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Her gaze widened slightly, and she smiled tightly. I reminded myself that she didn’t remember our earlier conversation. She was likely thinking about how she barfed her feelings all over me in the woods.

I walked around the large, colorful furniture until I reached behind the couch where she rested. Leaning down, I tried to ignore the many eyes on us.

“How was your surgery?”

“I don’t know. I was asleep.”

Giving her a little grin, I asked, “Do you think our dogs will get along?”

The corners of Goldie’s mouth turned downward. “I’m not wired for commitment.”

“So, you’re saying you’ll likely cheat on me?”

“Yes. I’m a super slut. It’s one of my best qualities.”

I heard Yarrow and Blackjack whispering nearby. Goldie must have heard them, too, because her eyes grew wide again.

“Did we talk at the hospital?” she whispered.

“Yes.”

“Did I say anything, um, bizarre?”

“No, just that you wanted me to move in with you and never leave your side. That seems normal. I did save you.”

“Technically, I saved myself.”

“Well, I carried you out of the woods.”

A grinning Goldie cooed, “It’s true that you’re very strong.”

We shared a smile before I finally acknowledged everyone around us. “I’ll be in Little Memphis for a few days. Should I get a hotel?”

“Yes,” Sabrina said immediately.

Boone added, “There’s room at the lofts.”

Goldie frowned at her brother and friend. Her tired gaze returned to me. Seeing her struggling to find the right words, I didn’t rush her.

“You could stay here,” she finally said, sounding unsure.

“Why don’t we go to the backyard and let Goldie talk to York?” Blackjack suggested and gestured toward the hallway. “Even though that sounded like a suggestion, it wasn’t one.”

Sabrina griped but obeyed. Yarrow frowned when she realized her husband wanted her to also leave. Eventually, Goldie and I were alone in the large family room. Only a small dog remained in a corner, sleeping on its back and twitching a leg.

“What did I tell you at the hospital? No bullshit,” Goldie insisted as I walked around to the other side of the couch and sat on the table in front of her.

“That you wanted things to go back to the way they were.”

A shadow passed over Goldie’s gaze. “And what did you say?”

“No.”

Blinking rapidly, Goldie seemed a little relieved. “And what did I say?”

“You whined a little, but that’s to be expected after the last twenty-four hours.”

Goldie rolled her eyes and asked, “What did we agree on?”