“Right.” My voice is just above a whisper. I open my hand and he softly sets the rag on my bloody palm. I look around at all the eyes on me and I feel the blush travel up my neck to my cheeks.
Gray doesn’t spare any attention to all the eyes on us. Without a word, he straightens and grabs his hat and coat from the table behind me, his arm brushing my shoulder, and then turns around to stack some bacon and avocado in a biscuit as he walks to the mudroom to go outside.
My head is still down and I’m looking at the rag like it’s the neatest thing I’ve seen all week to avoid looking at anyone. I clear my throat and stand up. “I’m going to go get cleaned up.”
As I’m walking down the hall to Breanna’s room, a slim blond with the same hazel eyes as Gray is stepping out of one of the other rooms on the other side of the landing. She looks like she might be my age or a little older and she’s gorgeous, her long hair is hanging in waves down her back and her shabby chic, boho style sweater that’s hanging off one shoulder matches her confident sashay down the hall.
Great, just another woman in the house who’s taller than me.
When she sees me, her eyes narrow and her top lip almost curls, “Who are you?” The question is sharp and dripping with contempt. She cocks her hip and hooks her hand on it as she looks at me like I’m a foul smell that just floated across her nose.
I paste on my signature smile and say, “Oh, hi, I’m Elly Royce.”
I extend my hand to her, but when she looks at my bloody palm, she takes a step back. This time, her lip does curl up andher nose scrunches as she points to my hand. “Euw, do you know you’re bleeding?”
Oh, yeah.
I curl my fingers into my palm and tuck my fist under my chin. I try to keep it light and paste on a smile to cover the awkwardness of this, but I don’t think it’s working. “Sorry, yes, I’m on my way to clean up right now.”
She lifts her eyebrows and holds her hand up in exasperation. “Well, who are you, and why are you in our house?” She rolls her hazel eyes so high, like she just thought of something, that I think she might fall over backward as her shoulders fall. “Ugh, gross, did one of my brothers bring you home?”
She says it like I’m an escort and it’s a common occurrence, the offense immediately grabs hold and makes my shoulders stiffen. Surely, Gray isn’t the type of man who would bring strange women into his home where his daughter sleeps?
Knowing I’m not supposed to talk about who I am, I hesitate, not sure what to say.
“Elly! Hi!” Lainey Rai bounds down the hall, dressed in layers like the guys, and her long brown hair in a single braid starting at the nape of her neck. Instead of a cowboy hat, she is carrying a stocking hat and scarf with her coat and gloves.
The gorgeous woman’s head swings around to look at Lainey Rai, and the little bundle of energy who’s barely a foot shorter than me stops at my side. At least someone in this house is shorter than me. “Hi Aunt Kinley, did the power go out in your cabin, too?”
Aunt Kinley’s face softens as she looks at her niece, her lips and cheeks look like Marley’s. She must be a sister. “Yes, my fireplace isn’t big enough to keep the entire cabin heated, so I thought I’d stay at the big house until the power’s back on.”
“You better find Daddy, he said he was going to walk upto the cabin and check on you after he has his breakfast.” The little girl smiles and tilts her head.
Of course he's going to check on her, it seems that next to his father, Gray is in charge. It’s obvious he takes the role seriously.
Aunt Kinley rolls her eyes. “Oh balls! Okay, I don’t want him going up there for no reason.” She’s forgotten about me, like a child with a toy, as she steps around us and quickly jogs down the stairs.
Lainey Rai looks at me at the same time I look at her and I take a deep breath. “Thanks, she was a little scary.”
The little girl shrugs one shoulder. “That’s Aunt Kinley. She doesn’t like people much, she’s an artist.”
The simple, but direct way she says it, like all artists don’t like people, makes me chuckle and I say, "Thanks for the save, anyway."
Lainey Rai smiles, minus a missing incisor, and says, "No problem." She skips down the stairs like her aunt and I'm left in the hallway alone.
The skin around my jaw still tingles from Gray's light touch as he dabbed the wet rag over my cut. Was she serious about her brothers bringing women home? Jealousy squeezes me and I remind myself I'm being silly as I turn to go clean the blood off my hands and face.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
GRAY
THE SOFTfuzz of Felix’s nose bumps against my ear as I lead him to the stall I just cleaned and prepped for him so I can clean the one I just took him from. Warm air moves across my ear and cheek as he huffs his displeasure that he hasn’t been for a ride in a couple of days.
Normally I would show him more attention, but today I can’t get those amber eyes out of my head as she looked up at me like I saved her life instead of just wiped blood off her face.
And it’s pissing me off.
Not only did I feel like shit when she turned into the path I was in and reopened the cut over her eye, but then I made eye contact with her. Before I even got to the kitchen, I could smell peaches in the air, and I told myself not to make eye contact. It’s best to keep things civil and just pretend like we're strangers who happen to be staying in the same house.
