Page 7 of Seeking Shelter

“And don’t torture yourself over the consent issue. If I hadn’t wanted you to kiss me just now, I’d have dropped you with a knee to the balls.”

She wanted to be kissed? The knowledge pinballs through my brain. It’s a dangerous admission, one I’ll circle back to when we don’t have other, more pressing shit to deal with.

I fill another basin with cold water and hand her a towel, nudging her aside so I can wash. I do better with something to occupy my hands.

Brows lowered, she gazes at me thoughtfully. “Did your office call you about my report? They told me it was your day off.”

I shake my head and dunk a bowl in the soapy water, scrubbing it with a sponge. Standing at my elbow, Angel rinses and dries.

“If they didn’t call you, how did you know I was up here?” She pauses. “Oh.” Disappointment dims her expression. “Brooks called you. Or Hayes.”

I nod slowly. “Hayes. He said Dooley called to report that you were heading into the mountains.”

She’s angry, but those silver-gray eyes reflect hurt too. And that doesn’t sit right.

“And since my brothers are at the Cattlemen’s Association meeting, Hayes called you to chase after his irresponsible sister. Were you asked to check on the twins too, to make sure they aren’t running with scissors? You know, because we’re girls and can’t be trusted to have fucking common sense.”

“They’re protective of you, Angel, and you’re damned lucky I showed up when I did.”

She stows the dishes in a bin. “I had it under control. I shot Abel’s rifle out of his hands, didn’t I?”

I drop the sponge in the water and turn to face her. Fury I’ve barely succeeded in tamping down comes roaring back. “Are you telling me you aimed for his rifle? That you weren’t sighting center mass on the man who was shooting at you?”

“Well, yeah. I didn’t want to kill anyone. I only wanted to disarm him.”

My expression must signal I’m about to lose it for the second time.

Her eyes light up. “Are you going to kiss me again? Because I kinda liked it.”

Turned on and insanely furious, I snarl, “I’ll get around to it. But first? I want your promise that if you’re ever in that position again, getting shot at, that you will shoot to kill the bastard with the gun.”

“Every situation is different.” She cocks her head. “What if…I don’t know, someone’s shooting in my general direction but doesn’t really mean to hurt me? Like it’s more of a warning?”

She looks at me questioningly before reaching up to touch a fingertip to my jaw. “Did you know there’s a tic right here when you clench your teeth?”

I put my hands up, then drop them. I don’t trust myself to touch her. “Promise me, Angel.”

She sighs. “Is it really that important to you?”

“Yes.”

“Okay then. I promise.”

She flashes me a grin.

“Dibs on the bed, by the way.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Evangeline

Jonah dumps all the water into one basin and stalks outside with it, kicking the door shut behind a gust of frigid air.

Talk about poking the bear.

I check the contents of the other bins. No change of clothes. Not that I’d expected to find comfy sweats and a hoodie stashed away. Sleeping bags and pillows are stored on the top shelf. Being sealed in plastic is the only thing keeping rodents from destroying everything.

Jonah comes back in while I’m unrolling a sleeping bag on the mattress.