Do I want to feel hot?
Marcus made my body feel like a tool. A thing to be hidden or weaponized, depending on what the situation demanded.
Coyote Glen is different.
Smaller. Sharper. Gossip travels faster than light.
But I’m tired of making myself small to preempt judgment.
Delaney: Okay, I’m in!
Sloane: YESSSSSS. Get ready to be aggressively hyped up.
I roll my eyes, but my lips are smiling.
“Everything okay?”
Boone pulls my gaze up.
He’s in the doorway from the mudroom, hair damp from a quick rinse, a clean gray Henley stretched across his chest, jeans hanging low on his hips. He looks tired in the way only ranch owners look, like sleep is something that happens to other people, but his eyes are clear.
And currently on me.
“Uh.” I hold up my phone. “Sloane wants to drag me to The Hollow tonight.”
His brows lift. “Yeah?”
“Girl’s night,” I clarify, as if that makes it less loaded.
He nods slowly, cataloging variables. “Sounds fun.”
“I should go?”
I already said yes, but part of me still needs to hear it’s okay.
“You’ve been taking care of all of us,” he says. “You deserve a break.”
The earnestness in his voice turns my knees to pudding.
“Oh. Right. Yeah.” I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I just wanted to make sure it’s okay. With Sadie and dinner and…”
“Delaney.” His tone is gentle but firm. “You’re allowed to have a life.”
“I know,” I say. The words feel flimsy.
“I’ll get Sadie fed,” he continues. “Silas can read bedtime stories. Caleb needs to rest anyway. We’ll survive one night without you.”
My chest tightens at the idea of them fending for themselves, eating something beige and frozen.
“Okay,” I say. “If you’re sure.”
“I am,” he says. His gaze lingers. “You have fun.”
Heat prickles the back of my neck. “I’ll try.”
His mouth curves, just a little. “I’ll, uh. Let you get ready.”
He pushes away from the doorframe and disappears down the hall, leaving me with my phone, my racing heart, and the sudden realization that I have no idea what to wear.
