“He’ll be fine.”
“I can’t believe you made him ride in back.”
“Asshole was lucky I parked in the barn. Otherwise, he’d be ass-deep in snow right now.”
When she didn’t respond, I glanced at her. She turned quickly to look out the window, shoulders stiff.
Shit. Had I upset her? Did I do something wrong?
We rode down the mountain in silence, except for the occasional rattle of a collar when one of the girls shifted. Christa spent the entire trip looking out the window, her hand buried in first Brownie’s fur and then Bear’s. I wished she’d put it in my lap, instead. I wished she’d look my way.
The trip took twice as long as usual, even once we hit the bigger road. “He okay back there?”
She looked over her shoulder. “Alive.”
“Hell. Maybe I should drive faster.”
Her smile dropped the second the city limits appeared. Right beyond the sign was a grocery store and a chain motel. A perfect place to drop the asshole off. I pulled over, put the truck in park and walked around to open up the tailgate.
He slid to the ground and glared at me, muttered some shit about uneducated freaks, and stomped off.
I didn’t care. Though if he’d insulted her, he’d be on his ass right now.
It took a few deep breaths and got back in the truck.
“Where to, Christa?”
35
Christa
Through the fogged-up window, I blinked at the passing houses and their bright Christmas lights, wishing I knew what to say to make this last.
Not much for relationships.His sentence kept going through my mind, the way it had all the way from the top of the mountain. And now that I knew him a little better, I could understand. The man had his ways, a life he’d set up exactly how he needed it. In order to survive, after the horrible things he’d lived through. While atwar, for God’s sake.
So, no I didn’t understand. I couldn’t possibly.
“Left here,” I said, swallowing back the words I really wanted to say.Turn back. I want to stay with you.
He didn’t do relationships.
But this didn’t feel like that at all.Relationshipwas such a silly word. Relate. Relating to each other seemed like much too small a thing when this felt like…everything.
Belongingship.Knowingship. Ha!
I almost laughed.Holy shit, the drama going on in my head right now.
About one damned weekend.
Maybe I’d take something less than a relationship with him. Maybe I’d accept whatever he wanted to give me.
“It’s up here, on the right. You can pull into the drive.”Since we don’t have a car anymore.
Oh, God. I pressed my fingers to my eyeballs. I’d deal withthatlater.
I took in a breath and watched Gran’s house, wishing this didn’t feel so wrong.
“Wanna come inside?”
