s presence. She stopped halfway into the kitchen and stretched with a loud groan. She’d been napping under the dining room table. Wade considered leaving her at the house as she normally made her way onto the end of his bed by nine-thirty and passed out cold. But her brown eyes widened in interest at the pack on the counter.
“You want to join us for a walk, girl?” Wade asked. Having his dog along might help to make the walk less . . . awkward. That romance angle had to be what Grams was going for. If he brought Shadow, she could wedge herself between them. Prevent another misunderstanding Wade couldn’t apologize his way out of.
Shadow wagged her tail, it thudding against the cupboards.
“Of course she’s excited,” Trish said as she entered the kitchen and rubbed Shadow along her neck and behind her ears. “She wasn’t stuck on the ranch all day withyou.” There was a twinkle in her eyes at those possibly flirtatious words.
Lina laughed from behind him, and Wade caught the red flush of Trish’s cheeks. “I know being saddled with my grandson for an entire day can be a little much.” She chuckled. “But you two have a go at it. Make it special. Should be quite inspiring for some evening writing, Trish. Trust me, I know. It’s a magical walk.”
“I’m sure it’s gorgeous in the light of the moon.”
“It absolutely is. I was telling Wade just a bit ago how my late husband and I used to take walks all the time when we were younger.” Wade turned at those words to make sure Grams wasn’t about to cry. He couldn’t bear it tonight, not with his own emotions charged.
“Sounds like a great scene to write.”
