“What do you think?” he asks.
“It’s so beautiful,” I say when Ian approaches and stands to my left, arms over his chest.
Tears well up in my eyes.
“Are you…crying?” he asks, astonished.
“It’s just so beautiful,” I repeat, because it is. “Life is beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Ian says, his voice husky.
Still waters run deep.
I would really like Ian Lennox to kiss me right now.
To squelch that thought I impulsively scoop a handful of Ian’s stream water up and suck it down.
He frowns.
“I’m thirsty."
In more ways than one.
Chapter Five
Ian
“Are you drunk?” I ask, studying Winnie. She looks a little…wobbly.
I’m not judging. I’m just concerned. It’s dark out now and she’s in unfamiliar surroundings with nowhere really to stay. I’m not okay with her wandering around by herself or going to an empty apartment.
“No.” But even as she says it, she seems to tilt forward ever-so-slightly, then stumbles a little.
I grab her elbow to steady her. “I think you’re drunk.”
“You’redrunk.”
That makes me chuckle. “I haven’t even had any alcohol.”
“I don’t know why I said that,” she admits. “I don’t drink very often. It’s possible I am tipsy.”
“How many mint juleps did you have?” For her sake, I hope just one. The excessive sugar and cheap bourbon in those is a hangover waiting to happen.
“Two.”
That’s two more than I would recommend.
I reach over behind my display and pull out a bottle of water from the cooler I have back there. I’m not sure how sanitary the water in my display is. It’s just meant to be a visual aid, not a water fountain. “Here. Drink this.”
“Thank you.” She chugs half of it. “I think it’s bedtime for me and Barrel.”
“That is an excellent idea. But you don’t have a bed at your apartment so that’s a problem.”
“I’m not planning to stay in my apartment. I’m staying at the shelter.”
I turn to stare at her in horror.
“You arenotgoing to spend the night alone in an animal shelter. Where are you going to sleep? In a cage?”
