Kassie and Claire rose and left the room. A minute later, Cole entered and closed the door to give them some privacy.
“What’s up, Hannah?” he asked, sitting on the bed’s edge.
“They told me you offered for me to stay with you. Did you ask me out of pity?” she said, cutting to the chase.
“Absolutely not. Brody and I enjoy our time with you. In fact, I debated on bringing Nine to the cabin for a bit more work on his manners,” Cole explained.
“If I stay, will I cramp your style?” she asked.
“I haven’t lived here long enough to have one. I say you’re coming at a good time,” he said, smiling.
“I don’t want to go home. But it’s not the reason I want to stay with you. Scarlett’s newly married and I refuse to impose on them. As soon as I start feeling better, I’ll ask Kassie to move me back. Maybe I need a little time to adjust to everything.”
“You can take as long as you need. Shall I grab your suitcase and help you pack your things?” he asked.
“No. I need to clean up the kitchen. I dropped my bowl of soup,” she admitted.
“It’s already done. How about we work on getting you home? Brody and I haven’t eaten dinner. I picked up some sides at the grocery store. I believe there’s a container of mac and cheese,” he teased.
“You know me, it’s all about the sides,” she quipped as she slid Brody off her and stood. “Can you give me fifteen minutes?”
“Sure, I’ll let them know,” he said, signaling for his dog to follow.
Hannah walked to the closet and pulled out her luggage. It took her five minutes to throw everything inside and grab her toiletries. She walked down the hall, aware they watched her every move. It didn’t matter. Her eyes landed on the one person who mattered most. Cole sent her a reassuring grin as he took her bag.
“Call if you need anything,” Kassie reminded her.
She nodded and walked outside. Cole helped her into the truck and secured Brody before walking to the driver’s side. She inhaled deeply and let it out. It seemed weird for her to trust a man this completely, but somehow Cole calmed her fears. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove toward his cabin. Brody’s paw touched her shoulder as if telling her to have courage. She reached back to caress his paw and she glanced at Cole. His eyes stayed on the road, and the dim light caught his features. A slight smile played on his lips and his hand glided over to hold hers. She glanced out at the night sky, seeing the stars, and noticedthe moon shone down on him. Everything fell into place. Like before, Cole brought her the moon when she couldn’t see the stars and it felt right.
CHAPTER 24
Cole setthe luggage in the second bedroom and gave her a quick tour of the rest of the cabin. His nerves got the better of him as he showed her his room and imagined her in his bed. Maybe he should’ve skipped it, but he wanted her to know where to find him if she needed anything.
“Can I see the porch?”
“Sure,” he said, opening the back door. She walked outside, gazed at his oversized hammock, and a slight grin formed on her face.
“This might as well constitute your bedroom with all those blankets out here,” she teased, crossing her arms.
He knew she felt nervous by her defensive gesture, but he chose to ignore it. “Yes, Brody and I spend a lot of time out here. Tomorrow, we’ll take you to the facility and you can watch me train two of the dogs. I’m giving the others time to recuperate.”
“Will they be all right?” she asked with compassion in her voice.
“Jake’s a fantastic vet. He’s done such a great job, I feel a few more days of rest and they’ll be good as new,” he told her, picking up a blanket and wrapping it around her. “Here, you’re cold.”
“Thank you,” she murmured. “I promise to always be good house guest.”
“Be yourself and we’ll get along great,” he said, letting Brody out to use the bathroom. “When he returns, how about we eat some dinner? I’m starved. I want to call Archer and check on the last dog.”
“Let me warm everything up while you tend to him,” she said, unwrapping the blanket.
His hand stopped her. “He won’t take long, and then we’ll go inside together.”
A minute later, Brody appeared and they entered the cabin. Heading toward the fridge, Cole took out the fried chicken, mac and cheese, green beans, mashed potatoes, and rolls.
“Wow, you have a thing for mashed potatoes,” she said as he held up the container, asking if she wanted any.
“They aren’t as good as Ty’s, but who can compete? What about green beans?”
