“Thank you for telling me the truth.”
“As if I can stop myself.”
Cash laughed, but Lark didn’t join him. “I love your mouth,” he said, and as she scoffed, he added, “No, really. It’s one of my favorite things—that you’ll say what’s on your mind and tell me what you really mean.”
She nodded, her soft curls dancing with the movement.
“So, I’ll be honest with you.”
Lark looked at him, a measure of fear in her lovely eyes.
“I’m probably going to move into the house at Cousins Creek,” he said. “Whatever I can get Nate to finish up in the next week is what it’ll be. I won’t die.” He hoped he wouldn’t, at least.
“The house isn’t done, is it?” she asked.
“Not even close,” he said miserably. “But we’ll see where we are today, and if I can get the utilities turned on and it’s safe for me, I’ll move in there.”
“Cash-baby, I want you to be safe,” Lark said. “And if I’m being honest, a lot closer than this forty-minute drive across town.”
He chuckled and glanced over to her. “Well, I guess you should’ve thought of that before you decided to quit college and move in with me.”
Cash tookLark’s hand the moment she met him at the hood of the truck. “The Dumpster’s full again,” he said, not sure if he was happy about that or not.
“There are no shutters,” Lark said, and she noticed such different things than he did.
“Let’s hope they’re the only things missing,” he said, taking the first step toward the front door. The house looked better on the outside than when he’d bought the place, to be sure. A new front porch, a new front door, and new windows would do that to a house.
The last time he’d been here had been with Lark, two full weeks ago, and the floor had been ripped up, with holes in it. Cash told himself with every slow step up to the porch that he just needed somewhere decently weather-tight.
Or a few minutes to look online, as he’d been able to find vacation rentals in the past, and during prime skiing season,surely there would be something he could rent for a couple of months.
He didn’t want to pack up everything he owned and hotel-surf until the house was livable, and he could probably talk to Cora about a long-term room at the Silver Sage Lodge.
And of course, you could live in your daddy’s basement.
Cash told himself sternly that Daddy and Faith’s house was an absolute last resort, and he could explore other options before he had to go there.
Oh, his daddy would have a field day with this new development. Cash would simply have to lead with the fact that he had somewhere else to live—and he sent one more prayer heavenward that the house would be in decent shape inside.
He reached for the doorknob and opened the door, his pulse jumping into his skull. Lark crowded in at his side, pulled in a sharp breath, and spun toward him. “Cash,” she breathed. “Look at it.”
“I’m lookin’ at it,” he said. He couldn’t believe what his eyes were conveying to him, though.
The house had a floor—and a nice one at that. If he took one step into the house, his cowboy boot would meet a luxurious dark hardwood. It flowed from front to back, and a white cloth covered the right half where scaffolding had been set up to paint the walls.
“Wow.” Lark entered the house first. “Nate’s gotten so much done, Cash.” She turned in a full circle, the sun lighting up her face as she glowed.
Cash ducked his head and chuckled, because he couldn’t stay mad at Lark, even when she showed up and told him she was taking over his house-sitting job and he needed to find somewhere else to live.
“Honey, this is a big empty room with nothing else.” He nodded pointedly toward the back wall, where the kitchen would eventually be. “Notice anything missing?”
He saw the big empty holes where a refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher would go. Fine, he could live without a dishwasher, he simply didn’t want to.
“You can order appliances and have them delivered next-day,” she said. “I believe your aunt owns the store that’ll do it.”
Cash nodded, but a sinking feeling moved through him as he continued the tour. The bedrooms and bathrooms had not been touched, and that meant there’d been no checks on the plumbing or electricity.
Still, he pasted a smile on his face and let Lark inspect every corner of the renovation—which was exactly where he’d expected it to be: not ready for him to live in.
