Stroking her cheek, I say, “Good night, Gran. I’ll be back first thing in the morning.”
“No need,” Gran replies, yawning and snuggling deeper into the pile of warmth. “I’m not going anywhere. What you should do is take that handsome young man back to the Harvest Festival for dancing.” She winks mischievously.
“The matchmaking never stops,” I mutter drily.
“He looks at you. Like Ferdinand looked at me.”Rousing herself, she wants to tell me something. I lean down, and she whispers against the shell of my ear. “Like forever is already written.”
Warmth spills inside as I straighten. Ambrose’s hand covers mine, steady and sure, silently promising I don’t have to protect her alone.
“Go on,” Gran urges. “Have a magical night, you two.” She clasps the fireman’s big hand in both of hers. “Ambrose, thank you. Take good care of my granddaughter.”
“Always, ma’am.”
The wordalwayslodges in my chest, dangerous and sweet. A promise I want so badly to believe.
I tuck the edge of the blanket beneath her chin, smoothing it like she used to do for me after nightmares as a kid. For one brief moment, the roles feel reversed—me protecting her, even as she slips into the safety of sleep.
Chapter
Twelve
AMBROSE
At Catalina’s place, I find a cloth grocery tote, packing Dumpling’s food, bowls, and medicine. I already have litter and a box at my house from her previous visit.
The prim beauty eyes me, knitting her brows. “What are you doing?”
“You and Dumpling are coming to my place.”
“B-b-but,” she stammers. I knew she’d protest. But I’m convinced this is the right thing to do.
“But nothing. You don’t need to be here all by yourself. You’ve seen my cabin. It’s big and comfortable … with your choice of guest bedrooms.” I add the last part to take some of the alarm out of her expression.
She watches me, mouth hanging open.
“Better grab an overnight bag for yourself, too. Though I have plenty of clothes you can borrow, you’ll be swimming in them. I can only imagine how mouthwatering you’ll look in one of my sweatshirts or flannels.”
“Oh,” she exclaims, eyes rounding.
Yes, I know I’m getting presumptuous, but she’s mine to care for now, even if she doesn’t know it yet. “Besides, this plan’llfinally give you a chance to dive into my library. And I want to see which books call to you first.”
Delight floods her face. It’s adorable watching the buttoned-up lady try to hold back. “But I’m not much into Space Operas,” she says.
“I figured you’d say that. But something tells me, you’ll work out what to read when we get there.” I wink.
Electricity accompanies our drive, the country love songs playing on the radio not even coming close to the love flowing inside me for this woman.
I still have no clue how I’ve managed to fall so hard and so fast in the course of a week. But Catalina Dupont already feels like my everything. I’m determined to show her how right this is and that she can count on me no matter what.
Reaching across the console of the truck, I squeeze her hand. “How are you feeling after everything that happened tonight?”
“Honestly? Shell-shocked. I feel guilty for not feeding Gran before we?—”
“Sparky, you can’t blame yourself. It was a misunderstanding.”
“But if I ever lost Gran …” She shakes her head, sniffling next to me. “It was so unbelievably painful after Grandpa’s death. I’m still not over it.”
“It’s tough, losing someone you love.”
