Page 65 of Cautious Love

“We all saw it, Ledge,” Cooper says, coming up to my side.

“You saw me flirting with a woman, very observant Cooper, gold star for you.”

“Oh look, you’re still a grumpy ass. No wonder she basically told you to stick it where the sun don’t shine,” he says.

I huff and ignore that because she in fact did do that, only it wasn’t at the diner.

“Are you and Shiloh Sullivan really married? Mae put two and two together when she saw Shiloh’s wedding ring and then the way you two were acting,” he says.

I shift in my seat. I knew better, but I couldn’t help myself. “What if we were?” I ask him because I realized something: either we aren’t compatible, or the circumstances of our arrangement are keeping us from becoming moretogether.

“I think we’d all be happy for ya’ man. I guess the bigger question is why are you being so secretive about it?” I give him a deadpan look, and he nods. “Sheriff. Got it.”

“It’s not that.”

“Okay, what is it?” he asks.

“I can’t tell you, and it’s not because I don’t want to, but it’s safer that way,” I say. Under no circumstances can I implicate my family in anything about that night.

Cooper hums. “I see, so, speaking hypothetically of course, if you, the Sheriff of Paxton County, were to marry someone witha criminal history that may or may not be involved in something you’re working on it wouldn’t look appropriate.”

“That may or may not be true,” I grumble.

“Again, speaking hypothetically, is it for a valid reason?” he asks.

“Hypothetically, it’s not because I’m trying to protect a reputation, or because I care what anyone in this town thinks of me.”

“But does she know that?” he asks.

I dip my head once.

“Okay wait, all these hypotheticals are confusing me. Are ya’ll married or not?” he asks.

“I don’t know how to answer that question,” I mumble. Legally? Yes. Emotionally, mentally,physically? Not so much.

Cooper leads the way up a hill and we find Fletcher with the rest of the hands circling a group.

“Maybe that’s the problem man, you don’t know what you want so why should she tell you what she wants?”

My head snaps to him, my neck tweaking with the movement. I thought I was clear with her, but maybe I wasn’t. In my mind, it was clear and to the point. But to Shiloh, it was mixed signals and risky.

“Oh hey, you’re home,” Shiloh says as I walk into the kitchen.

It’s a mess, and she is too. I take in whatever it is that she’s making and lift my gaze to her. She’s wearing my apron, I keep tucked away and hardly use. She has those wild blonde curls piled up on top of her head, and there’s a little flour on her cheek. I have to fist my hand to keep myself from dusting her off.

“What’s all this?”

She shrugs shyly. “I wanted to try to make chocolate chip cookies.”

I nod, wondering why that’s such a big deal for her. Doesn’t everyone know how to make chocolate chip cookies?

“I know it sounds stupid, but I’ve never made them before. My dad wasn’t exactly the Betty Crocker type, and I’d normally buy the kind that comes in a roll from the store.”

“It doesn’t sound stupid at all. It’s good to learn new things.”

A blush rises over her cheeks, and I preen. I like that she responds to me, it gives me some level of hope. I don’t know why I’m hoping, and regardless of what happens, we should talk about it, but she doesn’t want to.

Cooper’s words keep running through my mind, and I want to make things right because this marriage thing still has time on the clock.