“I don’t want to,” Cara said. “But he’s… sad.”
She had a feeling that if rough, surly Zane heard Cara refer to him assad,he would start a literal riot.
She couldn’t help but notice that Cara had taken a special interest in Zane, whatever she said.
That actually made Marlowe feel a little bit uneasy, because of all the men on the ranch, and there were more than just the core four guys, Zane felt like the least accessible person.
He seemed distant. Not closed off in that way that Cody was, where he still put on a pretty good show, but like something else entirely. And the things that Cody had said about him made her suspect that he was seriously broken underneath all that muscle.
Not that she didn’t think people like that deserved… whatever. A relationship, love. She just didn’t think her sweet sister-in-law should be grist for that particular mill.
Cara was far too sincere. Soft and kind, and everything that a man like Zane Barton wasn’t.
“Just be careful,” Cara said. “You don’t deserve to have your heart broken again.”
“I don’t need a talk from you. You’re in your twenties. I am wizened. I’m your elder. I know what I’m doing.”
“Doesn’t everybodythinkthey know what they’re doing if the guy is hot enough to make them ignore their natural survival instincts?”
Ouch.
“I guess so. The risk is worth it, how about that?”
“Well, that’s something at least. Details on Sunday night,” Cara called as Marlowe walked out of the kitchen.
Cody was standing in the dining room holding a stack of pastry plates and a couple of coffees on a tray.
“What was that about?”
“The third degree.”
“It’s nice that you have her.” He looked far too amused for his own good.
“It really is. I love her dearly. If I had lost her, too, I really would’ve felt like I lost my whole family. She’s it.”
“Well, I’m glad you have her. I’m glad we have her,” he said, gesturing down at the rolls.
“Me too.”
They took their food outside and managed to chickenhawk a table right as a small group left, and they watched as wave after wave of customers continued to pile in.
She watched Cody as he ate the pastries and saw how proud he looked.
Of course. She was proud of Cara, but he had been an essential part of this.
He had put it together.
The bakery was Cara’s baby, but he was the one who had the vision for this whole place.
That sense of pride she had the first day on his behalf only got more intense.
“You did amazing,” she said.
He ducked his head just slightly, for a second, and she realized he was almost…bashful. Much like if Zane ever heard Cara call him sad, she had a feeling if she ever said the word bashful to Cody, out loud, he would turn every table in the establishment over.
“You can take a compliment,” she said.
“Not well,” he admitted.
