But the man said whatever he thought, without hardly a moment to censor himself. So he’d continued with, “She’s an indoor cat, Cash. Doesn’t even like the rain on her skin.”
He’d blinked at Wade, then Jet, and finally Lark. She hadn’t denied it, because yes, Lark enjoyed being comfortable, andcoldandwetdidn’t qualify.
“But you’re from Wyoming,” he’d said, and that had caused her brothers to laugh again.
Lark’s smile faded, though her brothers had been fairly agreeable this week. They’d given her a little bit of grief over her brand-new, still-budding relationship with Cash, but most of their teasing had been aimed at him.
They’d told him things Lark would’ve never brought up in the first three days of getting to know a man she was interested in. She scoffed at herself. “I’m not sure you’ve ever been interested in someone the way you’re interested in Cash.”
And that right there was why she’d let him have his private time in the hot tub last night. She knew she’d been infringing on his late-night downtime, the few minutes each day he could reflect, talk to God and the stars, and get settled for the night.
Cash had graciously allowed her to take up that space, claiming he liked having her so close and that she was the only one he’d allow into the hot tub with him. She wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but she’d sure like it to be.
A knock sounded on her door, and she couldn’t tell if it was Jet or Cash. She pulled the comforter up to her chin and glued her gaze to the door. “Yeah, I’m up.”
The door creaked open a few inches, and the most delicious, dark-haired, dark-eyed cowboy poked his head in. Lark pulled in a slow breath through her nose as Cash grinned at her and said, “Good morning, princess.”
“Did I sleep too late?” she asked.
“Breakfast is almost ready.” He pushed the door all the way open and stepped into the room, glancing down the hall toward the kitchen. Her brothers had taken their old bedrooms upstairs in the house, and she and Cash had been alone on the main level.
Cash toed the door closed behind him and clutched the doorknob with both hands behind his back. “At the risk of ruining the holiday, I wanted to talk to you.”
Lark watched him for a long moment, her tongue too thick in the back of her throat to speak. She found his eyes crinkling, and that alleviated some of her own nerves. “And you thought talking to me would ruin Thanksgiving?”
“It’s more the topic of conversation.”
Lark sat up, making sure her pajama top covered her properly. She could only imagine what her mother or Grammy would say otherwise. Her legs got tangled in her blankets for a moment, and then it pulled free. “Okay, I’m ready now.”
Cash didn’t move a muscle. “I can’t help but feel like you’ve put a bit of distance between us since last night.” His eyes flashed with dark fire. “Since I kissed you.”
Lark sighed and ran one hand through her messy curls. “Maybe,” she said.
“Which, for you, is a yes,” he said, tilting his head. “Why?”
Because he’d kissed her so completely, she was now ruined for anyone else. Because she’d been too eager, given away too much, shown how terribly lonely and…needy she was. Because his touch was like cool water after a lifetime of drought.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, because she couldn’t actually say what ran through her head.
“Untrue,” he said simply, the word clipping out between lips that barely moved. And Lark would know, because she couldn’t look away from that mouth. “You know why.”
“How many texts have you gotten about it?” she asked.
“You’re embarrassed my aunts and uncles saw us,” he said, his boxy shoulders drooping.
“Yes,” Lark said, seizing onto that for an excuse. “I was too forward. Too desperate. Too—” She sucked in a breath as she realized what she’d said. Cash’s eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed again, almost like he was scrutinizing her on the outside while trying to make sense of what she’d said.
“I liked it.” He shrugged one of those powerful shoulders. “And like I said last night, I’m not sorry about it. Maybe I wouldn’t have wanted my whole family there to witness it, but it wasn’t that many people.”
Lark shook her head, her eyes pricking with tears, though she didn’t truly care who’d seen her and Cash kissing. “That’s what’s untrue,” she said. “They were all looking at me.”
“Uncle Mav saw,” he said. “And he has fast thumbs. No one else saw anything.”
“But they all know.”
Cash finally pushed away from the door and took cautious steps toward her. “They would’ve anyway,” he said. “We’re dating, Lark.” He sat down beside her and enfolded her hands in both of his. “And I don’t care what they think.”
“That’s because you’re already one of them,” she said. “And you can mess up, and act badly, leave town, whatever you want, and they’d welcome you back like the Prodigal Son. I’m standing on the outside, looking in and trying to impress them all enough so they’ll hopefully let me stay.”
