Page 110 of Cautious Love

Naomi hops out of her seat and takes off.

Ledger squeezes my thigh under the table, and I nearly jump out of my skin. He gives me one of those quiet smiles I find myself growing obsessed with, and he takes a forkful of green beans from my plate, shoving them into his mouth.

When everyone finishes dinner, the guys gather empty dishes, and Cooper starts loading them into the dishwasher while June puts leftovers in containers.

Jumping in, I stack the plates with one arm. Piling them high so we have to make less trips.

“Sweet, a waitress in the family will help dishes go faster,” June says, smiling at me, and there’s not a hint of malice in her eyes. Ledger was probably right. The past is the past. We’re not kids anymore.

“I’m happy to help,” I say, setting them next to the sink.

“Thank you for getting those. You didn’t have to,” June says.

I shrug. “Not a problem. Is there anything else you need help with?”

She looks over my shoulder, and I glance in the same direction.

“Based on the look on my brother’s face, I’d say he has other plans for you. But thank you.”

I nod and Ledger jerks his chin in the direction of the door. He goes down the hall and grabs his boots from the rug.

“Are we leaving? I should go tell Mrs. Hayes thank you.”

“No, not yet, but there’s something I want to show you. And did you bring your revolver?” he asks.

“Um, okay, and it’s in my purse. Why?” I ask him.

“Grab it and come on.”

After I get my boots on, I holster my pistol in the waist of my jeans and follow Ledger out the door.

Before I can ask him where we’re going, he captures my hand and leads me away from the house through tall grass.“Why did I need to bring my gun? Expecting any bears?” I ask him.

“I wanted to make sure you knew how to shoot it properly,” he says, pulling me to his side and draping an arm across my shoulders. “And that little pea shooter won’t do much to a bear.”

“Is that supposed to be funny?” I snap.

He rubs a hand over his mustache to hide his smile, and I roll my eyes. I know I’m lucky that I didn’t actually kill Grey, but I still feel bad about what I did. So maybe the practice is smart.

I slip my hand into his back pocket as we walk up a hill and across a large field.

“For the record, I wouldn’t have bought it if I didn’t know how to shoot it, and my father made sure of that. But that one time was…” I trail off.

“Hey, it all worked out. I wanted to check, is all,” he says and kisses my temple again.

“What’s up with you?” I ask him. He’s softer. Maybe it’s his family that makes him this way. Whatever it is, I like it a lot.

We come to a stop, and there’s a concrete foundation with some pipes sticking out of it and building materials off to the side.

“I wanted to show you this,” he says.

I nod. “Looks like it’s going to be a big barn.”

Ledger chuckles and shakes his head. “No, honey, this is going to be a house. That’s always been the plan, but I needed to save for it, so I got the place in town for a bit and then when this is done. I’ll sell it.”

The food in my stomach turns sour as I look at the foundation. I can see the picture now. But I keep my lips sealed. He’s building a future. He has plans.

And I have … what? A husband I had to marry to cover my ass, a life-threatening secret, and money for rent for a couple of months.