“You any good with starting a fire?” Wade asked after a few bites because Trish hadn’t slipped out of the kitchen. Her eyes kept falling to the window near his table.
“I might know a thing or two.” She leaned her weight against the counter and munched on a cookie she hadn’t stashed for later. “I earned a camping badge in the third grade that says I do.”
Wade smirked at that. Witty. “Want to put those skills to good use and help me get the fire pit going after I finish up?”
“Okay.”
“Might want to grab a jacket or something. It gets down to the forties this time of year. Even with a fire, you’ll probably be chilly.”
With a silent nod, Trish slipped out of the kitchen, leaving him in the glow of the setting sun to finish his dinner. But his eyes followed her until she turned a corner and faded away. In a week, she’d fade away for good. The thought caused him to shift in his chair and forced his attention back to his plate.
It’d probably been a mistake to invite Trish to help him get things set up. But it would make Grams happy that he was doing something to include the writer who was supposed to be under his special care. At least he had a few minutes to reinforce his walls.
It wouldn’t matter if she was staying. He wasn’t about to let any woman steal his heart. Not after watching the agony Grams endured at Grandpa’s passing. For weeks, she didn’t eat. She didn’t sleep. She wandered the house, lost. Anything could make her start sobbing in grief. It still happened, but less frequently now with a year gone by.
Grams was stronger than anyone he knew. It was the only reason she survived the heart-wrenching grief. Wade wasn’t sure he was that strong. He’d best stick to things he knew he could survive. Since a broken heart wasn’t one of them, it was imperative that he keep his guard up around the alluring Trish Meadows.
Chapter 4
Trish
Trish couldn’t imagineany reason Wade would invite her to help him set up the fire except that her attendance fee covered her own personal cowboy chaperone for the week. That had to be it. Of course, the itinerary failed to mention that said cowboy chaperone had a very pregnant wife.
She yearned to retrieve her phone and call Mindy. Request rescue via a fake family emergency. Besides the fact Henry would surely laugh in her face if he learned about this disaster and reinforced his belief that her dreams weren’t practical, Mindy would never let her leave.
Instead, Trish dug out her Nebraska Huskers sweatshirt she’d only intended to sleep in and headed outside. Next time, she wouldn’t let Mindy help her pack. Most of the clothes that made the trip were impractical for Wyoming in early September.
“You even have room for s’mores after all those cookies?” Wade asked when she stepped from the kitchen and onto the stone terrace. The same fluffy German shepherd from earlier bounded toward her and shoved her body against Trish’s legs, demanding attention. Though dusk was settling, she could make out some of the intricate brick pattern of the terrace floor. It was safer to study that than the strong biceps lifting the iron lid from the raised fire pit.
She scratched the dog behind the ears, and that contented thumping tail said she seemed to enjoy it. If her delightful moans were any clue, enjoyed it a lot. “I’ll have you know, I haven’t had more than that one cookie since this afternoon, when your wife showed me around.” There, now it was out in the open. She didn’t want him to think there’d been any . . . misconceptions.
“My— Oh, Kate.” Wade wore a smirk, but he didn’t let on why. “Mind grabbing some twigs we can stick in the bottom? Shadow’ll just chew them to pieces.”
“On it.” Though she’d yet to see Wade with a wedding band, her worst suspicions were confirmed. Well, not for Wade or Kate. She was certain they were quite happy. Who wouldn’t be with a baby on the way? But for Trish, it was simply another reminder that her hope to make Henry jealous was pitiful at best.
Maybe she could still get some good writing material from this cowboy. Pepper him with questions, as Kate had insisted. And with a week dedicated to writing, who knew what she might come up with for hersecondbook.
Gathering as many loose twigs as she could, she dropped them into the fire pit. Shadow stole one from the pile and sprinted away. The thought of having another completed manuscript brought a giddy smile to her face. Surelytwobooks would force Henry to recognize the truth about Trish’s passion more than any flirty posts about cowboys ever would.
“Need me to grab some firewood?” Trish nodded toward the covered shelter filled with stacked wood.
“Grab three or four to start?”
Trish maneuvered her way around the cast iron patio chairs and benches covered in floral cushions and set in a circle around the metal fire pit. A stack of blankets threatened to topple on one bench.
A few feet from the wood pile, Trish spun around. “Should I be leery of anything? Snakes? Scorpions? Werewolves?”
Wade stared blankly at her for a moment, and she felt the heat flush to her cheeks. So much for trying to be funny.
“’Fraid we’re a little short on werewolves. But you might want to brace yourself for spiders.” He dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pair of gloves. “Here, put these on.”
She caught them, which was a point of celebration with the growing darkness. They were at least two sizes too big, and Trish caught herself acutely aware of how big his hands must be to fill those gloves. Strong, manly hands.
She shook the thought away.He’s married.
Trish reached for a split log near the corner. “When’s Kate due?” Trish decided the best way to keep that little detail at the front of her mind was to ask about this.
“Sometime next month, I think?”
